The Cuban content creator Roxana Cruz published a video on Instagram this week in which she demonstrates how she transformed a pressure cooker into a charcoal stove for cooking during blackouts.
Cruz summarizes the reality of millions of families on the island: "This has saved me during many blackouts, because here there is never any electricity, but we never stop cooking."
The video shows her husband cooking on the pot adapted for the charcoal burner function, while she narrates the solution they have found in response to the simultaneous lack of electricity and gas.
Users explained in the comments that the redesign addresses a double need. On one hand, those old pressure cookers have stopped working due to a lack of spare parts, but they are very durable. With no gas or electricity to cook, the new design allows for a convenient and easy-to-use charcoal stove suitable for Cuban kitchens, which are often small.
"They use it like a charcoal stove, thus giving it utility. There is no gas, no electricity, so they go buy charcoal to avoid starving," wrote one of the commenters.
The reactions to the video mix admiration and sadness. "Those who know how to solve problems don't go hungry" and "Cubans are always looking for alternatives" are some of the comments.
"This is not just a charcoal pot, it's a lifesaver during blackouts. Thanks to this, we never run out of food at home," summarized another user in the comments of the video.
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