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Solar cooking tips
Safety:
· Solar cookers may not look hot, but
temperatures of 120 to 425 degrees will certainly burn your
fingers. Use potholders.
· Intense reflected light could permanently damage your eyes.
Children in particular have a tendency to stand in the brightness
of reflected light and should be carefully watched around solar
cookers.
· Keep the lid closed so that appetizing fumes, do not escape
into the air and attract animals and insects. If a curious animal
does approach the cooker, a closed lid prevents unwanted dinner
guests.
Foods:
Solar chefs are limited only by their imagination.
Almost any dish becomes a delicious treat when cooked in a solar
cooker –beans, bread, cookies, roasts, vegetables and many
others.
Most standard recipes translate favorably to solar cookers but
require less water or liquid. Solar chefs also find they need less
salt and sugar in solar-cooked foods because of the gentle cooking
process.
Temperature and Timing:
Solar cookers should be placed in the sun and
preheated for at least one hour before placing food inside. Many,
high-quality solar cookers reach temperatures of 350 to 425
degrees or more and cook dinner in the same amount of time as
conventional ovens. Other models reach temperatures of only 150
degrees. A barbecue thermometer is a useful tool.
To reach maximum temperature and fastest cooking time, the cooker
should be aimed directly at the sun. It should be turned every
20-30 minutes to maintain a direct angle. Some solar chefs setout
cookers in the morning, aiming them toward the sun’s midday
position. By late afternoon, dinner is ready to eat without ever
refocusing the cooker.
Cooking between the hours of 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. is best in
Arizona’s winter months. In summer, the sky’s the limit!
Weather:
Clear weather is essential. On partially cloudy
days, solar cooking takes longer. On extremely cloudy days, we
suggest that you rely on the old energy-consumer standbys like
house ovens or barbecues.
Outside temperature has little effect on solar cooking; if the sky
is clear, you can cook on a snowbank high in the mountains.
Pots and other utensils:
Use either dark, or clear glass pots when cooking
in solar cookers. Dark pots absorb light readily and clear glass
allows light to directly reach the food. Avoid foil or aluminum
containers that reflect light away.
Closed containers hold-in heat and will cook food more quickly.
Some people even use canning jars. Brown-in bags are excellent for
cooking meat.
Cooking times:
(NOTE: 450g = 1 lb)
Potatoes (300g + 1
spoonful water) 2 hours
Carrots (250g + 1 onion, no water) 2 hours
2 eggs (+ 1 spoonful water) 1 hour
Lentils (100g + 250g water) 1.5 hours
White rice (80g + 160g water) 1.25 hours
Brown rice (80g + 160g water) 2 hours
Red beans (100g + 200g water) 2.5 hours
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