A few thoughts and tips about using the Sun Oven
If you are planning on getting a Sun Oven in the near future here’s a few tips that might help you enjoy cooking with sunshine a little more.
I’ve had a lot of enjoyment during the past 19 years cooking with the Global Sun Oven. I use my 19 year old Sun Oven for darn near everything (Except BBQ).
Just think, no more timers, no more thermostats, no special recipes. You read that right. You cook the food until it is done (or a little more than done).
Quick set-up at home, camping or anywhere: When most people see the Global Sun Oven for the first time they often say, “Oh, that would be good for camping”. Probably, but I haven’t used it for camping yet. I use it almost every day that I am home when it is sunny outside (a lot of sunny days in Vegas). I especially like to use it in the summer because I don’t heat up the house and make the air conditioner go into overdrive. Sure we are saving energy, but it is also a comfort thing as well. I keep the oven stored like a suitcase in the family room next to the back door, then grab it, set it on the patio, open the reflectors, point it in the general direction of the sun and go get the food ready. In about 15-20 minutes the oven is preheated to 375 or 400 degrees F. so I put in the food when I’m ready.
Focusing the reflectors is easy. It only takes a time or two until you get the idea. The new “All American” Sun Oven has a small device to fine tune your aim.
Cooking time is a little longer: A commercial solar cooker like the Sun Oven will reach hotter temperatures than a home built solar cooker made out of wood or cardboard so there are no special recipes when cooking. Use the same recipes you are used to, but the cooking time may be a little longer. I’ve found that anything I can cook in a regular oven can be cooked in a Sun Oven. Most foods can be kept hot in the solar cooker for a long period past the point it is cooked.
No special pots needed: I’ve used every type of pot imaginable, but I have my favorites. I try to use thin, dark metal pans with a lid but I have been known to use a Lodge indoor Dutch oven a few times. More on that later! I do refrain from using shiny mirrored pans as they reflect light (heat) out of the oven. I use regular bread pans that are a little dark, but I have used the throw-away aluminum formed pans with perfect success.
Food is hard to burnI can’t tell you how many times that I’ve been side-tracked and forgot I was cooking. The food probably was done to perfection an hour ago but I left it cooking longer than necessary. The food is a little browner, but not ruined like leaving it too long in the oven or BBQ. The sun moved and the interior cooking area got a few degrees lower temperature, but no ruined food! Because of the forgiving nature of solar cooking, I sometimes call it the “Lazy mans cooker”. I’ve heard a hundred times that I am not alone when it comes to burning the family dinner.
Holds moisture: Cooking longer at lower temperatures than the recipe calls for is OK in a Sun Oven, but would prove disastrous in your regular electric or gas oven. The reason is moisture. The heating element or burner in an oven will pull out the moisture of the food and send it into the room. That great smell you get in the room when cooking bread is actually moisture molecules from the bread that is released in the air. This process of exchanging air does not happen with a solar cooker because there is no burner. Most of the moisture stays in the food so naturally food tastes better, is moist and more nutritious.
Overcast days take longer: I’ve actually cooked a perfect loaf of browned bread on a slightly overcast day when the oven only got to 250 degrees F. It took three hours but it was perfect. Normally I cook bread during the morning hours when the sun seems to be brighter and the oven on my patio is a little hotter. It usually takes about 55 minutes for two loaves of bread.
Bread: Speaking of baking bread, there is something magic about cooking bread in a Sun Oven. I am pretty sure it is the moisture retention. You may find that when baking rising dough's or batters that you will want to put a little less in the pan than what you are used to. Because some of the pre-heat temperature is lowered immediately when opening the glass door to put in the bread, the lower temperatures are not immediately raised as fast as in an
oven. This allows the bread to rise a little more before actually baking.
Cakes: This is especially true of cakes. When first using the Sun Oven my cakes overflowed and it got a bit messy. So I use a little less batter in the pan and the cake turns out light and fluffy every time. I have done pies but I find that lower temps and longer cooking times let the sugar in the filling absorb into the crust so it is not as flaky as it should be.
