   ← Quest for Fire Began Earlier Than Thought
Alan4discussion's Avatar Jump to comment 16 by Alan4discussion
Comment 8 by katy Cordeth  Isn't it quite probable that the
first cooked food that early man ate on a regular basis would
have been prepared by immersing raw meat into hot springs -
boiling it rather than broiling it?  It is possible to use hots
springs, but there are serious limitations. 1. They are often
heavily contaminated with chemical minerals. 2. A flowing spring
washes away the nutrients. 3. A small fixed pool cannot be
cleaned after earlier meals. 4. Hot water is difficult to
transport without modern containers, and cools rapidly.
Naturally occurring volcanic springs would have provided a much
more reliable and permanent source of heat and wouldn't have
required him to sit around twiddling his opposable thumbs
waiting for a forest fire or a lightning strike to occur.  Where
there are hot springs, there are usually volcanic sources of
fire, which will start natural fires, and from which bur