The main founder, Peter Scott, was backpacking around sub-Saharan Africa and saw all the destruction from making charcoal. He thought: ‘How can we provide a better service and product that people will choose of their own accord and that will reduce the number of trees being cut down?’”
The result is the jikokoa – a cookstove named using two Swahili words; jiko meaning “charcoal stove” and koa meaning “save”. To be more efficient than traditional cookstoves, the jikokoa has extra insulation to optimise combustion and heat transfers, and reflectors to make sure the heat is pushed up into the pot, rather than down towards the ground.
The result is the jikokoa – a cookstove named using two Swahili words; jiko meaning “charcoal stove” and koa meaning “save”. To be more efficient than traditional cookstoves, the jikokoa has extra insulation to optimise combustion and heat transfers, and reflectors to make sure the heat is pushed up into the pot, rather than down towards the ground.
A jiko is a prized utility in every Kenyan household. No matter how much money you have and what other cookers you have, a jiko is a must. Some things like githeri and muthokoi cannot be boiled over a gas cooker. Well, they can but it’s wasteful in a Kenyan household to do so and they also don’t taste as sweet.
Living in an apartment can be a challenge when it comes to having a jiko and you have to go out of your way to figure out how to navigate this. Going outside or to the balcony is usually how most people go about this. I go outside because we have a compound and it’s common to find neighbors boiling their cereals to pack into their fridges for the week.
I was in the market a few weeks ago for a new jiko because the one I had was old and after moving to a new apartment, I really wanted something efficient and easy to use. Also, Christmas is around the corner and I tend to do a lot of the cooking for my family so a having a jiko is a must. After some extensive research, I settled on the Jikokoa and I can’t believe how great it is. Here are the things I like the most about it.
The jikokoa goe for Ksh 5,250 but there’s a holiday sale so the price is at Ksh 4,250. There are a lot of cheaper jikos out there however, looking at the cost efficiency on charcoal used, I was sold! The jikokoa is built to use charcoal efficiently so it uses 50% less charcoal saving you money on charcoal spending.
It also cooks 50% faster. We all know that a jiko can be time consuming and most of that time is spent lighting it. Lighting a jikokoa takes 5 minutes as opposed to the 20 minutes it takes to light other jikos. This was a huge selling point for me as I am time conscious and I definitely do not enjoy the long process of lighting a jiko.
Jikos can be a source of carbon monoxide and the smoke is not pleasant especially indoors, hence why it is important to light them outdoors. The jikokoa produces 63% less smoke than other jikos so you won’t be drowning in smoke or even worse, drowning those around you.
Using less charcoal also means that it is better for the environment as you’re not consuming as much.
The design is really what sold it for me. The jikokoa is a good looking jiko. It has ceramic insulation that is designed to withstand 1300C and keep the jiko cool to the touch. The handles are designed to not overheat and there’s a convenient ashtray that allows you to control the temperature while you cook and keep your jiko clean.
Jikokoa is also the only made in Kenya clean stove and I am all for supporting made in Kenya products. I am looking forward to using my new jikokoa and I know that once my mom sees it she’s going to want one as well. I’ll get her one for Christmas and I think it’s a great gift idea. Happy cooking!
Living in an apartment can be a challenge when it comes to having a jiko and you have to go out of your way to figure out how to navigate this. Going outside or to the balcony is usually how most people go about this. I go outside because we have a compound and it’s common to find neighbors boiling their cereals to pack into their fridges for the week.
I was in the market a few weeks ago for a new jiko because the one I had was old and after moving to a new apartment, I really wanted something efficient and easy to use. Also, Christmas is around the corner and I tend to do a lot of the cooking for my family so a having a jiko is a must. After some extensive research, I settled on the Jikokoa and I can’t believe how great it is. Here are the things I like the most about it.
Cost and time effective
The jikokoa goe for Ksh 5,250 but there’s a holiday sale so the price is at Ksh 4,250. There are a lot of cheaper jikos out there however, looking at the cost efficiency on charcoal used, I was sold! The jikokoa is built to use charcoal efficiently so it uses 50% less charcoal saving you money on charcoal spending.
It also cooks 50% faster. We all know that a jiko can be time consuming and most of that time is spent lighting it. Lighting a jikokoa takes 5 minutes as opposed to the 20 minutes it takes to light other jikos. This was a huge selling point for me as I am time conscious and I definitely do not enjoy the long process of lighting a jiko.
Health and environment friendly
Jikos can be a source of carbon monoxide and the smoke is not pleasant especially indoors, hence why it is important to light them outdoors. The jikokoa produces 63% less smoke than other jikos so you won’t be drowning in smoke or even worse, drowning those around you.
Using less charcoal also means that it is better for the environment as you’re not consuming as much.
Smart design
The design is really what sold it for me. The jikokoa is a good looking jiko. It has ceramic insulation that is designed to withstand 1300C and keep the jiko cool to the touch. The handles are designed to not overheat and there’s a convenient ashtray that allows you to control the temperature while you cook and keep your jiko clean.
Jikokoa is also the only made in Kenya clean stove and I am all for supporting made in Kenya products. I am looking forward to using my new jikokoa and I know that once my mom sees it she’s going to want one as well. I’ll get her one for Christmas and I think it’s a great gift idea. Happy cooking!