Cookies: When I said food was hard to burn I did not mean cookies. If the recipe says 10 minutes, you better be ready to take ‘em out in 11 or 12 minutes. Cookies do not have enough moisture to withstand longer cooking times. They will burn, trust me!
Pizza: If you like pizza with the cheese just melted then you better turn on the gas oven. The Sun Oven cooking chamber is small so only a small pizza will fit. When cooking pizza the cheese needs to be burning a little (bubbly and getting dark) so that you can be sure the dough in the center of the pie is cooked.
Rice: Ok, how many of us use our oven to cook rice? We use an electric rice cooker or stove top with a high temp burner so the rice cooks in about 20 minutes. It takes about an hour or a little longer in a Sun Oven. Every time the rice is perfect, light and fluffy. I was surprised that not one grain of rice sticks to the pan. Food doesn’t stick to the pan because there is no burner causing hot spots. Often I cook the rice in the afternoon after the bread and main course is done. I aim the oven west towards the sun, set the adjustable leg to the highest level and forget it. I’ve often gone out to fetch the rice three hours later and the rice is always perfect.
Vegetables/Pasta: Usually less water is needed when cooking vegetables but always use a pan with a lid. The sun will discolor the veggies. Casserole dishes with vegetables are ok but pasta dishes may have softer pasta. To get al-dente try heating the pasta and water in separate pans then when boiling (small bubbles) combine to finish cooking.
Chicken, Beef or Pork Roasts: If you are a meat eater then you will enjoy the taste of your roasts far more than if cooked in an oven or crock-pot. I’m serious about that! The only better tasting method might be BBQ, but one could argue that solar is best because the food is healthier and long cooking times will save a bunch of propane, briquettes or pellets.
Larger Turkeys, Hams or Roasts: As you can see, the cooking area in a Sun Oven is relatively small. Here’s a way to cook larger roasts like a 20 pound turkey that will not fit on the small leveling cooking shelf.
First, I take out the leveling shelf (it’s easy). Then, I use a Lodge Mfg. 12” indoor Dutch oven. It is important to use the Lodge brand as the cast iron is thicker than foreign import cast iron. I place the indoor Dutch oven (one without legs) in the bottom of the Sun Oven and let the oven preheat. It takes 10 or 15 minutes longer to preheat because the thick metal oven is absorbing more heat.
I place the larger roast in the pan trying to situate it so that the top doesn’t hit the glass door when it is closed and latched. I make sure to cook during the middle of the day so that I don’t have to tip the oven with the adjustable leg at the back. If the pan is tipped too much you will spill juices all over the place! I’ve had to cut off the top of a ham to make it fit but I just wedged the piece in the side of the pot to cook.
The only problem (no problem) is that the bottom of the Sun Oven is not a cooking surface even though it is metal. So, cooking in this manner will invariably scratch the black paint and it will start to peel away. When this happens the interior of the Sun Oven looks tacky and the oven might be a few degrees cooler but I haven’t noticed much of a difference. (See “Makin’ it look like new” below)
The reason that you do not want to use a thinner metal pan is because the heat may not transfer to the middle of the pot to cook the food. When food is on the leveling tray then heat surrounds the pot just like in a regular oven. That is why I say only use a thick Lodge brand pot. The thick cast iron transfers heat to the middle of the pan just fine.
Speaking of cast iron, one of my favorite things to cook is cornbread. I use a round pan with individual triangles and it always turns out yummy with individual browned pieces. Mix up some cornbread mix, about a half a can of creamed corn, some butter and honey in the batter and mix. Spray the pan with a little cooking spray and its good eatin’ in a few minutes.
If you are planning on getting a Sun Oven in the near future here’s a few tips that might help you enjoy cooking with sunshine a little more.
I’ve had a lot of enjoyment during the past 19 years cooking with the Global Sun Oven. I use my 19 year old Sun Oven for darn near everything (Except BBQ).
