SunOvens

Frank · Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2006 6:29 am Post subject: Re: SunOvens

Solar cooking is great and I'd like to point out that one of the best places to encourage their use is in Central/South American countries and other rainforest areas. Use of solar "technology" enhances those peoples lifestyle and results in less trees being cut for cooking fuel.

PeakOiler · Posted: Fri Dec 08, 2006 7:27 pm Post subject: Re: SunOvens

You're a little richer, Matt.

It was time to buy another Global SunOven, since two is better than one!

Smile

elocs · Posted: Fri Dec 08, 2006 7:46 pm Post subject: Re: SunOvens

My Sun Oven has been fun to use, but it is not r practical to regularly use. Since I got mine last spring I have paid much more attention to the amount of sun that I get each day and when somebody posted that Portland, Oregon gets more sun than La Crosse, Wisconsin, I can now believe it. This fall we have had weeks where there might be 1 day that had enough sun to do anything. Frequently, even in summer, it will start off nice and sunny at 8 a.m. and then be overcast by 10 or 11 a.m. My Sun Oven has become more of a fun toy than a practical tool.
The available sunshine here is too undependable.

frankthetank · Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 12:08 pm Post subject: Re: SunOvens

Elocs i know what you mean. We had a break this weekend, but overall its been WAY to cloudy for me. I swear i'm getting that disorder. I see the next few should be cloudy. I'll take a cold sunny day anytime over a cool cloudy day.

Is it possible to bake, a loaf of bread, on a single digit, sunny, WI winter day?
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MattSavinar · Elite Joined: May 09, 2004 Posts: 2000

PeakOiler · Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2006 7:05 pm Post subject:

Received the GSO today Matt. Thanks for the fast service!

Now that I have two fusion-powered ovens, I can cook the entree and the side dishes at the same time. Wink

Gotta love living in a sunny environment!

Edit: I will make another donation to po.com too, so Aaron doesn't feel left out.
Smile

WisJim · Posted: Tue Dec 19, 2006 8:31 am Post subject: Re: SunOvens

Regarding baking bread in a solar oven: make sure that you have good sun all day, otherwise the bread will just keep rising and fill up the oven, before it gets hot enough to bake! Damhikt! Works okay for cookies, quick breads, coffee cake, muffins, etc., though. We put ours to work making cookies in October for the solar tour. Other styles of solar ovens might (and some do for sure) get hot enough and hold heat well enough to bake "regular" bread, but we don't do it in ours anymore.

PeakOiler · Posted: Tue Dec 19, 2006 6:15 pm Post subject:

At the RE Roundup energy fair this last Sept. in Fredericksburg, TX, I spoke with one solar chef that had a "hybrid" solar oven, that is, it was also equipped with an electric heating element.

I suppose a web search for hybrid solar ovens is in order...

Edit: Hybrid Solar Ovens

The lady at the Roundup was serving pizza out of the hybrid oven, and cooking fajitas and veggies in the GSOs.
Also corrected gas burner to electric heating element. My bad.

PeakOiler · Posted: Mon May 28, 2007 6:53 pm Post subject:

Yay! The sun came out for a few hours today. (It's been raining nearly every day for the last four or five days--all the rainwater tanks have been overflowing.) Just enough time to steam about 84 grams of home-grown green beans in the SunOven. (It took about two hours to get the water boiling, and about 20 minutes to cook the beans.)
I feel guilty using the electric range to cook something that has very few calories. The electric range probably requires more energy to cook the beans than I could get from those beans.
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Blacksmith · Posted: Mon May 28, 2007 7:02 pm Post subject: Re: SunOvens

Sun ovens sound great, going to make myself one.

roccman · Posted: Mon May 28, 2007 8:01 pm Post subject: Re: SunOvens

The one issue I have with the Sun Oven is the distinct taste/smell of plastic on the food after cooked.

I have made roasts, brownies, baked bread and when done they have all tasted like plastic.

I think I will make one without the plastic bottom.

PeakOiler · Posted: Mon May 28, 2007 8:18 pm Post subject: Re: SunOvens

roccman · Posted: Mon May 28, 2007 8:26 pm Post subject: Re: SunOvens

Good idea- I will try that.

Thanks!

Madpaddy · Expert Joined: Jun 25, 2004 Posts: 2130

Hi Matt,

Do you ship the ovens to Europe (Ireland) and how much would it cost in total for an oven shipped.

Regards,
MP
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gg3 · Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 6:46 am Post subject: Re: SunOvens

I want one of these, or possibly two. However where I live at present does not get direct sunlight at ground level due to shading from adjacent buildings. So this will wait until I move north where passive as well as active solar will be the rule.

Now what I think would be interesting would be to design a kitchen with a south exposure and appropriate windows, such that one could use a solar oven indoors. That would deal with the potential issue of cooling due to wind, and enable one to do all the cooking indoors rather than having to cook some stuff inside and some outside and run back & forth.

Question: has anyone tried this? Use the solar oven to heat rocks to a high temperature, and then transfer the rocks to an indoor insulated container where they will re-radiate the heat and cook food. It seems possible to design something whereby a decent sized pile of rocks could be kept at a very high temperature and then used as needed. Come to think of it, sand or gravel could work well in this application. I see an invention or two here...