Solar Oven & Recipes
Cardboard box with attached lid. Lid should have flaps so that the box can be closed tightly. Box should be at least 3 inches deep and big enough to set a pie tin inside.
Aluminum foil
Clear plastic wrap
Glue stick
Tape (transparent tape, duct tape, masking tape, or whatever you have)
Stick (about 1 foot long) to prop open reflector flap. (Use a skewer, knitting needle, ruler, or whatever you have.)
Ruler or straight-edge
Box cutter or Xacto knife (with adult help, please!)
Using the straight edge as a guide, cut a three-sided flap out of the top of the box, leaving at least a 1-inch border around the three sides.
Cover the bottom (inside) of the flap with aluminum foil, spreading a coat of glue from the glue stick onto the cardboard first and making the foil as smooth as possible. Line the inside of the box with aluminum foil, again gluing it down and making it as smooth as possible. The shiny side should be facing out.
Tape two layers of plastic wrap across the opening you cut in the lid—one layer on the top and one layer on the bottom side of the lid.
Test the stick you will use to prop the lid up. You may have to use tape or figure another way to make the stick stay put.
Put the oven to work
You’ll want to cook on a sunny, warm day when the sun is at its highest, which is between 11 and 3. Plan ahead! Find a very sunny spot to leave the box. Which direction is the sun moving? Make sure the box won’t be in the shade soon.
Set the oven in the direct Sun, with the flap propped to reflect the light into the box. You will probably have to tape the prop in place. Preheat the oven for at least 30 minutes.
The solar oven will be much slower to heat foods than a normal oven, so plan ahead and be patient. When you put food in, take the lid off the box and then readjust the flap to make sure that light is reflecting into the box. Always use an oven mitt to move food from the oven. It really does get hot.
Mini Pizzas: Put tomato sauce and cheese on top a slice of bread or English muffin. Place in a pie tin and place inside oven. Check every 10 minutes to make sure the flap is still reflecting sun and to see if they are done. When cheese is melted, the pizzas are done. Depending on how hot and sunny it is outside, this will likely take twenty minutes to an hour.
Smores: Place half graham crackers on your pie tin, and place a marshmallow on each one. Carefully place in preheated oven and close lid and cook until marshmallows are squishy – 20 to 60 minutes. Then place a square of chocolate on each, cover with another graham cracker and close oven for another few minutes until chocolate starts to melt.
Snacks that only need to be warmed and melted are good choices, such as nachos or quesadillas, but it is possible to cook entire meals in your oven. You may want to get a small oven thermometer to be sure your oven reaches at least 160 degrees to kill any bacteria, especially if you are baking cookies or the like. If you have several hours of sun available, you can try drying fruit or tomatoes in the oven as well.
Sunshine Eggs
Try this unique way of cooking an egg! You will need a thin black sock (cotton or nylon). Set up your solar oven in a sunny area, and make sure that sunlight is being reflected into the window. Carefully wrap an egg in a clean black sock. If you’re using the foot of a pair of nylons, wrap the egg several times, until you can’t see any white. Put the egg in the center of a pre-heated box oven, and cover with a small glass dish. If it is a bright day, your egg will take about 2 hours to cook, or longer on a less sunny day. Remove the egg using a potholder. Peel off the shell, to reveal a solar-cooked egg.
Sun Baked Potato
Vegetables cooked in the sun take on a delicious flavor! Try it out by making a baked potato in your
solar oven. You will need a small metal rack (the kind used to cool baked cookies), and a large glass
bowl or baking dish.
Remove the plastic wrap from your solar oven. Put the metal rack inside the pizza box, so that it is surrounded by newspaper insulation. Set up your oven in a sunny area. Scrub 1-2 small potatoes to remove all of the dirt from the skins. Use a fork to pierce the skin of each potato a few times, to let steam escape while it is cooking. Rub the skins with a little butter or olive oil, and then sprinkle salt over the potatoes. Put the potatoes onto the metal rack, and then put the glass bowl to cover the opening of the box, so it seals air inside of the box. Your potato will cook slowly in the sun, taking most of the day. Reposition your oven every half hour or so. You can test when the potato is done by using a fork. If you can easily pierce the center of the potato, it is ready to eat! You can make your sun baked potato into mashed potatoes by adding milk and butter, or eat it with salt and pepper. Enjoy!
Apples with Cinnamon
Make a sweet snack with sliced apples. Use a glass baking pan, or dark metal pan to bake the apples in.
Core an apple, and then slice it into thin slices. Toss the slices with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Add a little water if necessary, so the apples are moist. Put the apple mixture in a baking pan, and place it in a pre-heated solar oven. Stir the apple mixture every 30 minutes. Make sure to adjust the position of the oven when necessary, so it is in full sun. Bake for several hours, until apples are softened, and are warm all the way through. If you like, serve over ice cream. Or enjoy the dish by itself!