Just think, no more timers, no more thermostats, no special recipes. You read that right. You cook the food until it is done (or a little more than done).
Quick set-up at home, camping or anywhere: When most people see the Global Sun Oven for the first time they often say, “Oh, that would be good for camping”. Probably, but I haven’t used it for camping yet. I use it almost every day that I am home when it is sunny outside (a lot of sunny days in Vegas). I especially like to use it in the summer because I don’t heat up the house and make the air conditioner go into overdrive. Sure we are saving energy, but it is also a comfort thing as well. I keep the oven stored like a suitcase in the family room next to the back door, then grab it, set it on the patio, open the reflectors, point it in the general direction of the sun and go get the food ready. In about 15-20 minutes the oven is preheated to 375 or 400 degrees F. so I put in the food when I’m ready.
Focusing the reflectors is easy. It only takes a time or two until you get the idea. The new “All American” Sun Oven has a small device to fine tune your aim.
Cooking time is a little longer: A commercial solar cooker like the Sun Oven will reach hotter temperatures than a home built solar cooker made out of wood or cardboard so there are no special recipes when cooking. Use the same recipes you are used to, but the cooking time may be a little longer. I’ve found that anything I can cook in a regular oven can be cooked in a Sun Oven. Most foods can be kept hot in the solar cooker for a long period past the point it is cooked.
No special pots needed: I’ve used every type of pot imaginable, but I have my favorites. I try to use thin, dark metal pans with a lid but I have been known to use a Lodge indoor Dutch oven a few times. More on that later! I do refrain from using shiny mirrored pans as they reflect light (heat) out of the oven. I use regular bread pans that are a little dark, but I have used the throw-away aluminum formed pans with perfect success.
Food is hard to burnI can’t tell you how many times that I’ve been side-tracked and forgot I was cooking. The food probably was done to perfection an hour ago but I left it cooking longer than necessary. The food is a little browner, but not ruined like leaving it too long in the oven or BBQ. The sun moved and the interior cooking area got a few degrees lower temperature, but no ruined food! Because of the forgiving nature of solar cooking, I sometimes call it the “Lazy mans cooker”. I’ve heard a hundred times that I am not alone when it comes to burning the family dinner.
Holds moisture: Cooking longer at lower temperatures than the recipe calls for is OK in a Sun Oven, but would prove disastrous in your regular electric or gas oven. The reason is moisture. The heating element or burner in an oven will pull out the moisture of the food and send it into the room. That great smell you get in the room when cooking bread is actually moisture molecules from the bread that is released in the air. This process of exchanging air does not happen with a solar cooker because there is no burner. Most of the moisture stays in the food so naturally food tastes better, is moist and more nutritious.
Overcast days take longer: I’ve actually cooked a perfect loaf of browned bread on a slightly overcast day when the oven only got to 250 degrees F. It took three hours but it was perfect. Normally I cook bread during the morning hours when the sun seems to be brighter and the oven on my patio is a little hotter. It usually takes about 55 minutes for two loaves of bread.
Bread: Speaking of baking bread, there is something magic about cooking bread in a Sun Oven. I am pretty sure it is the moisture retention. You may find that when baking rising dough's or batters that you will want to put a little less in the pan than what you are used to. Because some of the pre-heat temperature is lowered immediately when opening the glass door to put in the bread, the lower temperatures are not immediately raised as fast as in an
oven. This allows the bread to rise a little more before actually baking.
Cakes: This is especially true of cakes. When first using the Sun Oven my cakes overflowed and it got a bit messy. So I use a little less batter in the pan and the cake turns out light and fluffy every time. I have done pies but I find that lower temps and longer cooking times let the sugar in the filling absorb into the crust so it is not as flaky as it should be.
Cookies: When I said food was hard to burn I did not mean cookies. If the recipe says 10 minutes, you better be ready to take ‘em out in 11 or 12 minutes. Cookies do not have enough moisture to withstand longer cooking times. They will burn, trust me!
