Solar Cooking

Taste the energy of the sun in every luscious bite.

“Solar cooking is magical because it allows you to cook a complete dinner with the energy from the sun,” says Chef Bruce Brennan, popular host of The Hippy Gourmet cooking show on PBS and coauthor with James Ehrlich of The Hippy Gourmet’s Quick and Simple Cookbook for Healthy Eating. “You can solar cook a veggie ratatouille in one container and an organic fruit cobbler in another container at the same time. Place the oven facing south, go to work, and come back a couple hours later to a piping hot, delicious dinner.”

The Hippy Gourmet also loves the earth-friendly efficiency. “With a solar oven, you never have to turn your regular oven on or compensate with your air conditioner to cool your house from using your home oven. So, you save money, energy, and the environment all at once,” he explains.

“When we put our solar cookers out in the morning, typically around 9 am, they come to temperature in about 40 minutes,” says the chef. “We’ve seen the temperatures rise above 400˚F. So, here you have an oven that can bake, brown, and otherwise cook just about any kind of recipe you can imagine.”

The limitations to solar ovens include not being able to fry or pan sear, since the heating source is radiant and indirect. “However,” says Brennan, “you can certainly brown and make things crispy, like a wonderful quesadilla, solar pizza, or even cookies.”

Brennan’s solar oven of choice is from the Solar Oven Society (www.solarovens.org) “because it’s made from 100% postconsumer recycled plastic, comes with two beautiful Crock-Pots, a thermostat, solar reflectors that are made from recycled cardboard, and even a water purification kit. The Solar Oven Society oven is great because it’s durable, portable and has a patented sealing cover that locks in the heat. Be sure to wear oven mitts because this oven really gets hot inside!

“Another oven we like is from an Indian company called Tulsi,” adds Brennan. “The Tulsi comes with an additional built-in heating source, in case you live in a place where it might get cloudy all of a sudden or if you’re cooking something that takes a little bit longer and the sun starts to set. That feature allows you to maintain cooking temperatures.”

“People are always surprised that they haven’t seen our solar ovens before,” says David Chalker, the North American distributor for the Tulsi-Hybrid Solar Oven. “I just say, ‘Well, it’s been hiding in India for the last 20 years.’”

Chalker discovered the Tulsi-Hybrid Solar Oven while doing an Internet search and went to India to check it out. A solar cooking hobbyist, Chalker constructed many homemade solar ovens with disappointing results. “Believe me,” says Chalker, “there is a big difference between a professionally engineered and manufactured solar oven and one that’s homemade.”

The Tulsi-Hybrid Solar Oven was designed to combine sun power with a very small amount of electricity—you can plug it into a standard outlet or generator—for optimum cooking performance. The ovens utilize flameless cooking, have zero carbon emissions, and are powered by a renewable energy source. “Tulsi ovens are reliable, and that’s not always the case with other solar ovens,” says Chalker. “Using a solar oven couldn’t be simpler. You just set it up, point it towards the sun, and walk away. Generally speaking, if you can bake a food in the house, you can bake it outside in a solar oven—cakes, cupcakes, breads, muffins, vegetables of all kinds, meats of all cuts, fish, pasta, potatoes, and so on.”

Optimal Conditions

“The best recipes are the same type that you would make in your Crock-Pot cooker,” says Mike Port, executive director for the Solar Oven Society. “It’s not the sun’s heat that cooks the food but the ultraviolet [UV] rays. In the winter months in the northern hemisphere, when the sun is low on the horizon, its light passes through more of the atmosphere, which screens out most of the UV rays. That’s not a problem in warmer months, when the rays are overhead,” he says. So, you need rays that are above 45 degrees from the horizon line and at least several hours or more to cook anything.

A solar cooker collects UV light rays and converts them to longer infrared rays that can cook food. Port says that if your shadow is shorter than you are or if the UV index in your area is 7 or higher, then you’re cookin’. (Check the Environmental Protection Agency’s Web site at www.epa.gov/sunwise/uvindex.html.)

“Solar cooking tastes incredible because it’s slow cooked, sealing in all of the moisture, nutrients, and flavors into every dish,” says Brennan. “We like to say that you can taste the flavor of the sun in every bite, which is really true!”

— Michele Deppe

Solar Specifics

The USDA outlines a few points of safety for solar oven users:

Save It for a Sunny Day: Cook during the hottest hours on a sunny day, between 10 am and 2 pm. If you’re trying to cook in less-than-optimal conditions, consider using only a solar oven with excellent construction—the Solar Oven Society “Sport” model is a good choice—and perhaps a backup energy supply like the Tulsi-Hybrid.

In the Thick of Things: Stick a thermometer in the thickest part of the food to make sure that it has cooked to a high enough temperature. If you use disposable cardboard thermometers and need to go back for a second check because your food wasn’t done yet, make sure to use a fresh thermometer that hasn't been inserted in raw food. Steaks, roasts, and fish need to be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 145˚F, while most other meats and dishes containing eggs must reach 165˚F.

Keep a Lid on It: Remember that checking food allows a lot of heat to escape, so resist the temptation to frequently check whether the solar rays are “working.” Use caution with how long your food is sitting around; just like conventional ovens, solar ovens benefit from a half hour or more of preheating, so plan accordingly.