Hot rocks is the shortened version of hot rock cuisine. This is a style of cooking utilizing stone plates to provide the ultimate culinary sensation.
Hot rocks are natural geological products produced at temperatures in excess of 1000 degrees Celsius. They possess a particular mineralogy that was stable at those high temperatures. After quarrying from rare locations the stone is imported for further processing to a specific size and particular finish.
The cuisine is an experience of healthy eating using no oils or fats to cook the food. The instant high heat sears in the natural flavours and juices of the meat making the meal an unforgettable culinary experience. Raw meats or seafood are placed directly onto the rock by the diner who becomes the cook. The sliced food continues to cook while you eat. Fillet steak, buffalo, venison, horse, kangaroo, crocodile, fish and prawn are particularly suitable, as is poultry. Paramount is the use of quality meat.
Hot rock cuisine is an ideal commercial concept because of the low cost and ease of delivery. A hot stone is taken out of the pre-heated oven, placed on an insulating or isolating stainless steel tray or ceramic plate and brought to the diner. It remains hot for about an hour depending on the type of thermal insulation/isolation being used. The meat is presented separately. At no stage does the kitchen cook your meat – you are in control. It is therefore so simple that a chef is not required. It is also very speedy because the preparation of the food can be done in advance and because there is no cooking time in the kitchen the turn-around in busy restaurants is very quick. At the completion of the meal the rocks are retrieved and cleaned up for next use with only warm, clear water.
Chefs can be creative such as the use of hot rocks for extreme desserts.
The life of a hot rock is typically between 200 and 1000 meals. A single meal generally recovers the cost of one hot rock.