Pizza: If you like pizza with the cheese just melted then you better turn on the gas oven. The Sun Oven cooking chamber is small so only a small pizza will fit. When cooking pizza the cheese needs to be burning a little (bubbly and getting dark) so that you can be sure the dough in the center of the pie is cooked.
Rice: Ok, how many of us use our oven to cook rice? We use an electric rice cooker or stove top with a high temp burner so the rice cooks in about 20 minutes. It takes about an hour or a little longer in a Sun Oven. Every time the rice is perfect, light and fluffy. I was surprised that not one grain of rice sticks to the pan. Food doesn’t stick to the pan because there is no burner causing hot spots. Often I cook the rice in the afternoon after the bread and main course is done. I aim the oven west towards the sun, set the adjustable leg to the highest level and forget it. I’ve often gone out to fetch the rice three hours later and the rice is always perfect.
Vegetables/Pasta: Usually less water is needed when cooking vegetables but always use a pan with a lid. The sun will discolor the veggies. Casserole dishes with vegetables are ok but pasta dishes may have softer pasta. To get al-dente try heating the pasta and water in separate pans then when boiling (small bubbles) combine to finish cooking.
Chicken, Beef or Pork Roasts: If you are a meat eater then you will enjoy the taste of your roasts far more than if cooked in an oven or crock-pot. I’m serious about that! The only better tasting method might be BBQ, but one could argue that solar is best because the food is healthier and long cooking times will save a bunch of propane, briquettes or pellets.
Larger Turkeys, Hams or Roasts: As you can see, the cooking area in a Sun Oven is relatively small. Here’s a way to cook larger roasts like a 20 pound turkey that will not fit on the small leveling cooking shelf.
First, I take out the leveling shelf (it’s easy). Then, I use a Lodge Mfg. 12” indoor Dutch oven. It is important to use the Lodge brand as the cast iron is thicker than foreign import cast iron. I place the indoor Dutch oven (one without legs) in the bottom of the Sun Oven and let the oven preheat. It takes 10 or 15 minutes longer to preheat because the thick metal oven is absorbing more heat.
I place the larger roast in the pan trying to situate it so that the top doesn’t hit the glass door when it is closed and latched. I make sure to cook during the middle of the day so that I don’t have to tip the oven with the adjustable leg at the back. If the pan is tipped too much you will spill juices all over the place! I’ve had to cut off the top of a ham to make it fit but I just wedged the piece in the side of the pot to cook.
The only problem (no problem) is that the bottom of the Sun Oven is not a cooking surface even though it is metal. So, cooking in this manner will invariably scratch the black paint and it will start to peel away. When this happens the interior of the Sun Oven looks tacky and the oven might be a few degrees cooler but I haven’t noticed much of a difference. (See “Makin’ it look like new” below)
The reason that you do not want to use a thinner metal pan is because the heat may not transfer to the middle of the pot to cook the food. When food is on the leveling tray then heat surrounds the pot just like in a regular oven. That is why I say only use a thick Lodge brand pot. The thick cast iron transfers heat to the middle of the pan just fine.
Speaking of cast iron, one of my favorite things to cook is cornbread. I use a round pan with individual triangles and it always turns out yummy with individual browned pieces. Mix up some cornbread mix, about a half a can of creamed corn, some butter and honey in the batter and mix. Spray the pan with a little cooking spray and its good eatin’ in a few minutes.
Pans: During the first few years
I always kept an eye out for special smaller pans, cookie sheets and muffin
pans to fit my cooker. I bought an extra set of toaster oven pans that work
great. Remember that the best pots are; dark thin metal with a lid. I’ve used
glass pans, darker cake pans and only in a pinch do I use the small aluminum
throw away bread pans. Shiny pots and lids will reflect light and heat out of
the oven. My absolute favorite bread pans are the USA brand with a special
clear non-stick coating.
