Solar Ovens Really Work

[DV8]

Today I went to Gatlinburg to take part in an outing my friend was giving for his scout troop.

In the Morning they all whipped out their expieramental solar ovens. Some were cardboard boxes cut at an angle & lined with foil & covered in syran wrap.

The one My Friend Bill Had Made, was made of wood, & was insulated with styrofoam paneling, which was covered in very thin (but not as thin as foil) high polished steel sheeting. The lid had a hinged wood frame & a Actual Glass pane center.

About 8 am we placed Bread Dough wrapped around hotdogs, thin sliced fish suspended about 2" off the bottom (by skewers) as well as skewers of thin sliced beef & venison.

We closed our lids (some sealed theirs with syran wrap)

& we left them on top of the picnic tables in our area, & we went out & enjoyed Gatlinburg, the shops, the skiing, the sledding, etc..

We all met back up at 4:00 pm & we then checked the contents of our Solar Cooked Meals.

I Can say I was Honestly suprised, that even with the outside temps, the solar ovens had baked bread & fully cooked almost all of the meats (the thicker cuts didnt get done..

Also want to point out that where the cardboard boxes did work, they didn't work as well as Bill's homemade box, which with the insulation & Actual Glass Lid seemed to get the most foods well done.

So, if it ever comes down to not having an oven, you can still bake, as long as the sun still shines !!!

~DV8

[Shamrock1121]

Welcome to the wonderful world of solar cooking.... 8) *I should get mine "fired" up as soon as the weather starts to cooperate a little, and the sun is a little higher in the winter sky (usually by late February). *

I can use my Tulsi hybred sooner than my Global Sun Oven, because the Tulsi has an electric back-up that kicks in if the temperature should fall below a food-safe level. *I can actually cook in the Tulsi 365 days a year WITHOUT the sun by using the electric feature on it - kinda like a big "Crock-Pot". *So if the weather turns to crap, I can wheel the Tulsi into the garage, plug it in, and continue cooking and still keep the heat out of the kitchen. *I keep my solar oven/s on a steel tool cart for easy transport in and out of the garage, and easy storage. *I cover my solar ovens with covers designed for gas grills to keep the dust off of them.

Helpful hints: *

- When the sun is low in the sky (winter), things may cook too slowly, or not finish, so choose foods that don't require high temperature or long cooking.

- Use pots with lids for faster cooking.

- Use black pots. *You can also paint the outside of glass canning jars with black heat-resistant paint and cook in them. *Even in the winter you can use quart canning jars and heat water for doing dishes, etc.

- Use pots that are thin (enamelware works very well). *Heavy/thick pots/pottery don't work as well, or as quickly, as thin, dark, pans.

- Choose small pieces of meat over large pieces. *For instance, if you cook a pot roast, cut it into several smaller portions.

- Cook small amounts, small pieces, and little to no water added for faster cooking.

- Always use a thermometer in your solar oven so that you know your food is cooking at a safe food temperature. *If the temperature falls below 150°F, you are quickly approaching an unsafe temperature and you should finish cooking on a regular stove.

- Baking is best done in the middle of the day. *Cookies/breads don't need a cover.

-Karen

Modified to add: 8 a.m. (when the sun is very low in the hemosphere during the winter) was too early to be loading solar ovens with food. I doubt that they got hot enough for safe cooking temperatures this time of the year. You should also pre-heat your ovens before adding food - especially meat - (which takes 30-40 minutes in optimum conditions, which is summer and full sun). Once the food is added, it lowers the oven temperature, so your food can be at an unsafe temperature and can actually foster bacteria growth, rather than cooking, by NOT pre-heating.

You also should track the sun with the solar oven, moving it every 30 minutes to one hour, or so, not leave it in a stationary position all day. It's amazing someone didn't get food poisoning from the Boy Scout solar cooking adventure. Food safety wasn't much of a concern - I just hope no one got sick from improperly prepared food and a little food poisoning from uncooked meat.

You should never leave solar ovens unattended for long periods of time. Food CAN, and does, burn in them....

*

[DV8]

Although we didn't use thermomiters & weren't closely monitoring them, as maybe should have been done ( was my first expierience using them or even seeing it done) there were people there with the stuff all day, & they did rotate them to point towards the sun..


I guess if you have to have thermomiters, & constantly watch the ovens, they aren't really practical in a SHTF scenario, cause I doubt I'll have a thermomiter, nor time to sit & watch food cook, what with all the other chores there'd be..

Like you, I'm glad noone got sick tho. I copy/pasted your reply to bill, & we both agree, it was lucky noone did

~DV8

[Shamrock1121]

Although we didn't use thermomiters & weren't closely monitoring them, as maybe should have been done ( was my first expierience using them or even seeing it done) there were people there with the stuff all day, & they did rotate them to point towards the sun..


I guess if you have to have thermomiters, & constantly watch the ovens, they aren't really practical in a SHTF scenario, cause I doubt I'll have a thermomiter, nor time to sit & watch food cook, what with all the other chores there'd be..

Like you, I'm glad noone got sick tho. I copy/pasted your reply to bill, & we both agree, *it was lucky noone did

~DV8



You don't HAVE to have a thermometer, but they ARE the only way to accurately measure the temperature in the ovens for safe and accurate cooking. It only takes one idiot trying to cook food in an unsafe temperature to sicken everyone with food poisoning.

In a SHTF situation, my Tulsi solar oven is shaped much like a small hard-cased suitcase and has a handle to carry it, so it's very portable. Inside I have pans for cooking, a thermometer, and kavlar gloves for handling hot pans. I could also store foods inside the solar oven. That should cover most cooking, as well as being able to pasteurize drinking water without starting a fire should the SHTF. The pans in the solar oven can also be used for open-fire cooking.

So do you think you're going to be able to make something better with a pasteboard box, foil, and plastic wrap should the SHTF? As you stated, you DON'T have any experience in this area, you just saw that it DOES work.

I also have a lightweight, folded solar oven in my emergency equipment. Add to that, I actually know HOW to use a solar oven, and use them for much of my cooking and baking, especially in the summer.

ALL foods need to be checked during cooking and most foods don't need to cook all day, nor do they in the solar oven. The solar oven just affords us that cooking option. It doesn't take much more time to move the solar oven to track the sun than it does to stir the contents in a pot cooking in the solar oven. When you are baking in the solar oven, don't expect good results if the oven isn't up to baking temperature.

If you are going to rely on wood, or other fuel sources, for cooking during a SHTF situation, then you know fires need constant watching, as does food cooking on it, even more so than the solar oven.

-Karen