Cooking With 1150 ° C Hot Molten Glass! Big Pink & Restaurant Rot on Gotland

Sponsored by Visit Sweden

Sponsored by Visit Sweden

On the island of Gotland in Sweden, there’s a restaurant where they cook with molten glass. The warm liquid holds a temperature of 1150 ° C (2100 ° F) and is used to encase a fish completely – cooking it without letting any steam out. Somewhat similar to the techniques of salt-baking or pit-grilling, except much faster. After just twenty minutes the glass starts to crack and the fish is done. You can witness this amazing demonstration of creative cooking at Restaurant Rot – a social dining experience around a large communal table in collaboration with the glass studio Big Pink.

Turbot seasoned and ready for cooking
Turbot seasoned and ready for cooking

Cooking With 1150 ° C Hot Molten Glass

We were given a demonstration by glass blower Jennie Olofsson in her studio, which is located in the South-Eastern part of Gotland. She started by pouring the molten glass on top of a steel table, forming an eclipse base large enough to hold a big flounder fish. Meanwhile, chef Lucaz Ottosson seasoned a whole turbot, wrapped it in five layers of wet newspaper for protection, and placed it on top of the burning hot mass. Jennie continued to apply a net of molten glass over the fish, until she had completely encapsulated it. How hot is that molten glass? I asked her.

– It’s 1150 ° C when I take it out of the oven. The surface, once it cools down a bit, is probably around 800 ° C.

We watched as the melted glass started to set. The colors changed from bright orange and red to grey and translucent. After a while, cracking sounds suggested the cooking process was coming to an end. Small shards and splinters started to fall off some places. That’s when Olofsson brought out her hammer and cracked the shell open. Lucaz helped her to peel off all the glass, then removing the protective layer of paper, and finally the flesh of the fish. Inside, was the most perfectly cooked, succulent and tender white meat.

Jennie Olofsson applies a net of molten glass to the fish
Jennie Olofsson applies a net of molten glass to the fish

My Instagram Video Has Over 8 million Views

My video of the cooking process, edited and published just minutes before we took off from Visby airport, has ranked up almost 100.000 views on my Instagram. However, if you count the more than 40 pirated copies out there, both on Instagram and Facebook, it actually has over 8 million views. I’ve never experienced such a massive theft of copyright material before. While I am happy for Big Pink and Restaurant Rot who’s gotten loads of attention, it’s disheartening to see how few of these supposedly serious food sites on the Internet that are professional. Only FoodBeast and Now I’ve Seen Everything actually asked for my permission to use the material (and were granted it). Thanks to them for being respectful to me and abiding by the law.

Meanwhile, a huge site like Food Envy asked to get my raw footage and more pictures, which I declined, whereupon they went ahead and stole the original video anyway. The only thing these sites are doing is to take the work of others, re-upload it as their own, in order to convert likes to followers which they can later capitalize on. How about making some original content for once, or maybe paying the photographers? Oh well, rant off. Luckily, the Internet has more pros than cons. Be aware, though, as readers, of which articles, photos, and videos you share. Sites like BoredPanda and, apparently, Food Envy are pure copycats.

The turbot is completely encased in the molten glass
The turbot is completely encased in the molten glass
Don't burn your fingers!
Don’t burn your fingers!

Have you ever seen anyone cook with molten glass before? Or other cool techniques? Please share in a comment.

Disclaimer

This was part of a sponsored trip with Visit Sweden. The sponsor had no influence on the content of this article. I received no monetary payment.

Anders Husa

Anders Husa and Kaitlin Orr are food & travel bloggers and creative content creators. From their base in Copenhagen, they operate the largest and most influential restaurant-focused travel blog in Scandinavia.

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