The Great Husband and Wife Cook Off....

Oldman · May 27, 2007, 11:57:07 AM

The item being cooked pot roast.

The contestants Susan and Myself.

Method:
Susan: Gas oven. 300 F
Olds: Solar oven. 250 F

After 2 1/2 hours Susan's is done. The vegetables look somewhat dried.
Mine are still bright in color.

So that the playing field is level I allowed her to make the fixins' for both. In other words this is her recipe. She prepared both.

I will allow mine to go another hour or so (photos to follow.)

Susan does not white wash the item until finished I will have to remove my roast and vegetables when I feel the time is right and then add the white wash and return that to the solar oven. During that time I will FTC (Ya a cheat) the roast etc...

Me thinks I will win this one... ;D

Folks I really believe in solar ovens... until you try one you will never know the savings that can be given. When I do a less moisture item my oven will hit 400 - 500 F!!!! Even on a semi-cloudy day I've seen 300 F.

This is the oven I use... it is the smaller one LOL!!! http://www.sunoven.com/ I think that anything we can do today to lessen the load on fuels is important... no matter how small.

This week I'm doing bread in the solar oven... There are many great plans out there that will show you how to make a solar oven. It does not matter if you live where Iceman or Jimguy live.... or where I live... it works in all places as long as there is a sun.

If you are worried about the fuels we are using then please give a solar oven a try. I promise you will be glad you did. AND you will feel good about yourself.
Olds

Wildcat · May 27, 2007, 01:27:58 PM

Interesting. Plan to do a little research on this. Thanks Olds.

Oldman · May 27, 2007, 01:35:43 PM

Ok the gas took about one hour less time. The white wash I did after I removed the meat and vegs. It went back into the solar oven for 30 minutes and hit 300 F. At the moment I have the gravy made from the white wash and all other items FTC...

This picture is not the best. You will not see a lot of Susan's roast as she and Mother ate it... Nevertheless you will see where mine is more moist, and the vegs look brighter.

While propane is cheaper than electric... is sure cost a whole lot more than sun power...

Again if you are not using solar power to do your baking you are only giving your money away.
Olds

coyote · May 27, 2007, 02:28:03 PM

Very cool 8) Olds. Looks delicious. I checked out the link . Just what I needed , one more thing I just
have to have . ;) I've seen others before , but not that one and also not results like yours. Life just
keeps getting better. ;D
Thanks Olds,
Coyote

manxman · May 27, 2007, 03:12:55 PM

Interesting post, never heard of them before.

iceman · May 29, 2007, 04:30:30 PM

Dang good looking Old's. Just wish we had more sun up here year round to make it work. Summer couple of months we could cook 18 hrs a day but winter is out. :D ;)

Cajun · May 29, 2007, 05:11:45 PM

Being a coonass, How can you hook a PID up on that thing???? ;D

Kummok · May 29, 2007, 05:50:09 PM

Great looking dish, Olds! Don't think I'd challenge you in a cook-off, but I think I could hold my own in the tasting dept!! ;)

tsquared · May 29, 2007, 08:12:14 PM

I had the kids in my class make a temporary solar oven out of a pizza box and some plastic--it worked well.
T2

Up In Smoke · August 01, 2009, 09:39:22 AM

Quote from: Oldman on May 27, 2007, 01:35:43 PM
Ok the gas took about one hour less time. The white wash I did after I removed the meat and vegs. It went back into the solar oven for 30 minutes and hit 300 F. At the moment I have the gravy made from the white wash and all other items FTC...

This picture is not the best. You will not see a lot of Susan's roast as she and Mother ate it... Nevertheless you will see where mine is more moist, and the vegs look brighter.

While propane is cheaper than electric... is sure cost a whole lot more than sun power...

Again if you are not using solar power to do your baking you are only giving your money away.
Olds

olds,
i know this thread is old but i just got interested in these things and this model in particular.
however i cannot find any warranty info on these things. i do not have a dealer close to me at all
so i would have to order from yard and pool.
but not before i get a chance to talk to someone who has used one.
when you get a few minutes would you please pm me as i have some questions.
thanks
jerry

Oldman · August 02, 2009, 09:03:39 AM

Jerry,

I will be glad to answer any questions, but I have a hard fast rule of never doing PMs.

As far as a warranty goes I guess if it got busted in shipping it would be replace. Otherwise the only moving parts are the hinges on the glass top, refector and the axles of the platform where the pot sits. Now the thermometer that comes with it is not worth a hoot.

At times I have needed to control the temp (it gets really hot here.) When I do I use a white towel and cover some of the glass so there is not as much sunshine entering the cooking chamber.

I have 3 of these units and never have had a problem. I love the way the unit is constructed and how it will fold up into a neat easy to carry item.

If you have any questions just fire away. I will book mark this thread.
Olds

EDIT: Have you seen the vid on this oven? http://www.sunoven.com/video_how_sun_ovens_work.php

Up In Smoke · August 02, 2009, 11:08:10 AM

oldman,
i understand about the pm thing.
i have seen the video on the sun oven but do not have a dealer close to me nor anybody who has one.
when the unit is folded are the reflectors safe from scratching or rubbing together?
i have noticed that some people in the photos have plastic wrap over the pot...why is this?
also in the video you linked to there seems to be a bit of a breeze. how hard is it for one to blow over
and could a moderate wind bend the reflectors?
sorry for so many questions but i really am interested in this.
how often do you use yours and how large of a roast can you do?

Up In Smoke · August 02, 2009, 12:52:38 PM

oh and also is there a better thermometer that can be purchased to replace the original?
if so which do you recommend

Up In Smoke · August 13, 2009, 03:35:48 PM

Olds,
sorry to be a bother but was wondering if you had a chance to review my questions?