Solar oven demo boosts culinary skills

Solar ovens are touted as an energy-efficient and fool-proof way to prepare food, but Cissy Jordan of Sun City lacked the confidence to expand her menus using the appliance she purchased a year ago.

So last week she attended a demonstration in Peoria to pick up tips and information about solar ovens so she could expand her culinary skills beyond baking such things as cinnamon rolls.

About two dozen people attended Friday’s demonstration to learn more about solar cooking from Paul Munsen, president of Sun Ovens International, based in Elburn, Ill.

"It’s the most forgiving method of cooking," Munsen said. "There’s no movement of air, so food cooked at a lower temperature for a longer time won’t dry out, and it’s cooked evenly.

"If you miss (the ending time) by an hour, it’s no big deal."

Munsen said solar ovens use a greenhouse effect, maximizing the capture and trapping of solar energy, which can heat ovens to 400 degrees. Solar ovens are insulated, portable and box-shaped, with a glass door and reflectors that can be adjusted to capture solar rays.

"And food doesn’t burn," Munsen said.

A minimum amount of sunlight is needed to cook. That’s measured by whether you can see a defined shadow. If no shadows are present, you’d be better off waiting for another day to use a solar oven, he said.

Thin, black enamel pots can be used for cooking food. Items such as baked potatoes can be put in directly, without piercing or wrapping them in foil.

Munsen will give another demonstration and have ovens for sale at 10 a.m. Thursday at Alta Vista Park, 10631 W. Williams Road in Peoria. The park is 2 miles north of Beardsley Road, east of 107th Avenue. Seating is limited, so bring a folding or lawn chair.

Crystalyn Trimble of Peoria, a distributor for Sun Ovens and hostess for the demonstrations in Peoria, said she became interested in solar ovens as part of a plan for emergency preparedness.

"They are great to use to save on electricity, and it’s green," Trimble said. "I want to learn how to prepare dinners in it."