Monday, August 20, 2012

Solar Cooking in a Sun Oven--Day 1

Over the past couple of months I have been looking into how to cook when the power is out.   Last December a huge blizzard struck a local community.  The wind from the storm blew off roofs, the ice created deadly roads leaving the population home bound.  The snow was heavy enough to collapse power lines.  The power was down for almost a week.    My friend lost her roof and ended up eating a lot of cold food.

Those families affected by the storm were home bound without light, heat, or a way to cook. Consequently several families decided that they would try bringing their barbeque grills inside so they could have a not meal.  It almost killed them.  At least 2 families were poisoned by the fumes (luckily both families survived).

All of this got me thinking.  About my options for powerless cooking.  A while back I received a sun oven.  I have wanted one for quite a while but Sun Ovens are a pretty substantial investment so I had put it off.  Just after I got my Sun Oven I saw this presentation, by Paul the founder of Sun Oven International. 


 One of the things he says  in the video really struck me.  He said that most people that own a Sun Oven have never used it.  They buy it and leave it stored with their emergency supplies and hope to never need it.  I decided it get my sun oven out and start using it.   I’m so glad I did. Because it was harder to cook in the sun oven then I thought it would be.  I thought I would open up my sun oven and there would be great directions in it and I would set it up and cook dinner.

Sadly the first couple of things I cooked in the sun oven did not turn out.   Since then I’ve done a lot of research, a lot of experimenting, and a lot of cooking in my sun oven. 
I think that I have mastered the basics and I wanted to share the things I wish I had known before I started cooking in my Sun Oven. 

I have created a printable version of this post and the others that I will share this week.  At the end of the week I'll post it.   So if you do have a sun oven and you don't want to use it unless there is an emergency or TEOFWAWKI  then print this off and stick it in the box with your sun oven.  Trust me the instructions included with the sun oven are lacking (and all on CD). 

Preparing a Sun Oven for Cooking

Prep Work
The first time you use your sun oven there is a little prep work. 
1.      Carefully remove the blue protective film that covers the reflectors.
2.      Heat a pan of soapy water inside the sun oven.  Using the soapy water wash the inside of the oven well.  Be sure to pay special attention to the glass and the seal next to the glass.

Pre-Heating your Sun Oven:
To pre heat the sun oven, find a location where there is unobstructed sun access. Open the reflectors and position your oven so that the shadows fall evenly on either side of the oven, and the glass door has the full sun’s rays. (You may need to adjust the oven as you are cooking.)  The glass should be held securely against the rubber seal using the small silver fasteners.  Pre heating is necessary when you do bread, cakes and other foods that rise, but it is not necessary for most casseroles. 

You might want to check out my Ultimate FREE Sun Oven PDF.