This blog has moved. Please visit us at www.preparednesspro.com.
Today I happened upon an individual who, as of July 1, has commited to cook with her solar oven each sunny day for an entire year. The Solar Oven Chef, as she calls herself, posts images of meals she’s prepared each day in her solar oven. She has prepared everything from ribs to bread to pizza and meatloaf — excellent variety! By the end of the Solar Oven Chef’s one year experiment, preparing meals in her solar oven will be second nature.
As we’ve discussed in previous blogs, cooking with a solar oven is a great way to prepare meals, not only in an emergency, but everyday — particularly during the summer when the kitchen is hot enough to begin with.
If you follow Preparedness Pro regularly, you know I’m all about using what you store for an emergency in order to be familiar with how to use your supplies and so your family is accustomed to it. If you intend to use a solar oven in an emergency, I’d recommend learning to prepare meals in one. Do you have a solar oven? Have you used it yet? Are you familiar with adjusting your favorite recipes’ cook times in a solar oven?
We have recently begun issuing challenges to our readers. Here is the solar oven challenge. Would you be willing to prepare your meals in a solar oven for two days? You could even try the solar oven challenge this weekend. This is an excellent exercise to practice how you may prepare your meals in an emergency and be better prepared when the time inevitably comes.
Are you willing to step up to the plate and take the solar oven challenge?
Copyright 2009 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop. All rights reserved. You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.
Subscribe to Preparedness Pro today and never miss a thing!
Preparedness Pro 
July 24, 2009 at 11:25 am
Count me in. I just got my solar oven this week and it has not been opened.
July 24, 2009 at 12:16 pm
Those dishes looks great. Everyone should have a solar oven.
July 24, 2009 at 5:48 pm
I got my solar oven a couple of months ago and finally used it last Tuesday. I will take on the solar oven challenge and cook all of my weekend food with the sun! Good challenge!
July 24, 2009 at 7:57 pm
I am getting ready to leave on a trip, so I don’t have time to try my solar oven right now. But I do have a question. I read that you can make ice at night in a solar oven. I am wondering if you know how to do this and if you could post something about that in one of your blogs? Maybe it could even be one of your solar oven challenges.
Jan
July 26, 2009 at 4:41 pm
Jan, check out the end of this link. This professor talks about how he and his students accomplished this. I’m not yet familiar with it though. http://www.solarcooking.org/plans/funnel.htm
July 24, 2009 at 11:24 pm
I’m up for the challenge. I have a Tulsi hybrid that I’ve used for a little over a year…a.lot during the summer but, not as often as I should. You really have to preare ahead of time. I probably won’t be able to cook tomorrow since we will be out a lot, but should be able to on Sunday.
July 26, 2009 at 4:37 pm
You all need to let us know how it turns out!!
July 26, 2009 at 11:32 am
I am presently disabled and trying to gather preparedness info as best I can. I feel overwhelmed with all the info out there so I truly appreciate your blog!
Can you please advise me as to what non-electrical appliances I could use for cooking and lighting in the event of an emergency?
I live in a small apt with no balcony so I am limited in the types of fuels I can use to cook and light if I had to shelter in place…
Thank you for any help you can extend and many blessings,
July 26, 2009 at 4:38 pm
i’d recommend getting something similiar to a Joy Cook stove that uses butane. Butane is one of the few fuels you can use indoors. Between my butane stove and my pressure cooker, I’ve been able to cook 3 meals a day for 3 weeks on one can of butane.
July 26, 2009 at 6:27 pm
Today I made rice and a peach cobbler for part of our meal. This is the second time I’ve done rice and both times they were sticky. Any ideas about how to make it turn out drier?
I blogged about it here:
http://lifeonarollercoaster-stacy.blogspot.com/2009/07/solar-cooker-challenge.html
July 27, 2009 at 8:23 am
rice and pasta aren’t my favorite to do in the solar oven on their own. I usually do them as a part of a dish. However, the trick I did learn is to heat the rice up separately in one pan, the water in another, and then when they are both good and hot, mix them together. I do pasta the same way. I’m not sure why the cobbler would turn out less than stellar for you. When you do baked goods, I know that it’s important to pre-heat the solar ovens first.
July 27, 2009 at 2:48 pm
We just ordered our solar oven along with an optional reflector today. I’m eager to get proficient at this method of cooking and intend to give the oven some good use once it arrives. Now I need a good solar oven cookbook…!
July 27, 2009 at 3:05 pm
Emily, you don’t really need a special cookbook because everything you can do in your regular oven you can do in the solar oven. The only thing you need to remember is that each time you open the oven door, you’re losing about 15 to 20 minutes of your cook time as the oven gets back up to heat. Such is really relevant when you’re doing baked goods. Enjoy!!!
July 30, 2009 at 2:20 pm
So, how did the two-day solar cooking extravaganza go? Here’s a suggestion for cooking rice in the solar oven…try using about 1/4 less water. Repositioning the oven every 30 minutes or so to follow the sun will also help keep the oven hot and allow foods to cook faster.
July 31, 2009 at 4:58 pm
I have to admit I was a slacker…I didn’t get around to doing the second day. But, I’m going to try rice again this weekend and will let you know how it turns out.
August 9, 2009 at 9:01 pm
My husband and I took the solar challenge this week (after discovering this terrific website a few days ago). We purchased a Tulsi-hybrid solar oven quite a while ago but had not even removed it from the box, so thought what a perfect opportunity to get to know our solar oven. One of the dishes we tried was cooking rice and also experienced the sticky less-than-ideal texture however with added butter, salt and pepper, it was slightly improved. According to the included instructions/recipes, rice and water are combined then placed in the preheated solar oven. Next time I try cooking rice, I plan to first boil the water in the solar oven, with salt and oil, then add the rice. I believe it may improve the overall texture. Otherwise, our experience this weekend was fantastic. We cooked chicken, steak, pork roast, potatoes and onions, and fresh green beans. Thanks for this challenge! We look forward to accepting the other challenges posted.
Thanks.
Andra
August 10, 2009 at 8:43 am
SO glad to hear that!!
August 13, 2009 at 4:56 pm
[…] some of you are taking the Preparedness Pro food challenge this month and some are also taking the Solar Oven Challenge of cooking for 2 days in their solar oven alone, I decided to share my redeemed recipes with you. Not only do I hope you enjoy them, but at least […]