Alternative Technology Engineers

Solar Cooking

Important:
The sun is a serious tool.
Please use sunglasses!!

Outdoor temperature is not a factor so long as direct sunlight is present. Solar ovens are used at Mt. Everest basecamp, and the snow works like a giant reflector.

Solar Energy is much more than electric panels. My personal passion is cooking.

all five ovens heating water with a satellite dish cake and meatloaf
Here are five models of homemade solar cookers One can even use (recycle) an old satellite dish Cakes and meatloafs cook at 250 degrees

Cooking with the sun is fun and educational; and, it is a needed self-sufficiency / survival skill.

In the US, few have heard of SOLAR COOKING. I get stares when I talk about it; and looks of utter astonishment when someone samples a bite of a smore or meatloaf or banana nut bread.

Yes, you can COOK using only the sunshine! Want a super simple example? Ever heard the term "its so hot you could fry eggs on the sidewalk". Use a cast iron skillet, its less messy.
Be sure to click on the photos above for a larger view of ovens in action.

Safe drinking water can also be obtained using a solar oven. Place containers in the oven and permit the temperature to raise the water above 149 degrees farenheit. The water will be PASTERIZED by the sun's UV radiation, which kills all harmful bacterias.

The vast majority of ovens, factory-built and do-it-yourself, currently come from sources outside the United States. Numerous styles are available in Australia, China, Germany, India, and Switzerland, where folks shake their heads in disbelief at the unfortunate (ignorant) Americans that have not yet experienced the wonder of tasting sunshine. Check out our LINKS page below --and-- explore some of the 20 million-plus search results on Yahoo, Google, and MSN (keywords are solar cooking).

Chances are high that any oven you see in the US will be homemade. The number one source of plans is Solar Cooking International in Sacremento, California. Plans are free to download and use. You can buy a ready-made version of their "Cook-it" model and the funds will be used to support thier primary mission of helping the women in many African nations find alternatives to burning cow dung, and the dwindling wood supplies, to cook food and sterilize water. They are one of several NGOs (non-government organizations) working towards that goal.

For the do-it-yourselfers and recyclers among you, here are a few tips. Some oven models work better than others, often due to geographic difference. Where the wind is too strong (or the weather too damp on occasion) for the cardboard models, you can build using any available materials such as the bottom sash of a double-hung window (oh, we call that RECYCLING don't we).

Remember!
The sun is a serious tool.
Please use sunglasses!!

Recipes

Just about any food can be cooked with the sun.

  • As in any kitchen, different cookers are built for different styles of use.
  • Some work like solar crockpots (the box designs)and take more time. Load your food, aim the oven at the point where the noontime sun will pass, and head off to work. Supper will be waiting.
  • Reflector ovens bounce the sun's rays onto a container that is usually enclosed in a cooking bag.
  • Concentrator ovens are much more intense, and will require more attention. This would include the parabolic frying pan.
  • Your car is an ideal cooker. For a great snack, and air refreshening, place a platter of cookie dough on the dashboard before heading to the office or the mall.

(1) Solar Coffee -
I was sitting in the park this morning, heating water for coffee. Don't need electricity or gas. In my solar oven (this one was a reflector-type) I heated water for my coffee in just over an hour.
Using the simplest oven I own:

  • I poured 10 ounces of water into a dark brown rootbeer bottle
  • I stood the bottle in a six-inch castiron skillet
  • I both were placed into a turkey roasting bag, and placed on the ground
  • the relector was one-half of a foil automotive windshield reflector
In an hour the temperature inside the bag (and bottle of water) had risen to 180 degrees F. That was both plenty hot for my instant coffee and to pasterize the water (149 degrees) killing any bacteria in the bottle or water.

for the following recipes, one would use a box-type oven:

(2) Solar Smores - great for demonstrations.

  • (a) Build your smores open-faced.
  • (b) Place in oven.
  • (c) Watch the chocolate melt.
  • (d) Serve hot and gooey!

(3) Solar Pizza. - also fun to watch-as-it-cooks

  • (a) Prepare your crust in usual manner.
  • (b) Place crust in solar oven. It will cook while you gather and prepare other ingredients.
  • (c) Test for firmness with finger or fork. It may not brown right away.
  • (d) Carefully remove from oven and load with toppings. Use lots of cheese.
  • (d) You will KNOW your pizza is ready when the cheeses are melted. If you are showing it off as it cooks, you might want to keep as eye on the watchers.

(4) SolarCookingInternational Recipes

Think about what the folks in the hurricane damaged areas could be doing now.

Solar Cooking Links

Solar Water Pasteurization Link