Solar Cooking Basics
29/04/09 11:19 Filed in: solar cooking | tips
The below is a few quick tips about Solar Cooking.
Read this before picking which solar cooker or oven you will buy / make.
POTS - In general a dark coloured pot works best. If the pot is covered, it will take longer to heat up initially — though once it gets hot it will generally get hotter for longer.
RECIPES - The recipes that you use in your regular oven can be used in many solar cookers. You need to check the temperature of your solar cooker to see if it is high enough for the recipe.
A panel type cooker will normally only slow cook food or heat it up — though a good solar oven with reflectors will bake, boil and roast as well. A parabolic cooker will boil
If the temperature is lower than the recipe you may still be able to use the solar cooker — it may just take longer.
TIME - See point above — as a general rule the temperature of the oven governs the cooking time. The hotter the oven is, the quicker something will cook.
POSITIONING - This needs to be specific to your solar cooker. A panel type cooker or parabolic cooker may need regular adjustment — while a solar oven may not need adjusting so often.
REGULATING TEMPERATURE - this is done by turning the oven away from the sun. The further away from the sun, the lower the temperature.
It is advisable to get an oven with a thermometer built in to make this task much easier.
PREHEATING - It is normally good to heat up the solar cooker before putting food inside. This is especially true when baking (see tip on baking).
As with any oven keep the door closed as long as possible — when putting food in / taking it out be quick & shut the door quickly.
CLEANING - This is important with any cooking tool — but even more so with a solar cooker / oven. The surfaces are what reflect the suns rays to heat up the cooker — so if they are dirty the performance will drop as will the temperature.
Read this before picking which solar cooker or oven you will buy / make.
POTS - In general a dark coloured pot works best. If the pot is covered, it will take longer to heat up initially — though once it gets hot it will generally get hotter for longer.
RECIPES - The recipes that you use in your regular oven can be used in many solar cookers. You need to check the temperature of your solar cooker to see if it is high enough for the recipe.
A panel type cooker will normally only slow cook food or heat it up — though a good solar oven with reflectors will bake, boil and roast as well. A parabolic cooker will boil
If the temperature is lower than the recipe you may still be able to use the solar cooker — it may just take longer.
TIME - See point above — as a general rule the temperature of the oven governs the cooking time. The hotter the oven is, the quicker something will cook.
POSITIONING - This needs to be specific to your solar cooker. A panel type cooker or parabolic cooker may need regular adjustment — while a solar oven may not need adjusting so often.
REGULATING TEMPERATURE - this is done by turning the oven away from the sun. The further away from the sun, the lower the temperature.
It is advisable to get an oven with a thermometer built in to make this task much easier.
PREHEATING - It is normally good to heat up the solar cooker before putting food inside. This is especially true when baking (see tip on baking).
As with any oven keep the door closed as long as possible — when putting food in / taking it out be quick & shut the door quickly.
CLEANING - This is important with any cooking tool — but even more so with a solar cooker / oven. The surfaces are what reflect the suns rays to heat up the cooker — so if they are dirty the performance will drop as will the temperature.
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