Solar Cooking

We have been contemplating solar cooking for a few years now. Out thoughts were to make our own cooker but as time has passed and we were still without  we chose to buy one from Heather. Heather used these cookers while she and her husband and baby sailed around the world. She is so passionate about them.

So last week our cooker arrived on our doorstep...

So far we have cooked bread...

Lentil bake

and  rice pie. I forgot to take a photo but here's the recipe..

2 cups cooked rice  (great way to use up any leftovers)
4 eggs
2 cups grated vegies
1 onion diced
1 cup grated cheese
handful mushrooms
2 teaspoons curry powder
a few favourite herbs
Mix thoroughly all ingredients, pour into pie dish and cook for 45 mins in moderate oven. Takes a bit longer in the solar cooker. Basically anything goes. As we use seasonal vegies in this pie it changes throughout the year.

And then on Thursday at playgroup we baked the children's buns in the solar cooker..

Aren't they cute. The children knead the dough and for some it's their first experience and bread making. As you can see the buns don't get quite as brown as when baked in a conventional oven, but they certainly taste just as good. These were enjoyed by young and old with some home grown honey.

We will be doing most of our baking in the solar cooker the Spring and Summer. Free energy from the sun with the added bonus of not heating up the house.