Cooking with the sun's power is a fun way to use a renewable resource, and with excellent results. Food cooked in solar ovens retains its moisture and nutrients as it cooks slowly, and does not burn as with other types of heat. Many organizations are introducing solar cooking to the world's less developed regions to prevent further deforestation in fuel-starved areas. They hope also to liberate the women and their children who must spend their days trying to gather fuel instead of working or going to school.
In more developed nations, solar cooking helps to decrease the use of fossil fuel and to keep the house cool in summer. Many are finding it a creative and practical way to produce delicious meals with less trouble than it takes to use a conventional range.
Designs for ovens and cookers abound. They range from very affordable home made models to those one can buy ready-made. Most of the cookbooks listed below also have an explanation of the different types of ovens as well as tips for the novice solar chef.
Technology and Designs
Radabaugh, Joseph. Heaven’s flame: a guidebook to solar cookers. Ashland, OR, Home Power, c1991. 80 p.
TS425.R33 1991
Solar cookers and ovens: technology options. New Delhi, Consortium on Rural Technology, 1982. 56 p.
TX831.S65 1982
Cookbooks
Anderson,
Lorraine and Rick Palkovic. Cooking with sunshine:the complete
guide to solar cooking with 150 easy sun-cooked recipes. Rev. and expanded ed. New York, Marlowe, c2006. 202 p.
TX835.5 .A64 2006
Barker, Jennifer Stein. The
Morning Hill solar cookery book. Canyon City,
OR, Morning Hill Associates, c1999.
100 p.
TX835.5 .B37 1999
Gurley, Virginia Heather. Solar cooking naturally. 4th ed. Sedona,
AZ, SunLightWorks, 1999. 92 p.
TX835.5 .G87 1999
Halacy, Beth, and Dan Halacy. Cooking with the sun. La Fayette, CA, Morning Sun Press, 1992. 114 p.
TX835.5.H35 1992
Halacy, Beth, and Dan Halacy. The solar cookery book: everything under the sun. Culver City, CA, Peace Press, 1978. 108 p.
TX652.H32
Kofalk, Harriet. Solar cooking: a primer/cookbook. Summertown, TN, Book Pub. Co., c1995. 96 p.
TX835.5.K64 1995
Yaffe, Linda Frederick. Solar cooking for home and camp. Mechanicsburg, PA, Stackpole Books, c2007. 120 p.
TX835.5.Y34 2007
Table
of contents online http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip079/2007003173.html.
Online Resources
Solar Cookers International
http://solarcookers.org/
Solar Cookers International (SCI) was established in 1987 to spread
the use of solar ovens and cooking. Their programs educate policy
makers, maintain an international exchange network through conferences
and publications, and ,by bring solar cooking technology to areas
of the world most in need of it. The site contains clear explanations
of the benefits, types and best uses of solar ovens, as well as a
list of cookbooks and commercially available ovens.
Solar Cooking Archive
http://www.solarcooking.org/
Sponsored by Solar Cookers International, the Archive contains a
wealth of information, including newsletters, articles, discussion
lists, plans for cookers, an international directory and more.
Baking in the Sun
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/RenewableEnergy/renewable_energy4.html
NASA's Earth Observatory site
Solar Cooking Plans
http://solarcooking.org/plans/
Presents plans for building box, panel, and parabolic cookers, as
well as a few other types of solar appliances.
Solar Ovens Society (SOS)
http://www.solarovens.org/
“
The SOS exists to promote solar cooking to the American public and
to provide a way to partner with the over 2 billion people worldwide
who lack adequate fuel for cooking their food.” They produce
and ship cookers overseas, as well as offer them for sale. The site
also includes a number of recipes.
Solar Household Energy, Inc.(SHE)
http://www.she-inc.org/
SHE’s mission is “to harness free enterprise for the
introduction of solar cooking to improve quality of life and relieve
stress on the environment.”
Solar Oven Development and Testing Project (Florida Solar Energy
Project)
http://www.fsec.ucf.edu/en/research/solarthermal/solar_cooker/index.htm
The Florida Solar Energy Center conducted a research project to improve
the performance, reliability and cost-effectiveness of low-cost solar
cookers for use in developing nations. This site presents results
of the tests. Much of the information is detailed and technical in
nature.
For Kids
Building a Solar Oven, Cooking with the Sun
http://www.re-energy.ca/t-i_solarheatbuild-1.shtml
This solar oven page is part of the re-energy.ca site, which offers
learning kits which allows students in grades 7 through 12 to build
working models of renewable energy technologies. It offers a plan
for a solar oven, and tips on safety and testing it.
NASA's
Kids Features -- Cooking With the Sun
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forkids/activities/A_Cooking_with_the_Sun_prt.htm
Make a solar oven and cook a snack using the power of the sun. Includes
step by step instructions with photographs.
What Stores Energy Best?
http://www.solarnow.org/experiment.htm
Make a solar oven-like box to compare sand, salt, water and paper to see which substance can store energy the best.
This girl made a solar
oven from a pizza box!
Photo: NASA Web site.
Compiled by MJ Cavallo
May, 2008
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