Perfect weather for solar cooking.

[Gina]

Yesterday I got some raw, 'older' ribs for half price that needed to be slow-cooked today. But it's hot, and I want to keep the house as cool as possible. So they are now, outside, in the solar cooker simmering away. They should be fall-off-the-bone perfect by dinnertime. :) Yum!

[loosechickens]

To me, that's one of the biggest benefits of our solar oven. Keeping that heat out of the house, while allowing you to cook stuff that takes a long time to cook, (which is true of lots of inexpensive foods, like beans, tougher cuts of meat, etc.).

Yesterday, using two solar ovens, we cooked black beans from dried beans, brown rice, ropa vieja (a Cuban, long cooked dish of beef, spices and vegetables) from a chunk of tough, grassfed beef from a friend, and an apple crisp.

there's hardly a day we don't use one or both of them.....(well, except today, because we've got leftovers of everything).

YAY solar cooking........

[ctg492]

I am in Mi and tried a homemade solar cooker a few years ago. I had no luck, I am not sure what I did wrong. Are you using a purchased cooker or homemade?

[Float On]

I've been known to put my crockpot on the back porch (that thing puts off a lot of heat) but I've never been brave enough to try to make and use a solar cooker. Its on the list (kinda towards the way bottom of the list but its on there).

[Gina]

I am in Mi and tried a homemade solar cooker a few years ago. I had no luck, I am not sure what I did wrong. Are you using a purchased cooker or homemade?
I've made 3 solar ovens over the years (and a few solar soil 'sterilizers'). They all worked relatively well, but were large and bulky, and a pain to use. They did work however.

About 2-3 years ago I just broke down and purchased a commerical one online - Sun Oven, and haven't looked back. It is just so much easier to use, is less fragile, not to mention smaller, and it gets hotter inside. I keep watching Craig's list cuz I'd love to have a second one, but no luck thus far. As LC said, it's perfect for beans and other longer cooking things. I also got a hunk of sale beef yesterday, that I'll solar cook as stew tomorrow.

Oh, and the ribs are already browned and tender, and the kitchen totally cool.

Float On, I sometimes think I should put my dehydrator outside when it's hot. Maybe this year when I dry some chiles I might do that.

[loosechickens]

We've made and cooked in homemade ones over the years....even did volunteer work for Solar Cookers International in Mexico and Central America, but these days have gone to a Sun Oven ourselves....compact, consistently higher temps, o.k. outside in any weather (always a problem with cardboard cookers and sudden showers, even if painted with waterproof spar varnish, etc.)

If you want to do a homemade one, there are good plans available for both the cardboard box cookers and more substantial wooden ones, etc. available from www.solarcooking.org

For the commercial Sun Oven: www.sunoven.com or available from various other sources on the web as well.

We use ours for pretty much anything but frying......any food you cook on the top of the stove (except for frying), or in a regular oven, you can cook in the solar oven. Things like potatoes or veggies cook well with little water, cooking times might have to be adjusted, quick breads might not puff up as well, because temps run usually (in the Sun Oven), from 300-350F only, but that really works well to cook most anything.