Get solar ovens out and into sun

By Sharon Haddock

Mormon Times
Published: 2009-07-30 00:23:19

WEST JORDAN, Utah -- Mormons in Utah are buying lots of solar ovens, but they're tucking them away in basements and garages.

Solar cooking expert Paul Munsen says it's time to get them out and into the sunlight.

"It's so much easier to understand sun ovens when they're in the sun," Munsen said during a solar power demonstration at Kitchen Kneads in West Jordan, Utah.

Munsen is president of Sun Ovens International and spends much of his time teaching buyers and customers how easy it is to cook with solar power, encouraging them to use the ovens every day and not save them for a disaster.

"You can bake, boil and steam foods in a solar-powered oven," he said. "The only thing you cannot do is fry food."

Munsen said food cooked in a Sun Oven or similar device doesn't burn or dry out because the temperature stays constant. "It's most forgiving," he said.

The only real challenge comes on days when the sun is hidden behind clouds. Even then, if the food is already halfway cooked, it can safely hold by using the heat retained inside the pot until the sun returns to finish cooking.

Munsen said his company has sold its ovens in 130 countries and five continents, saving energy, cutting down on smoke and pollution, and educating villages in countries like Haiti, Uganda, Nigeria and Ghana.

"We empower people in developing countries to make our ovens," Munsen said. "Our objective is to provide an alternative to cooking over dung or wood. That saves mothers and babies from breathing the smoke and fumes that cause respiratory problems and they can make them for much cheaper labor costs."

In recent months, Sun Ovens -- which has sold 37,000 ovens in the past 11 years -- has seen a marked increase in sales in Utah, Munsen said. Forty percent of the company's overall sales occur in the Beehive State.

"But 80 percent of the people buying them don't use them," he said. "Our goal is to get them out of the basements."

The oven weighs 21 pounds and can be carried like a suitcase. It can be set on the ground or a table, and a pull-out leg can be used to adjust the oven to nine different positions.

The folding reflector panels are made of a high-grade, anodized aluminum that gathers in the sun's rays. The glass lid inside focuses the sun's energy, is airtight and is the only part that gets hot to the touch besides the food inside the pot.

A leveling tray inside the case keeps the food from spilling as the oven is moved to follow the sun. Refocusing every 25 to 30 minutes results in faster cooking times, but the oven can also be left in one position.

Munsen said bakery goods such as cookies and bread do well in solar ovens. A pot is used for everything except bakery items (black enamel cookware is best).

Other rules for using a solar-powered oven:

• Don't put food onto the bottom of the oven.
• Don't use shiny cookware. (If it's unavoidable, cover it with a dark towel.)
• Don't open the lid very often. Allow another 20 minutes cooking time for every time the lid is opened.
• For rice and pasta, use one-third less water in a recipe.
• For bread, preheat the oven before putting it into the oven.
  

"If in doubt, cook it longer," Munsen said.