My Solar Oven finally arrived this week. I figured since we lived in one of the sunniest places on the planet we should put all that sunshine to good use. So, now the sun dries my clothes, makes my garden grow, and cooks my food.
I put it to use the very next day to make of all things cookies. Yes Matt asked me if I would make him cookies in the solar oven.
I made basic chocolate chip and they turned out just fine. I think they are a little crunchier than from the oven, but they taste the same. It was so nice not heating up the kitchen to make cookies. It is a slightly longer process because I cannot fit very many cookies in the oven and it takes an hour and a half to bake. I just kept the dough in the fridge and made it a day long project. I even left the cookies in the “oven” and ran some errands.
I was making this pie last night which uses butternut squash and sweet potatoes and both had to be pre-cooked. I put them in the solar oven in the morning and was able to make the pie by the afternoon. They smelt so good and were cooked perfectly.
I didn’t actually bake the pie in the solar oven because the instructions discuss making cookies and cakes but not pies and I didn’t feel like doing any research yesterday, so I used the oven to finish the pie.
It gets topped off with marshmallows:
I forgot to take a picture of the pie before the neighbors and us dug in:
It was yummy!
The solar oven can be used similarly to a slow cooker and I will soon be making some meals in it. It is so nice to be able to cook without using electricity.
Solar cooking is similar to slow cooking. Slow cooking retains flavor, moisture and nutrients and makes meats tender. Recent studies indicate that foods cooked at moderate temperatures may be healthier. Solar cooked food is succulent, moist and delicious.
You can learn more about Solar Ovens here.