Dr. Tom Povey of Oxford University in the U.K. has invented scientifically design cookware that heats food much faster and saves greatly on gas and electricity.

His "insane-looking" cookware consisting of cast aluminum frying pans, a saucepan and a stockpot will go on sale at cooking supplier Lakelands in the U.K. this month (August). The cookware is being marketed under the brand name, Flare.

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What's more impressive than the flared and futuristic look of Dr. Povey's cookware is that these are ultra efficient at heating liquids and food faster than conventional designs. As a result, the doctor's cookware also considerably cuts down on cooking gas or electricity bills.

Tests on his stockpot showed that water came to a boil 3.3 minutes faster than in a normal pot. The energy savings are also huge. Dr. Povey said a conventional pan of the same size uses 44 percent more gas than his design.

"This is quite a significant saving, but also gets people thinking about energy consumption with a product that is very visibly consuming energy," he noted.

His design uses patented "fins" to channel from the bottom of the pan and up the sides. The "fluting" or raised surfaces on his cookware's sides help transfer heat faster.

Efficient heat exchange is Dr. Povey's cup of tea given that his work as a scientist currently focuses on heat transfer and aerodynamics in axial turbine jet engines.

His research topics at Oxford University's Department of Engineering Science range from fundamental studies of physical processes that are important for jet-engine life and performance to the development of novel industrial measurement techniques and advanced instrumentation.

Dr. Povey said it took him three years of research in a laboratory to fashion a cookware design people would actually want to buy. His inspiration for ultra-fast heating cookware was ignited during one of his camping trips.

He began thinking about how to make a pot that could boil water faster. He realized a large amount of energy is lost simply heating the pan instead of boiling water.

"So, it is an aero-dynamic and heat transfer problem and we applied the science used in rocket and jet engines to create a shape of a pan that is more energy efficient."

He said the original idea was for the outdoor market and he wanted to improve efficiency for cooking outside.