Does anyone have a web site for easy solar cooking recipes? What are some of the things you can cook? What are the limitations?

-- mmmm (mmmm@mmmm.com), December 19, 1999

Answers

I don't have a website for you but here are some of my experiences:

Food will not brown so I used paprika, salsa, etc and cooked chicken pieces. I learned that you should use smaller shallow dishes, dark preferably, and cover w/saran wrap to keep moisture from condensing on glass/plastic window. (I used the large turkey roasting bag to make my solar cooker window). Try to avoid opening the oven until food is totally done. I strongly recommend an oven thermometer for the oven (tilted so you can see it from the "window", and a meat thermometer stuck in the food. I had a harder time getting the chicken pieces cooked fully - because they had the bone in - debone and cooking will be easier. I also cut some thin strips of cardboard and coiled them, on edge, in the bottom of the oven - just a few strips, so the air can circulate all around the pan. I also cooked brown rice in a mason jar with plastic on the top - took about twice as long as normal. Food is always tender but might take longer to cook in general.

Start your cooking early in the day - my best success in the summer has been to start cooking by 10:00 am and all cooking done by 2:30 or so. Perhaps others are better at all this but this is just what works for me. Enjoy!

-- Kristi (securxsys@cs.com), December 20, 1999.

The place where I found most of my information both for making a solar oven and using it was at:

http://solarcooking.org

You can look through their various pages, and they also have a place (toward the bottom of the second column) where you can ask questions!

From what I've read, you can cook anything - it's just that it will take twice the time to cook. I love the idea that we can not worry about using up all our fuel cooking beans!! I haven't tried bread yet, but that's one of the things that the above site shows being cooked in third world countries. Sometimes they have a whole village cooking their bread at the same time out in a field with their solar ovens just "going to town!" OR a really large solar oven to make enough bread for the whole village!

You might also do a search for solar oven recipes but basically you can cook the recipes that you use now and like.

-- GardenGal (cookin@solar.places), December 20, 1999.

We find that rice or beans cook well in our solar oven, and it is nice because we don't worry about them scorching- if they cook an hour too long, it is okay. Also, we make muffins and coffee cakes in it, too, and since the oven door is sealed (we have a SunOven commercially made unit) things also stay moister than in a regular stove oven. It is really nice in warm weather when we are working outside, as then we are right there to turn it to face into the sun every hour or so, and don't use any purchased fuel, and don't need to run in the house to check on how things are cooking. Our homemade (from cardboard, aluminum foil and a piece of glass) solar oven works just as well as the purchased one, just isn't as nice looking or as easily portable or durable- but lots cheaper.

Jim

-- Jim (jiminwis@yahoo.com), December 20, 1999.

Has anyone tried a solar oven in adverse conditions? Overcast, winter, etc. I have a solar cooker but haven't experimented.

-- John Doe (anon@nowhere.com), December 24, 1999.

Solar Cooking FAQ ...The Solar Cooking Archive Solar Cooking FAQ Aqum en... ...and China. We are aware of solar cooking projects in most of the... solarcooking.org/solarcooking-faq.htm - Cached: 18k - GoogleScout

International Solar Cooking Recipes ...International Solar Cooking Recipes Yes, the world is a... ... Solar Collector we pass on Vietnamese, Latin and French recipes!... solarcooking.org/recipes.htm - Cached: 5k - GoogleScout

Books on Solar Cooking ...The Solar Cooking Archive Books on Solar Cooking... ...introduction to the world of solar cooking, including a large... solarcooking.org/books.htm - Cached: 12k - GoogleScout

Other Solar Cooking Sites ...Other Solar Cooking Sites Thanks for showing interest in... ...variety of methods used during solar cooking. Solar Box... www.solarchef.com/sites.html - Cached: 6k - GoogleScout

SOLAR COOKING ...Archive) Books about Solar Cooking RECIPES PAGE Crystal... ...Welcome to SOLAR COOKING You can cook almost anything with the sun... home.earthlink.net/~drduggee/solar.htm - Cached: 6k - GoogleScout

SOLAR COOKING RECIPES ... SOLAR COOKING RECIPES Solar oven cooking is... ... Solar oven cooking is very similar to cooking with a... home.earthlink.net/~drduggee/recipes.htm - Cached: 4k - GoogleScout

Books on Solar Cooking ...Books on Solar Cooking Cooking with Sunshine: The Lazy... ... Cooking with Sunshine: The Lazy Cook's Guide to Solar Cuisine by... www.accessone.com/~sbcn/books.htm - Cached: 11k - GoogleScout

Open Directory - Science: Technology: Energy: Solar: Solar Cooking ...Technology: Energy: Solar: Solar Cooking (10) Solar... ...in the United States. The Solar Cooking Archive - Information and... www.dmoz.org/Science/Technology/Energy/Solar/Solar_Cooking/ - Cached: 10k - GoogleScout

Yahoo! Society and Culture>Food and Drink>Cooking>Solar Cooking ...Solar Cooking Solar Cook - includes recipes, event... ...> Food and Drink > Cooking > Solar Cooking All... ca.yahoo.com/Society_and_Culture/Food_and_Drink/Cooking/Solar_Cooking/ - Cached: 4k - GoogleScout

Backwoods Home Magazine General Store - Books - Cooking & Recipes ...Featured Writers Address Change Cooking Recipes Click on "More... ...Yourself Anthologies Building Cooking Recipes Crafts Hobbies... www.backwoodshome.com/store/files/cookingrecipes.html

-- RT (Rngfr49@yahoo.com), December 25, 1999.