Solar cooking recipes...help

[jimindenver]

So I tried out the solar oven I picked up yesterday. It is a lower temp slow cooker which is what I wanted considering I like to slow roast meats. A review said it was slow to heat but I put the reflectors on it and set in the drive in the winter configuration and wow. Even though it's below freezing it hit 150f in five minutes, 200 in 8 minutes and 315f in 15. The instructions say to keep it under 300f to avoid warping the top so I brought it in and lifted the lid to cool it and got a pretty good blast of hot air off of it.

The thing is it didn't come with it's cook book and I haven't seen much on the web yet. Any recipes that those that have used them can suggest?

 

[Almost There]

So I tried out the solar oven I picked up yesterday. It is a lower temp slow cooker which is what I wanted considering I like to slow roast meats. A review said it was slow to heat but I put the reflectors on it and set in the drive in the winter configuration and wow. Even though it's below freezing it hit 150f in five minutes, 200 in 8 minutes and 315f in 15. The instructions say to keep it under 300f to avoid warping the top so I brought it in and lifted the lid to cool it and got a pretty good blast of hot air off of it.

The thing is it didn't come with it's cook book and I haven't seen much on the web yet. Any recipes that those that have used them can suggest?

Not sure how you were searching but a google search for 'solar cooking recipes' got me enough recipes to last a lifetime...   I don't have a solar cooker yet so you're on your own with these.

The first site also had general guideline section for just about everything you could ever want.

http://solarcooking.wikia.com/wiki/Recipes

http://www.solarovens.org/recipes/

http://www.sunoven.com/archives/category/daily-solar-cooking-recipe

 

[jimindenver]

Thank you very much. My problem was a quick search for the cook book not recipes. The links are wonderful, especially the one for the sport.

 

[Almost There]

Thank you very much. My problem was a quick search for the cook book not recipes. The links are wonderful, especially the one for the sport.

 You're quite welcome!

The Wikia.com site has a really good basic instruction section on it that's well worth the read. I went exploring after I posted because a solar cooker is definitely on my shopping list for when I get on the road.

I search for recipes on a regular basis...my two sons have fought over my recipe collection several times now...

Any time you want a recipe for anything, just google the main ingredient and add 'recipe' to the search - ex. 'turkey leftover recipe' will get you enough hits to keep you in turkey recipes for a decade...

 

[akrvbob]

It's remarkably similiar to a standard oven, the only thing that changes is the time. And that's a matter of learning your oven and that changes with the day, season, wind, clouds and 1000 other variables.

It's much more an art than a science, but the results are well worth it. Your best friend is a meat thermometer so you can watch the temperature of the actual food.
Bob

 

[jimindenver]

Thanks Bob. Through the magic of You tube I have seen many, many, many things made with that model of oven. I never imagined chocolate cake and french bread but they do it. Now if the clouds would just break.....

Why is it that every time I get something associated with solar the clouds just have to roll in? lol

 

[jimindenver]

Partially cloudy today so I didn't want to start out on something expensive like ribs so I found a box of Jiffy cornbread and made muffins. It took a few hours and I had to use the reflectors to keep the temps between 200-250f due to the reduced sun, still they are some tasty muffins. Now I just have to keep from eating them all before Honey gets home.

 

[akrvbob]

Corn bread is one of the main reasons I got a solar oven too!

Your first experiment shows why recipes don't really work, very few days are exactly alike and your elevation probably made it different than sea level. On a good day it would take 30-45 minutes. but a cloudy or windy day can take hours.

The Sport is a great oven, you're going to love it for many years to come!
Bob

 

[jimindenver]

So this morning we got enough sun to risk a rack on baby backs. They went in to the solar oven at 9:45 am and stayed there until 4:15 pm when the sun went down. They looked a little burnt but OMG are they moist and dissolve in your mouth tender. I picked up some cake mixes for tomorrow.



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[Almost There]

Did you just use your regular roasting pan for them?

 

[jimindenver]

These are the pans that come with the Solar sport oven.

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[jimindenver]

You can use any thin walled black pot and smaller roasting pans would be fine if they fit.

Since the ribs I have made Blue berry muffins, a double layer lemon cake, beer bread and Colorado style green chili. They were all simple, easy and came out wonderful.

Today I received a Global sun oven that I found on ebay for $60 + shipping. No pans or anything but I have those. of course it was sunny all day until the UPS guy showed up. After that I didn't even get a chance to warm it up. It gets hotter than the sport oven and will take a bigger pan in the winter.

 

[CrazySister]

You can use any thin walled black pot and smaller roasting pans would be fine if they fit.

Since the ribs I have made Blue berry muffins, a double layer lemon cake, beer bread and Colorado style green chili. They were all simple, easy and came out wonderful.

Today I received a Global sun oven that I found on ebay for $60 + shipping. No pans or anything but I have those. of course it was sunny all day until the UPS guy showed up. After that I didn't even get a chance to warm it up. It gets hotter than the sport oven and will take a bigger pan in the winter.

I haven't been able to get on here for a while. I am thrilled for you at geting such a great deal on a second oven. You will be having a ball when the sun comes out. Think of the many course meals in your future. We have not had steady sun for so long I forgot what it was like. Waiting for the sunny spring weather. I set it to preheat when I leave for work and then put the food in about noon. I am glad you mentioned beer bread. I need to make that for sure, so good with chili.

 

[jimindenver]

You would have enjoyed today then. For mid winter it was one of those days that I could start warming up the sport in winter mode at 8 am and catch the last rays between the houses at 5 pm. I could have easily cooked more had I been prepared and took things out as soon as they were done. As it was i did two small loaves of banana bread, a double layer chocolate cake, two eggs sunny side up, a rack of baby backs and a acorn squash.

Using the two different ovens side by side has been interesting. The solar sport heats up easier especially in winter mode early on, the sun oven just cant tilt far enough to heat up. On the other hand, the sun oven runs a good 20 degrees hotter and it's seal is faulty. Once I sort that out I expect temperatures between 325 and 360 out of it. That will make baking bread and cakes faster while the sport slow roast dinner.