HINTS & TIPS
 Most recipes take slightly less liquid when cooked in a solar oven.
Time for cooking depends on the temperature of the food as it is placed in the oven, as
well as the brightness of the day.
Allow plenty of time. Foods hold well in the solar oven without scorching or drying
out. You will need rougly double the time you need to cook in conventional oven.
Most recipes calling for a higher temperature will do fine if you give them more
time.
TYPES OF SOLAR COOKING DAYS
GOOD: Clear
and sunny. Oven will preheat to 275° - 300°F (130° - 145°
Celsius.)
FAIR: Hazy
or partly cloudy. Oven will preheat to 200° - 225°F (95° - 105°
Celsius.)
BAD: On a
completely cloudy day one cannot cook with the sun. If the clouds
move in and completely block the sun while cooking, simply finish the
cooking in a non-solar way.
If food
partially cooks and then rests in incubation temperatures, pathogens may
grow in 2 or 3 hours. Partially cooked food should be removed from the
cooker as soon as
feasible.
CHARACTERISTICS OF
HOW FOOD COOKS IN A SOLAR OVEN
Easy to Cook: (If started early,
will be done on a fair day.) Rice, whole grains, rolled grain
flakes, cereals, most egg dishes, chops, ribs, fish and most poultry,
puddings, crackers, cookies, brownies, fruits, green vegetables, shredded
vegetables.
Medium to
Cook: (If started early, ready by noon on a good day or by evening
on a fair day.) Cornbread, gingerbread, medium-sized roasts, quick
breads, yeast rolls and buns, souffl?s, root vegetables such as potatoes,
turnips, some beans such as lentils, black-eyed peas, black
beans.
Difficult to
Cook: (If started early, ready for late lunch or dinner on a good
day.) Whole turkey, large roasts, stews and soup and bean pots
(unless brought to a boil before placing in solar oven), most yeast breads
and cakes, pre-soaked pinto beans, field peas, garbanzo beans, small navy
beans, soybeans, kidney beans, red beans, yellow peas, dried peas, split
green or brown peas.
Introduction and Cooking Guidelines Courtesy of Kerr-Cole Solar
Cookers |
