Cooking under the sun
Solar ovens tap a very familiar heat source

By Chris McNamara Special to the Tribune
August 29, 2007

It was time to cook dinner, so I gathered up the chicken breast, broccoli, carrots, parsley and bell pepper and headed outside, past my Weber grill and up the rear staircase to the roof, where my oven was preheating in the midday sun.

More accurately, my oven was preheating from the midday sun.

"Solar cookers are well-insulated boxes that can bake, boil and steam foods through the power of the sun," said Paul Munsen, who manufactures Sun Ovens in west suburban Elburn and sent me one to test.

In 2006, Munsen sold 3,000 units domestically. He also works with Rotary International in goodwill efforts that, for example, enable poor Haitian women to pay for the ovens incrementally, reducing their dependency on pricey charcoal and dwindling wood supplies. And in July Munsen, along with manufacturers of two other brands of solar cookers, presented the benefits of his product to Congress.

Why cook with the sun?

"Unlike a normal oven there are no hot spots, so you eliminate burning," Munsen said. "And solar cooking breaks down complex carbohydrates slowly, which improves the taste and nutritional benefits of food."

Additionally, according to Munsen, solar cookers produce moister, more flavorful food because there is no movement of air. They don't heat up kitchens. They don't cost a dime in energy bills. And they have no negative impact on the environment.

So the solar cooking is for hippies, right?

"Tree-hugging hippies like it," acknowledged Munsen. "But on the opposite end of the spectrum you have hunters who love it, as game has a tendency to be dry."

While the technology of solar cookers is basic (they have been around since the 16th Century), using one can be laborious, particularly if -- like me -- you live in an urban area without a yard.

Solar demands

Things to consider when using a solar cooker, per Munsen:

* There must be enough sun to cast a shadow. Overcast conditions mean longer cooking times.

* The outside temperature does not affect the performance of solar cookers. Ice fishermen in Minnesota use solar cookers to prepare their catch. But you can cook more in summer months; there are simply more hours of sunlight in August than there are in February.

* Climate does not matter, but environmental conditions do. Rural areas with less pollution are best. Overcast, urban areas like Seattle are not.

* For ideal cooking, you must twist the solar cooker about every 30 minutes in order for it to directly face the sun.

Patience, Pyrex and poultry

I cooked a boneless, skinless chicken breast with vegetables on an early August afternoon. It was hot -- pushing 90 degrees on my third-story roof -- with some cloudiness. The sun was unblocked about half of the time.

The thermometer built into the Sun Oven never reached above 200 degrees Fahrenheit, so I cooked my meal for four hours, twisting the oven about every half hour to make it directly face the sun.

The Pyrex pan was hot when I removed it, which was encouraging. And back inside my kitchen I found the meat tasty. It was a bit leathery on top (as if broiled too long), but tender and moist inside. The red pepper and carrots were cooked but retained a nice crispness and great flavor.

Overall I was impressed with the Sun Oven. In non-ideal climate conditions it thoroughly, tastily cooked my dinner. I even got a bit of a tan, which has never happened while cooking in my kitchen.

Of course, I could do without the twice-hourly trips up three flights of steps to my roof. I may not have had to pay an energy company to cook my dinner, but I sure used a lot of my own.