First off the SUN OVEN reaches an inside temperature of 350 degrees
F. or more on an average sunny day, so most oven dishes in your
cookbook are appropriate! Casseroles and stews, roast meats and
vegetables, breads and cakes are all easily prepared in a solar
oven just like a regular oven. People don't usually cook beans,
rice, boil potatoes and grains in their kitchen oven but the SUN
OVEN does this best! Legumes requiring many hours of stove top simmering
are perfectly tender after several hours under the sun, with minimal
attention. Rice and potatoes are cooked taking the same time as
usual if the SUN OVEN is allowed to pre-heat.
Stir frying and sautéing are not recommended inside a SUN
OVEN. This is not that they can't be done, but because the gentle,
uniform heat inside a solar oven greatly prolongs the cooking process
and the sealed cooking chamber makes the reduction of sauces difficult.
Stove top cooking concentrates heat on the bottom of the pan, allowing
rapid evaporation of cooking liquid but risks scorching. The cooking
chamber inside the SUN OVEN is tightly closed and moist so vegetables
need no cooking water. Meats and poultry need no oil to prevent
sticking, making the SUN OVEN perfect for low fat diets! The technique
of brazing, or the slow simmering of vegetables or meats in water,
broth or wine is a very amiable match for solar cooking.
How The Sun Oven Is Not Like The Kitchen Stove.
To begin with, there is no fuel used so no pollution is created,
no greenhouse gasses generated, no forests cut down, no strip mining,
no new dams on beautiful waterways, no need for nuclear power plants,
no acid rain, no energy bills AND it's practically impossible to
ruin food!
HOWEVER, your SUN OVEN is not the handy, finger touch controlled,
programmable-with-alarm kitchen tool we have become so fond of.
With a little practice and by following some basic guidelines, the
SUN OVEN will find a permanent place alongside your microwave and
teapot.
Basic Guidelines SELECTING THE COOKING SITE
The more sun exposure the better. This actually requires observation
over the period of a day. Seasonal changes in the sun's position
need to be observed. The hours of most intense energy from the Sun
are from 10 AM to 3 PM, but cooking can certainly be done anytime
oven temperatures are right. The SUN OVEN likes a wind protected
area. Wind gusts to 20 mph (or more depending on direction) can
be tolerated in good shape but will cause the reflectors to make
an occasional unnerving rattle which is safely ignored...........
The SUN OVEN can take multiple hard tumbles without harm but this
certainly isn't the purpose of it, and CAN create a mess inside
the oven.
PRE-HEAT THE OVEN
Pre-heating the SUN OVEN is recommended to prevent the cooking food
staying in the low temperature range that allows bacterial growth
(generally less than 160 degrees) An oven thermometer should be
used to confirm proper cooking temperature, and for further accuracy
a meat thermometer (where applicable) should be used.
COOKING CONTAINERS
Cooking pans are best made out of black or dark colored, thin walled
metal. These heat up fast and the dark color tends to absorb rather
than reflect the solar energy, making cooking more efficient and
faster. Other oven safe materials can certainly be used, but you
need to compensate with longer or hotter cooking times. Many foods,
such as rice and beans, should be covered for cooking.
POINTING THE OVEN TO THE SUN
To get the hottest temperature on a particular day, adjust the SUN
OVEN with open reflectors as if it were a basket trying to catch
the Sun's ball. Use the oven's rear elevator and rotate the horizontal
position to create the smallest shadow from the pot placed inside
the oven chamber. Many times the hottest temperature is not desired
so the oven may be placed off axis. Adjust the oven to maintain
the desired temperature and anticipate the sun's motion by setting
the oven slightly ahead of the sun's flight. This way adjustments
need only be made every hour or so, depending on weather.
RELEASE BUILT-UP STEAM
Once the cooking process gets going, steam will usually be released
from moist foods and accumulate on the glass oven door. Since this
slightly shields incoming solar energy, it is helpful to release
this condensation by opening the door a second or two (with a gloved
hand to prevent being burned by the escaping steam.) You will find
that when cooking some things, like rice, the steamed glass will
signal a finished dish.
USE HOT PADS!
After a cooking vessel has been sitting in the SUN OVEN for a few
minutes, it may look quite cool but is actually quite HOT! Always
use hot gloves or pads when touching pots in the oven!
KEEP CLEAN AND STORE PROPERLY
Use a clean, soft, dry cloth to keep dust and dirt off the reflectors
and glass door. Never use abrasive cloths or cleaners on the reflectors
as this will cut down on its ability to bounce energy into the oven
chamber. Mild soap and water may be used on all surfaces occasionally
with soft cloth. Folding the reflector when not in use is a good
idea and prevents the oven from walking away in a wind. When folding
down the reflectors, squeeze them flat(next to the hinge) before
the final placement against the glass. This makes the button strap
easy to use. Once closed the SUN OVEN can be carried without fear
of harm by the case handle. Like all tools, storing the SUN OVEN
inside is advised for maximum life. However, extensive field testing
has shown the oven's resilience when exposed to prolonged harsh
weather.
USING THE SUN OVEN: SPECIAL NOTES
COOKING WITH ANIMAL PRODUCTS
As in all forms of cooking meat, a lagging temperature can permit
bacterial growth so an adequate oven temperature must always be
maintained! During days of heavy haze or intermittent cloudiness
the cooking of animal products is not recommended unless a oven
air temperature of at least 160 degrees F. or more is constantly
maintained. A good rule of thumb is to reserve cooking with animal
products only on bright, cloudless days. One of the ways to achieve
a safe oven temperature is by pre-heating the SUN OVEN to at least
300 degrees F. Pre-heating the cooking pot on the conventional stove
to quickly bring the temperature up is helpful also.
COOKING SMALL AMOUNTS OF SMALL ITEMS
Burning may occur if small dry items such as nuts, dry peppers,
herbs or spices are roasted alone in a pan in small amounts. When
cooking these things avoid full sun exposure for more than 10-20
minutes.
BROWNING MEATS AND BREAD
Under ideal conditions, the SUN OVEN will reach about 400 degrees
F. This is not hot enough to put that thin layer of char on meat
or provide robust dark brown crust on certain breads. Although these
matters are culinary subtleties that have more to do with presentation
than taste and texture, the subject deserves a comment. If meats
or poultry are desired with a browned exterior, just do it the way
you do usually before placing in the SUN OVEN. A darker finished
luster on heavier breads like whole grained types can be achieved
by increasing the refined sugar content or adding a tablespoon of
malt sugar per loaf to the recipe.
PASTA
Preparing pasta requires a sharp sense of timing in a solar oven.
Pasta unattended very quickly goes beyond the al dente" to
the all mushy". Currently there is no law against this. Of
course, noodles can be included in casseroles and baked along with
other ingredients as usual. Some people use the SUN OVEN to pre-heat
water, transfer it to the regular stove top and reach an immediate
rolling boil. This saves a tremendous amount of energy but a pot
with securable lid is mandatory for safety.
