How to cook solar

[Boyntonstu]

This will work, but in my opinion it costs too much.

http://www.solavore.com/


The Solavore oven heat from 210* F to 260* F  with a maximum temperature of 300* F..

For Sous Vide that needs only 140*F, it would be overkill.

I believe that I could build a simple solar Sous Vide cooker for under $10 using plywood, insulation, and a few panes of glass or clear plastic.  It would be about the size of a George Foreman Grill.

The problem is overheating the meat above 140* F.

I am thinking about a thermostatic shade device to control the maximum temperature.

Anyone want to join me in making a solar Sous Vide cooker?

It would be a fun project.

 

[TrainChaser]

$5 solar cooker: https://www.treehugger.com/solar-technology/build-solar-cooker-just-5.html

 

[Boyntonstu]

$5 solar cooker:  https://www.treehugger.com/solar-technology/build-solar-cooker-just-5.html

Indeed, nice find.  Thanks.

As we know there are many ways to do solar.

However, the challenge that I have is to build a thermostatically controlled Sous Vide stove that will maintain 135* to 140* for 3 to 4 hours.

I know that it can be done.

Also, a set it and forget it stove that will not burn or dry out food would be great for Vanning.

Load it up, go to work, and return to a hot meal.

BTW At 135* F I can take my food out of the oven bare handed,

Would you like to build one?

 

[TrainChaser]

Nope! I don't want to cook meat at temps lower than what kills the strains of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli.

When something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. And that's how I feel about sous vide.

 

[Boyntonstu]

Nope!  I don't want to cook meat at temps lower than what kills the strains of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli.

When something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.  And that's how I feel about sous vide.

I can understand your concerns and I will try to answer them.

"Is It Safe to Cook Food at Low Temperatures?

According to the USDA, any food held in the so-called temperature "danger zone" (between 40°F and 140°F) for more than two hours presents a risk of food-borne illness from the growth of pathogenic bacteria — whether it's cooked sous vide or by conventional means. In truth, these numbers have a built-in buffer zone, so 130ºF is a much more accurate cutoff point. Harmful bacteria can't grow above that temperature, and at around 135ºF, most bacteria will actually be destroyed after a few hours, making pasteurization possible.

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Cooking Temperatures for Beef[/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=x-small]tags: beef | cooking temperatures | meat temperature | method[/font][/size]

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[size=undefined]

Cooking Temperatures for Beef:
Rare:
• 120-130 °F (50-55 °C) Internal appearance very red; very moist with warm juices. Approximate cooking and resting time: 20-25 min./lb. plus 8-10 min. resting
Medium-rare:
• 130-140 °F (55-60 °C) Internal appearance lighter red; very moist with warm juices. Approximate cooking and resting time: 25-30 min./lb.. plus 8-10 min. resting
Medium (with a touch of pink):
• 140-150 °F (60-65 °C) Internal appearance pink red color; moist with clear pink juice. Approximate cooking and resting time: 30-35 min./lb. plus 8-10 min. resting
Well-done:
• 150-165 °F (65-75 °C) Internal appearance no pink or red, slightly moist with clear juices[/size]


Do you order "well done"?

Have you measured the interior temperature of your BBQ meat?

A list of the restaurants around the world who cook Sous Vide:

https://www.sousvidesupreme.com/restaurant_locations.htm

I hope that his helps.

 

[jimindenver]

Usually when you see a internal temperature of (?), it means that the outside has seen a higher temperature that kills anything growing on the surface. That is why ground meat needs to be cooked through because anything growing on the surface is now in the middle too. A friend showed me a Sous Vide cooker earlier this year and I thought it was for warming up prepared meals, not actual cooking.

I have the oven linked in the OP, it is a fantastic solar oven. You can build your own like it or any of the mass produced cookers. I think you will find that by the time you purchase the wood, insulation, metal, tempered glass, gaskets and paint, not to mention buying the two pots, thermometer and pasteurization indicator that you are not paying them much more to make it.

One feature of the sport oven is the it can be used as a dehydrator if you vent the lid. That keeps the temperature down to 150 F. A few white strips of paper would reduce the heat produced and you may be able to keep it right at 140 F. You can also lower the temp of any solar cooker by turning it so it gathers less sun but that would require paying attention to it a lot. Having water in a pot would take longer to get to the temperature but be easier to hold there because the water would be slower to react to changes in the oven.

Here is a list of DIY plans for various solar cooking.

http://solarcooking.org/plans/

 

[Boyntonstu]

Usually when you see a internal temperature of (?), it means that the outside has seen a higher temperature that kills anything growing on the surface. That is why ground meat needs to be cooked through because anything growing on the surface is now in the middle too. A friend showed me a Sous Vide cooker earlier this year and I thought it was for warming up prepared meals, not actual cooking.

I have the oven linked in the OP, it is a fantastic solar oven. You can build your own like it or any of the mass produced cookers. I think you will find that by the time you purchase the wood, insulation, metal, tempered glass, gaskets and paint, not to mention buying the two pots, thermometer and pasteurization indicator that you are not paying them much more to make it.

One feature of the sport oven is the it can be used as a dehydrator if you vent the lid. That keeps the temperature down to 150 F. A few white strips of paper would reduce the heat produced and you may be able to keep it right at 140 F. You can also lower the temp of any solar cooker by turning it so it gathers less sun but that would require paying attention to it a lot. Having water in a pot would take longer to get to the temperature but be easier to hold there because the water would be slower to react to changes in the oven.

Here is a list of DIY plans for various solar cooking.

http://solarcooking.org/plans/

After cooking Sous Vide the outside of the meat is seared on a grill or by using a flame torch.

That should do the job.

Most of us would shy away from Steak Tartare:

[font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif]Steak tartare[/font][font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif] is a [/font][font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif]meat[/font][font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif] dish made from finely chopped or minced [/font][font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif]raw beef[/font][font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif] or horsemeat. It is often served with onions, capers and seasonings (the latter typically incorporating fresh ground pepper and Worcestershire sauce), sometimes with a [/font][font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif]raw[/font][font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif]egg yolk, and often on rye bread.[/font]

[font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif]Chopped or ground meat has the problem of bringing the outside into the inside, the interior of steak does not.[/font]

[font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif]Back to Souse Vide:[/font]

[font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif][font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif]"Beef[/font][font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif] doesn't carry many parasites which [/font][font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif]can[/font][font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif] infect us, so [/font][font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif]raw beef[/font][font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif] is safer to [/font][font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif]eat [/font][font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif]than other meats, it is not 100% safe though, as bacteria [/font][font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif]can[/font][font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif] still be on the surface. Rare [/font][font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif]beef[/font][font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif] on the other hand is safe to [/font][font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif]eat[/font][font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif]. This is because [/font][font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif]beef[/font][font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif] meat is extremely dense, and bacteria cannot penetrate and infect the meat."[/font][/font]

[font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif]This is why 135* is safe when used with a seared exterior.
[/font]
I hope that this helps.