Gas makes cooking easier for cooks at Markham Secondary

Origin Energy is supplying gas to the Markham Valley Secondary School kitchen for cooking.
The gas company is filling up two large cylinders at the students’ dinning hall.
The company does not charge travel costs to the school to refill the gas bottles.
Principal Billy Kayo said the school moved to gas cooking last year. “We started cooking students’ meal using gas last year. The school bought 10 gas rice cookers. Nine are being used currently for cooking meals,” he said.
“Origin Energy refills the gas on their normal runs, we have to inform them in advance when we see that the cylinders are getting low.
“They transported the gas for free and refilled it. We only bought the cookers and pay the gas when it runs low.”
The school has acquired four gas pressure cookers for soups and vegetables.
Kayo said using gas has made cooking easier for the cooks.
“We are no longer using firewood,” he said. “Our cooks are not sweating now to look for firewood or to break it into pieces for cooking.
“The cooks are now relaxed and have more time to do other things.
“Gas cooking is very fast that we cooked 38 bags of rice for students unlike in past years.
“We also changed the menu when we took in a retired chef to do some training for the cooks.”
Cook Ngawasi Atsuf said they used to cook in an old open shed, but were now able to cook indoor using gas.
“The new gas cookers have helped us a lot,” he said.
“Our cooking task is now easy with not much job, and we have a lot of time.”