Winter cooking: Yes, solar cooking works in winter months, even in sub zero climates as long as you have good sunshine. Because the sun is lower on the horizon the temperatures are not as hot as in the summer. This applies to any solar device as there is less sunshine to use. I’ve cooked an 18 lb turkey using the Dutch oven, but I don’t normally use the Sun Oven because I love the smell of the cooking turkey in the house. Global Sun Ovens are very popular at Base camp at MT Everest because they work so well, even though it is 0 degrees F.
When cooking, the glass gets condensate on the underside. This tells you that the food is cooking. This condensate will drip on the wood trim when the door is opened and has a nasty habit of slightly staining the wood frame. I found that painting the wood trim with a couple coats of polyurethane will keep the wood looking nicer, longer. At the factory the wood is treated with a UV inhibitor designed to last 20 or more years of regular use, but I intend to use mine much longer (heaven willing).
Makin’ it look like new: When the paint on the bottom of the oven gets too ratty looking I gently take off the reflectors, the glass door, scrape any loose paint off the bottom and paint the inside of the oven with flat black high temperature paint. It looks brand new! Please note that you want to protect the polished aluminum reflectors at all costs. If the wind blows over your cooker the panels will bend. The oven will still work but it may cause burn marks on your bread.
Other Important Uses of the Global Sun Oven:
I believe that the Sun Oven is one of the most important emergency preparedness items that you can get for your family.
Winter cooking: Yes, solar cooking works in winter months, even in sub zero climates as long as you have good sunshine. Because the sun is lower on the horizon the temperatures are not as hot as in the summer. This applies to any solar device as there is less sunshine to use. I’ve cooked an 18 lb turkey using the Dutch oven, but I don’t normally use the Sun Oven because I love the smell of the cooking turkey in the house. Global Sun Ovens are very popular at Base camp at MT Everest because they work so well, even though it is 0 degrees F.
When cooking, the glass gets condensate on the underside. This tells you that the food is cooking. This condensate will drip on the wood trim when the door is opened and has a nasty habit of slightly staining the wood frame. I found that painting the wood trim with a couple coats of polyurethane will keep the wood looking nicer, longer. At the factory the wood is treated with a UV inhibitor designed to last 20 or more years of regular use, but I intend to use mine much longer (heaven willing).
Makin’ it look like new: When the paint on the bottom of the oven gets too ratty looking I gently take off the reflectors, the glass door, scrape any loose paint off the bottom and paint the inside of the oven with flat black high temperature paint. It looks brand new! Please note that you want to protect the polished aluminum reflectors at all costs. If the wind blows over your cooker the panels will bend. The oven will still work but it may cause burn marks on your bread.
Other Important Uses of the Global Sun Oven:
I believe that the Sun Oven is one of the most important emergency preparedness items that you can get for your family.
We use the Sun Oven at home, but in developing countries solar
cooking is critical, even life saving. One Sun Oven saves up to 4,000 lbs of
wood a year. Fuelwood is needed by nearly half of the world’s population for
cooking. Solar cooking helps habitat and helps eliminate many respiratory
diseases associated with cooking smoke.
It can pasteurize water, impeding diseases like cholera and
diarrhea in children. Solar cooking could be instrumental in saving the lives
of 15 million children who die every year. Our adventure with solar cooking at
home is only the beginning of the importance that solar cooking can provide for
the world. In a pinch, the oven could be used to sterilize medical instruments.
There are special racks for dehydrating vegetables, fruits and
jerky. I regularly sprout barley and wheat kernels then dry and roast them to
make delicious malt for my whole wheat bread.
Note: My family has been using the Global Sun Oven for 19 years and we couldn't imagine being without it. It is one of the most valued appliances that we use in our daily life. I also think of solar cooking as a sort of insurance against hard times or if our utilities go out.
All the best in your cooking with the sun!
Note: My family has been using the Global Sun Oven for 19 years and we couldn't imagine being without it. It is one of the most valued appliances that we use in our daily life. I also think of solar cooking as a sort of insurance against hard times or if our utilities go out.
All the best in your cooking with the sun!
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