This is the time of year when our solar ovens get a workout. Yesterday I baked potatoes in one and today I baked a pan of brownies.
Solar Oven
One thing people always comment about is that it should work really good here where it’s so hot. It does but it works just as well when it’s 30 degrees outside so long as the sun is shining and there are no clouds.
Cloudless Day
This is what the sky looks like most days here. Totally cloudless. Even on a day when there are passing clouds, the solar oven will work but there’s a lot of fluctuation in temperature. I will bake potatoes or chicken or a broccoli casserole on a partly cloudy day but I would not attempt to bake bread or brownies . . not something that needs a constant temp to produce a good quality. The solar oven can be baking at 375°, one cloud pass and the temp immediately drops to 200° and then it will go right back up as soon as the fluffy little cloud passes over.
I use the solar ovens more in the summer because it keeps from heating up the house with the oven and it makes me feel better – if I’m going to live where it’s this hot, I might as well get some benefit from the sun.
Susan says
Yes, you should! This is still on my list of things to get. The way the weather has been here this year, we couldn’t have cooked even a vegetable casserole on very many days, and no bread except for one week since maybe mid-March. =P I miss skies that look like yours!