EN - USER GUIDE
1. OUTSIDE USE
All RILA cooking units are made for outdoor use only. A
cover is available for storage outside.
We recommend storing the RILA in a dry area if it is not
used for a long period of time.
It is important that you regularly treat the cooking plate
with oil, both its surface and its rim. The cooking plate
is made of steel and will corrode if oil is not baked into
it. Once the oil has properly been baked in, only minor
corrosion will develop. When the cooking plate is not used
for longer periods, we recommend treating it with oil every
7-10 days to prevent corrosion. Any corrosion that does
develop can be removed using steel wool.
In the event of excessive corrosion, we recommend
polishing its surface with a wire brush. It is best to heat
the cooking plate beforehand, because that will loosen up
the layer of corrosion. Once the cooking plate has been
thoroughly polished, you will be able to wipe away the
polishing residue with a cloth. Once you treat the cooking
plate with oil, it will be good as new again.
The base plate of the RILA contains a hole to allow
rainwater to drain away. To prevent your RILA from
clogging, we recommend that you remove the ashes after
every use. (Hot) ashes my also drop through the hole.
Take this into consideration when choosing a place to set
up your RILA. You might want to put a metal bucket with
some water underneath to catch these ashes.
2. WOOD
For the best cooking experience, we recommend using
dried wood to prevent smoke formation during cooking.
Stack the pieces of wood two by two, preferably with the
bark facing outwards to further prevent smoke formation.
Dried beech wood is best, because it burns down to a
mass of coals that optimally heats up the cooking plate.
This mass of coals is easily shifted around if you want to
direct the heat elsewhere. When you light the fire and add
new wood to the fire, it will generally smoke for a bit until it
catches fire properly.
The ideal size for the pieces of wood is around 10 x 30
centimeters. We advise against using larger pieces of
wood. These do tend to catch fire quickly, but generally
do not burn down properly due to the lack of space for
oxygen in the base. Do not over stack the wood, be
considerate.
3. FIRST USE
Upon initial use, it is important to light a smaller fire for
roughly 30 minutes to allow the cooking plate to settle
properly. If you light a fire that is too big using wood that
reaches very high temperatures, such as the kind of
hardwood that is used in construction, this may cause
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the cooking plate to deform. We do not accept warranty
claims for any damage resulting from such incorrect
usage.
All RILA cooking plates are treated against corrosion
during manufacturing. Once you have prepped the
cooking plate properly using a small fire, you can start
building a larger fire. Because RILA cooking plate tops
are 6 mm thick, it takes quite a sizeable fire to get them
heated through properly.
Once the cooking plate is well heated, apply olive oil and
spread it with a kitchen towel.
Do this 2-3 times. Then scrape down the cooking plate
with a spatula and push the scrapings into the fire. Initially,
the cooking plate will give off a black substance. Simple
apply olive oil a few more times, spread out the oil, and
scrape down the cooking plate. We recommend using
olive oil the first 2-3 times you use your RILA cooking unit.
After the first few uses, you can start using other oil types,
such as sunflower oil. Baking the oil into the cooking plate
also protects it from corrosion.
4. COOKING
It will take between 25 to 45 minutes, depending on the
weather conditions and the outside temperature, for the
cooking plate to reach a temperature of around 300˚C on
the inner edge and around 200˚C on the outer edge.
Once your initial fire's wood is burning properly, spread out
the hot mass under the edges of the cooking plate and
add new wood with the bark facing up.
Repeat the process for the entire duration that you wish
to keep the cooking plate hot. If there is wind, the cooking
plate will be hottest where the wind leaves the RILA
cooking unit, i.e. in the direction of the wind.
You can compensate for this by pushing more hot coals
into the opposite direction. Once the cooking plate is
starting to heat up, you must first scrape it down using
the spatula and then rub it with an oiled cloth. Once the
cooking plate is hot enough for cooking, add some oil in
the area were you intend to cook.
Whenever the cooking plate starts to appear dry and
matte, you will need to add extra oil, to ensure that the
cooking plate is always sufficiently greased. You will
need to add more oil when cooking fish and vegetables
than when cooking fatty meats. You can also use our
barbecook smoke planks to place thicker cuts of meat or
fish on after you have seared the outsides, to allow them
to cook slowly. If any food residue is left behind on the
cooking plate, simply push it into the fire using a spatula.
Rub the cooking plate down with an oiled cloth frequently.
We recommend that you do not allow a thick layer of
residue to build up, because it will be hard to remove. It is
better to scrape down the cooking plate frequently. Once
you are done cooking, clean the cooking plate one last
time using the procedure outlined above, and if it is still
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