Sun-Kissed Cuisine

Solar cooking is hot in Arizona

Harsha bought her oven online via a Web site three years ago. A short time later, Impressed with the tasty results, Harsha's sister, Jaime Johnson of Phoenix, bought one, too. She's married with two children, 8 and 6, who love Mom's baked goods. So does Mom.

"I actually had to join Weight Watchers after I bought my solar oven," Johnson says. Cooking on sun-baked rocks goes back centuries. One of the first solar cookers was built in 1767 by Horace de Saussure, a European naturalist.

Today, Solar Cookers International makes a rough guess that there are 50,000 solar cooks in the United States. The organization promotes the use of solar ovens in poverty-stricken developing countries.

Phoenix seems to be a hotbed of solar cooking, says Paul Munsen, president of Sun Ovens International, based in Elburn, IL. Their oven, he says, "is more popular in Phoenix than anywhere else," and he estimates 15 to 20 percent of the company's sales come from the Valley.

Harsha says there are many advantages to cooking by the sun:
• It saves money.
• No fuel is needed.
• It's convenient. Just remember to turn your oven occasionally to track the movement of the sun.
• Food stays moist and succulent. "The flavor is so much more intense," Harsha says.
• Food doesn't burn. And while dishes become hot and require potholders, there is little danger of burns from the oven itself. She does recommend wearing sunglasses while cooking.

Solar cooking is not fast food. Don't expect to heat up your morning coffee and still get to work on time.

Harsha works at home, so she can cook leisurely. She estimates foods take about 20 minutes longer to cook than in a conventional oven, depending on the weather. A bright, sunny day speeds cooking; haze slows it. Johnson, a teacher who cooks outdoors only during her summer break, allows baked goods to bake 30 percent longer than indoors and can easily adapt any recipe.

The oven is basically a box with flaps that open and reflect the sun. A heavy glass door on top seals in moisture and keeps away flying creatures. A few years ago, when the East Valley was having bear encroachment problems; Harsha put away her oven, fearful that foraging creatures would sniff out her roasts. Now she uses her oven two to three times a week, year round. Johnson uses hers a little more often, but only during summer.

"They really are a life saver," Harsha says. "If you're watching your AC, a solar oven is the way to go." Johnson adds, "It's really paid for itself."

Jim Arwood of Phoenix applauds such energy efficiency. He's head of the solar energy program for the Arizona Department of Commerce and has been a solar cook since 1989. He says solar cooking is perfect for this area. "I think it's wonderful," he says. "It's a cheap introduction to solar energy." He cooks two to three times a week, roasting turkey breasts and baking cookies and bread. In the beginning, he says, he was most impressed by the technology. Then he tasted the food and became a believer. Roasted chicken, turkey and pork ribs, he says, fall off the bone.

Although Harsha's oven can reach temperatures up to 400 degrees, she has her eye on another model that gets as hot as 600 and bakes crispy pizza.

Watch out for pizza-loving bears.

Where to find solar ovens • Most users of solar ovens have purchased them on the Internet. Find ovens at y2ksurvivalfood.com and sunoven.com. • In the Valley, ovens can be ordered from Solar Wholesale, 218 W. Hampton Ave., Mesa, (480) 833-5156, and Grover's, a lawn-equipment and food business, 130 W. Hampton, Mesa, (480) 827-8011. • Get information on ovens, how they are used around the world, how to make a solar oven and recipes at solarcooking.org.

Solar-cooking tips
• The three basic types of solar ovens are box cookers (good for cooking large quantities), panel cookers (panels concentrate sunlight on a pot inside a plastic bag or glass bowl) and parabolic cookers (concave disks focus light onto the bottom of a pot).

• The best pot to use in a solar oven is a dark, lightweight, shallow one slightly larger than the food. Cast-iron pots take too much energy to heat up, making them inefficient.

• Foods take longer to cook on a cloudy day but will cook as long as there are at least 20 minutes of sun per hour.

• On cloudy days or during winter there is a danger that food will not be fully cooked and could make you ill. If in doubt, use a meat thermometer to make sure foods have reached at least 160 degrees, says the U.S. Department of Agriculture.