Astrobiologist Tries to Cook Outdoors in Antarctica — and the Meals Turned Out Just as Expected

Thousands of miles off the South Pole, Concordia Research Station sits on a dome glittering white under the Antarctic Sun. Even astronauts who have the privilege to witness the otherworldly sights of stars and celestial sparkles feel jealous when they think about this station. Fanning out of this station is an endless desert painted in pure white, not even a lone bear or a huddle of penguins. In March 2018, when astrobiologist Cyprien Verseux (@CyprienVerseux) was aboard the station, he and his team conducted a fun experiment: cooking outside in all this ice. The photos they captured from their outdoor kitchen left viewers amazed and curious to visit this place.

Even Mars has an average temperature of minus 60 degrees Celsius, but the winds blasting this isolated ice-scape can sink the mercury even to minus hundred, Verseux described in a blog post. Amidst this stark frozenness, scientists and biologists have scant and meagre facilities to survive and carry out everyday tasks. As Ben Saunders described in a YouTube video, scientists here usually live on unappetizing meals like freeze-dried cereals, energy and protein bars, dark chocolate, seeds, and electrolyte drinks throughout the day.

During one such expedition in 2018, Verseux and his team came upon the idea of a cooking project. Instead of cooking the meals in the cosy, typical kitchen, they set up the cooking equipment outdoors, spreading it over the sparkling white carpet of ice. They ventured outdoors and cooked an array of dishes in this outdoor kitchen, snapping surreal photos all the while. There couldn’t be a better word than “surreal” to describe these photos, indeed. Take a look. These photos will probably remind you of a dreamlike art gallery or shots of a science fiction fantasy.

Gravity-defying Nutella

A scientist with thick black gloves in his hand holds a white bowl containing a dish of bread and Nutella dipped in milk. However, instead of becoming smothered by the Nutella, the bread is suspended in the Antarctic air, while the chocolatey Nutella seems to be swirling down from the bread like tentacles of a jellyfish plunging in the ocean of milk.

Noodles frozen in time

The image of spaghetti depicts that sometimes having a rooftop dinner isn’t a very good idea. It shows a silver spoon carved in the azure fabric of the sky. From the tip of the spoon, the tawny-colored strands of noodles are cascading downwards, tumbling and falling inside the white dinner bowl.

Raclette art

A black pasta pan elegantly tilts downwards. A waterfall of cheesy liquid cascades into a plate hovering below. While some of the cheese settles into a pool, the remaining cheese stays hanging in the air, like a cheesy sculpture hardened in space. A one-of-a-kind art piece sponsored by Antarctica’s cool breeze.

Spooked out eggs

When Verseux and his team tried to make a dish of scrambled eggs, the results were “uneggspected,” as a user described on X. The yolk that was lucky succeeded in dipping into the oil inside the pan. But the unlucky one remained stuck inside the eggs that were not even allowed to crack properly, by the freezing winds. Apart from these, Verseux shared dozens of images from this cooking episode, including that of boiling water freezing mid-air and honey hovering over a bread toast. 

At this time, there were a total of 13 people aboard the research station, Verseux told Bored Panda. The team included not only scientists but also technicians, a cook, and a doctor. Speaking to the outlet, he reflected on how the station’s inhospitable, isolated, and harsh condition makes it so challenging for the residents to do their everyday tasks. Yet, nothing can compare to the untouched beauty and unflinching quietude that this ice-scape offers to those who are curious and daring enough to arrive here.

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