Another sustainable living spinoff...

[Truscifi]

Has anyone here actually made or used a solar oven that works? Not a pizza box type for the kids to make treats, but one that could be used to cook a casserole or a loaf of bread? I have read about such a device, but I can't even get the pizza box version to work. :glare:

 

We live in Florida so we have tons of opportunity to use a solar oven. And it would be great when it warms up since I could cook hot meals/sides without heating my house.

[FaithManor]

DH is interested in a solar oven but we haven't built one. We've got firebricks here and plenty of firewood. So, we'll be building an exterior adobe bake oven. But, I think a solar one would be so cool. I hope someone will be able to answer your question. (I just wanted to bump this onto the main page - things are moving fast today.)

 

Faith

[Heidi]

We own two solar ovens that we bought. I cooked a whole chicken, potatoes, and a stack of corn on the cob in them on day. They work great!

 

These are what I bought: http://www.solarovens.org/sossport.html

[MarinesWife]

We own two solar ovens that we bought. I cooked a whole chicken, potatoes, and a stack of corn on the cob in them on day. They work great!

 

These are what I bought: http://www.solarovens.org/sossport.html

 

Thank you for that link! I've never seen one before. We have cooked with the tin foil Cub Scout box oven thing. Never thought to find a "real" one. :)

[Truscifi]

Thanks! I will look into these. :)

[suzf242]

We made one that looks similar to the bought oven hmsmith shared, except the base of ours was 2 cardboard boxes inside one another with straw for insulation. We spray-painted the inside of the oven black and put in 2 bricks that were also spray-painted black. I never tried bread, but we have done corn muffins, potatoes, beans and stews, and other things. We often use a canning jar spray-painted black (leaving a strip not sprayed so you can see in the jar) to hold the food. The temperature is usually around 320, but if we spend time repositioning the window toward the sun it will get above 350.

 

Take care,

Suzanne

[Truscifi]

Why did you use a canning jar? Is it ok to use a regular casserole dish? I assume the black paint was to help it hold heat, but I have a black porcelain casserole dish.

[suzf242]

Why did you use a canning jar? Is it ok to use a regular casserole dish?

 

 

I think a casserole dish would be nicer than the canning jars. Dh put the oven together in an afternoon, and I didn't have any black dishes. He made it so 2 canning jars fit in perfectly with the bricks, so I never bothered to buy a black dish. I would think you would have the same results heat-wise with a porcelain casserole, and it would be a lot nicer getting the food in and out. ;)

 

You'll have to let us know how yours works out!

[Carol in Cal.]

I also have a Sun Oven. It works GREAT.

I find, though, that I have to make sure that my pots are covered and almost-not-quite-sealed. Otherwise, if a lot of steam gets out into the over, it condenses on the glass and the temperature drops very quickly. So I would be leery of baking bread in an open pan in it, for instance.

[Carol in Cal.]

This is interesting. I did get condensation on my glass but I don't remember if the temp dropped. I have seen loads of videos and testimonials on the bread that are fine. Maybe because there isn't a lot of moisture in the bread.

 

Maybe so. The time I saw this I was making one of those recipes that you usually make in an iron pot in coals--it was some kind of fruit pie with dough (not crust) on top. The fruit was steaming a lot, and steam escaped between the lid of the pot and the pot itself. When it condensed on the glass, the temperature dropped from a little over 350 down to about 275, and the baking slowed way down, and the dish ended up really soggy because it cooked so much more slowly than intended. So I have always been leery of baking bread in an open container, or of anything else that requires an open pot.

 

What I LOVE in it is beans. Cooking beans from scratch is one of the biggest advantages of this oven. I dislike the smell of cooking beans, and the long cooking time means that I get really, really sick of it. The Sun Oven moves all that outside, and also it cooks at a slow temperature so the beans get really soft, like canned ones, without bursting. Pintos started in the Sun Oven make the best refritos ever.

[Truscifi]

I would imagine anything that works in a slow cooker would work in a solar oven. And I do have a cast iron dutch oven with a dark blue ceramic coating also. I think that would work, and the lid seals very well. I have used it to bake artisan style breads in the oven, I could probably do the same in the solar oven.

 

<off to look for boxes of the right size now> :leaving:

[Amy Jo]

My parents bought one and they LOVE it. They invite people over to enjoy a solar cooked meal.