Solar cookers anyone?

[marions ghost]

I am interested in solar cookers as a way to cut down on power and gas use. Am living in an area prone to power outages so there is extra incentive. Also want to try using it to dry out silica gel bags used for dehumidifying. I realize I'd probably use it mainly on weekends as slow solar cooking doesn't fit the average American lifestyle too well. But I could cook and save things for later use during the week.

Anybody got any good tips or experience? Would this be a good cooker to try? I'm not great at fabricating things, so I would like to buy one: http://home.att.net/~cleardomesolar/SolaReflexPyramidcooker.html

A comprehensive website on the subject:
main page:
http://www.exoticblades.com/tamara/sol_cook/index.html

resources page:
http://www.exoticblades.com/tamara/sol_cook/net_res.html

[NMDemDist2]

1. you may also want to ask the folks in the energy/environment forum

lots of knowledgeable folks over there on alternative energy products

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=115

[marions ghost]

2. thanks

for the suggestion. I will do that.

Yes there's definite overlap between these two forums...I suppose many of us have an interest in both angles to it. I'm particularly interested in stoves, dryers, and water heaters both as energy hogs and money sinks.

It's probably going to be an excellent time for anyone marketing cost-cutting energy products and energy alternatives. Of course it's all about just consuming less.

We just had the power company check our meter for an unusually "low" reading. They do this for low or high readings before sending out the bill, in case there is a meter malfunction, so they say. I told the meter guy that yes, I expect the reading to be low, as we have been conserving energy. He looked skeptical but could find nothing wrong with the meter. So I guess we made a difference. Pretty soon, we won't be "preferred customers" I'm sure.

People need to get in the habit of reading their meter.

[eleny]

3. Do you cook a bunch of stuff at once, too?

I bet you do. I was going to braise one small roast tomorrow. But it dawned on me that it's better to braise two at once and freeze one for later. No sense in using the oven for one thing. I need to do way more of that. It's just as easy to roast four chickens as it is to roast one.

I used to bake 5 pounds of potatoes and then freeze them to use for recipes over time. It was more of a way not to waste potatoes. They'd always go green on me and sprout too fast. It was nice knowing I always had them handy and ready to go.

[NMDemDist2]

4. really? don't the taters get "mealy" when you freeze em?

cuz it never occurred to me you could freeze em

D'OH!

[eleny]

5. I didn't know until I tried it

I let them cool down to room temp and then put a bunch of them in a big plastic ziplock bag. I used them for making home fries in the frypan. I cut them into quarters and then into a dry frypan. They even get brown and crusty. Maybe the trick is to let them cool down so some of the moisture escapes. Then they don't get mealy in the freezer.

[NMDemDist2]

6. that's a great tip Eleny

thanks a bunch!

:pals:

[eleny]

7. try it out to see if you like it with a few taters

hope it works out! :hi:

[elocs]

8. At this very moment I am baking some potatoes in my Sun Oven.

Earlier today I baked a loaf of bread. Another person stopped their car this morning as they passed my house to ask about it. I have even had people come and knock on my door to learn about it. I got it last March and have used it regularly. I have baked whole chickens, a pork roast, made a meatloaf, salmon loaf, rice, bread, brownies, cookies, cakes, and potatoes. I am not much of a cook, so most of my uses have been very straightforward.

[marions ghost]

9. Excellent

So obviously you have found it to be useful...:)sounds like you are having a cooking demo in the front yard :applause:

I assume this is the Sun Oven you are using? And you've found it to be worth the cost of $195? Are you using one of the black enamelled roasting pans?

http://www.sunoven.com/faq.asp

What can I cook in a GLOBAL SUN OVEN®?
Anything you can cook in a conventional electric or gas oven can be cooked in a GLOBAL SUN OVEN®. You can bake, boil and steam using any of your favorite recipes.

What is the cooking temperature range?
The GLOBAL SUN OVEN® will reach temperatures of 360 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. The oven will generally reach its maximum temperature as it is being preheated. The temperature will drop when food is placed in the chamber.

Will food prepared in a GLOBAL SUN OVEN® taste the same as food prepared in my conventional oven?
The food tastes much better! Solar cooking allows many of the natural flavors of food, which get baked out in conventional ovens, to remain. The slow, even rise in temperatures in a GLOBAL SUN OVEN® gives the complex carbohydrates time to break down into simple sugars allowing subtle natural flavors to emerge. Sun baked foods stay moist, the natural internal juices do not bake out, resulting in a superior, moist taste and much less shrinkage.

How long does it take?
Cooking times are close to the same as those in a conventional oven. Because the sun is often trying to run away and hide behind clouds, cooking times can vary. At times it may take a little longer. The factors that affect the cooking time are: the quality of the sunlight at the time you are cooking, the types and quantities of the food being cooked, and how often the oven is being refocused.
(snip)

[elocs]

10. I did get the roasting pan, but I have never used it yet.

I did find it difficult to find things on which to bake in my Sun Oven which would fit into it.
I had a deep, glass covered fry pan which I have been able to use by removing the handle (the glass cover lets the sun in). Similarly, I had a square, flat griddle from which I removed the handle and use it for a cookie sheet (I can get 9 cookies on it). I also use an 8" square pan for baking cakes and brownies and a round and clear glass covered casserole dish for making other things. I use baking bags as a cover for pyrex bowls when reheating things or putting potatoes into them for baking. I have empty 1/2 gallon food cans which I painted the outside black to absorb the heat in which to bake bread. I use frozen loaves which I put into the can the night before to let it rise and then just bake it in the can which is well greased. Any metal pans used in the solar oven should be thin in order to absorb the heat better (ie, no cast iron).

The Sun Oven is the Cadillac model of solar ovens, but I think it has been worth it for me in the 6 months I have used it. I am a single guy and so I never really used my oven in the house except for making pizzas (which do not bake well in a solar oven because it does not get hot enough). My cooking was done pretty much in my microwave. I have use the Sun Oven a lot and it is well made and should last for many years. I also know that in an emergency I will be able to cook food without any fuel. In the winter I could even use it to heat water to put into hot water bottles to keep me warm at night in my sleeping bag if there were no power. I already have solar battery rechargers along with crank flashlights and radio. I am planning on getting a solar panel to power some small items.

[gollygee]

11. I made a sun oven two summers ago

and I had some success, not tons. It wasn't that well made though and I have a book with better directions that uses better materials, so my husband and I plan to make a better one this winter to try out next summer.

It isn't just about cooking to me - it's about heating up my house and then having to cool it off again every time I use the oven.

And it's pretty fun. :)

[diane in sf]

12. I used one of the little cheapies ($30) from Real Goods

to bring prefrozen chili up to a hot--not burnt temperature while at Burning Man a few years ago. It was slow, but effective. It was made of cardboard covered with foil and I used a little black enamel roasting pan inside a special plastic bag that came with it. I had to keep moving it arounf for maximum sun angle.