Seeking Safer and Cheaper Alternatives to LPG Cylinders for Our Factory Canteen

Dear All,

I am working in a manufacturing unit where around 350 employees work in our factory. We have a canteen facility and we use industrial cylinders. Is there a less expensive and safer method than the usage of LPG cylinders? Please clarify.

Dear Guru,

Another method is using steam generated from a boiler as a heat source to cook food.

Dear Sir,

Thank you for your valuable reply. We have a boiler to supply hot water to the heat treatment plant (KILN). My query is, can we use this boiler for a steam generation system in the canteen?

Please assist me with this matter.

Thank you.

Dear Sir,

You can try Diesel burners; they will be cost-effective, and the stove flame is safe, good for preparing Roti/Puri. They are also easily available and maintainable.

Regards, RDS Yadav Labour Law Adviser [Login to view]

Another option is to use a natural gas or induction stove in the canteen.

Please let me know if you need any further assistance.

You can continue with the present practice of using commercial cooking cylinders, as the number of employees taking food in the canteen is around 350 only. Hence, if you go in for any additional expenditure like connecting the boiler line to the cooking area or installing a solar cooker, there would not be much savings worth the additional investment. You can interact with pressure cooker manufacturers to work out the feasibility of providing a safe, large-sized cooker so that the time and cost for cooking staple food like rice can be reduced.

Regards,
M. Venkatraghavan

There are very efficient and elegant cookstoves that can use a variety of biomass. The best ones work on the principle of gasification where the biomass (wood, husk, etc.) is burned to produce combustible smoke, which is burned to provide flame for cooking.