101 Reasons Why I Recommend A Sun Oven

I have 101 reasons why I recommend a Sun Oven for you today! I wrote this post many years ago, updating it today for those who have never heard about a Sun Oven. The best time of day to use one of these is when the sunshine is brightest, which is usually between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM.

I’ve heard people say that Sun Ovens are so expensive. Here’s the deal: where can you purchase an oven that can cook/bake 99.99% of your recipes for less than $500.00? If your pan is dark and will fit inside on the tray, you can cook or bake your recipe just like you would in your conventional oven—at the same time and temperature.

Please note, if you don’t have SUNSHINE where you live for at least 200 days of the year, I don’t recommend investing in one of these. They rely on consistent sunshine during the cooking process, places without much sun during the day probably aren’t the best locations to perform solar oven cooking.

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A Sun Oven Is Perfect For Camping

Remember that the Sun Oven is perfect for camping because you have zero fire issues, no flame, and no fuel like firewood required to bake your meals. Of course, you’d need to ensure the shade from trees in your camping area doesn’t block the sun. If you’re camping near a lake, set it out by the water and watch it do its thing.

I’ve written a post for beginners on removing the items from the packing box and putting the unit together if you purchase a Sun Oven. Some people are afraid they won’t know how to use it. Here are the tips I put together: These Are Easy To Use

I Was Asked To Review A Sun Oven

Paul Munsen designed this genius machine. He sent me my first Sun Oven about 10 years ago and asked me to write a review. All you have to do is open the box, remove the film on the shiny reflectors, and boil some vinegar water (in a pan) in the oven the first time to clean and “season” the unit, and then wipe it out. The instructions are included in the box and are easy to follow.

I loved it so much I bought a second one. Plus, I have been writing posts about them for thirteen years now. All American Ovens are SOLD OUT right now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find one through other preparedness stores. Start your search immediately if you don’t already have one. I checked eBay and typed in All American Sun Oven and there were 5 today for sale.

It’s not uncommon for me to have both ovens cooking outside in my backyard several days a week. Just think about this: once you purchase this baby, you’ll never have the cost of fuel, whether it’s charcoal, propane, or electricity again! The old style is black like mine, and the new ones are blue.

Food Will Never Burn

Your meals will never burn; yes, you heard me right! One day, I put my whole wheat bread in both ovens, ran down the street to visit a friend, and forgot my bread for two hours. It was perfectly fine even though it baked an extra hour and a half. Who would have thought you could bake loaves of bread outside in solar ovens?

Whatever you can bake in your conventional oven, you can bake in your Sun Oven if you have sunshine. You can start your meal before you run errands and position the oven so it gets the best sun angle while you’re gone, and it will be cooked when you get home. Of course, you can’t start the meal one hour before the sun goes down, or the food won’t be cooked since it needs a more direct flow of sunlight than you have midday.

I suggest you consider using a lid when cooking so you don’t get any outside dust in the food during the cooking process.

Best Time To Cook In My Area

I typically start my bread, cookies, casseroles, corn, or whatever needs to be cooked between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Mine is the older style Sun Oven, but it works great for me. It was easy to learn how to position it for the sun. The new ones have a built-in unit to help you turn it correctly to get the best angle of the sun.

Here’s how I position my Sun Oven; check out the squares on the sides of the oven. Note, since the sun passes over the surface of the Earth during each day’s sunlight hours, you need to periodically turn the Sun Oven so it faces the sun at the proper angle to maximize the sunlight’s effect and the heat it generates. Yes, it takes a little “hand holding,” but it is worth it to use this cooking device to reduce energy costs and have an alternative if you have a power outage.

101 Reasons I Recommend A Sun Oven

These are all the things I have cooked or baked in my Sun Ovens. I want you to know how much I love these solar ovens because they save me money on utilities!! They are perfect for power outages and everyday use since they are an efficient device that effectively cooks food. Solar cookers have been around for a while, but they have been perfected over the years so people find solar cookers are great emergency prep items.

I have cooked more than 101 items during my solar cooking journey, and this post shows you all the stuff you can bake in one of these great solar cooking devices. You can bake anything if the pan or pans fit and you have the sunshine to keep the temperature correct. Remember, you use the recipes you have right now; no unique recipes are required. It’s a fantastic oven, I promise.

1. Bake bread
2. Brownies
3. Make hard-boiled eggs (I bake mine in a muffin tin)
4. Boil macaroni
5. Cook rice
6. Quinoa
7. Cakes stay so moist
8. Whole chicken
9. Cook corn on the cob in the husks
10. Baked potatoes
11. Yams or sweet potatoes
12. Funeral potatoes (we call them cheesy potatoes in Utah)
13. Boil water
14. Bake cupcakes
15. Cookies
16. Chicken casseroles
17. Macaroni and cheese
18. Green bean casserole
19. Ham
20. Bake barbecued chicken
21. Dehydrate fruits with the racks
22. Dehydrate vegetables with the racks
23. Dehydrate herbs with the racks
24. Bake a quiche
25. Pork chops
26. Chopped onions
27. Cauliflower
28. Zucchini
29. Yellow crookneck squash
30. Sliced carrots
31. Bake pumpkin bread
32. Soups
33. Make lasagna
34. Beans (if you soak them overnight)
35. Boil/simmer oatmeal
36. Muffins
37. Baked beans
38. Bake sliced beets
39. Scrambled eggs
40. Pulled pork
41. Pork shoulder roast
42. Carnitas
43. Shredded pork for burritos
44. Shredded beef for tacos
45. Sun-roasted cooked chickpeas drained with olive oil and a little chili powder added
46. Salmon
47. Asparagus
48. Bake a turkey (up to 20 lbs.)
49. Make Spanish rice
50. Garlic cloves (peeled)
51. Peach cobbler
52. Apple pie
53. Flan cake
54. Cherry pie
55. Pumpkin pie
56. Pecan pie
57. Lamb chops
58. Meatballs
59. Shepherd’s pie (cooked hamburger, tomato soup, and mashed potatoes)
60. Corn muffins
61. Bran muffins
62. Banana muffins
63. Pumpkin muffins
64. Apple Crisp
65. Chicken noodle soup
66. Mini egg muffins
67. Chili with beans (I use precooked beans in my recipe)
68. White chicken chili (I use canned chicken and white navy beans from a can)
69. Shredded carrots, shredded zucchini, and shredded yellow straight-neck squash
70. Chicken legs with the skin on with olive oil drizzled on them with salt and pepper
71. Chicken thighs with the skin on with olive oil drizzled on them with salt and pepper
72. Chicken breasts with the skin on with olive oil drizzled on them with salt and pepper
73. Turkey breasts with the skin on with olive oil drizzled on them with salt and pepper
74. Chicken tenderloins and then shred the baked chicken and use it in recipes during the week
75. Apples (remove the cores) with cinnamon and sugar
76. Peeled peaches with a bit of cinnamon and sugar
77. Mashed potatoes with or without the peelings (place the one-inch cubes covered in a pan of water)
78. Boil spaghetti without having to watch it boil (set and forget it covered in water)
79. Spaghetti sauce from scratch
80. Lime cilantro rice
81. Refried beans (I use canned pinto beans drained)
82. Boil Kamut (Trademarked)
83. Chicken and broccoli casserole
84. Chicken tetrazzini
85. Enchiladas
86. Vegetable or meat-stuffed bell peppers
87. Quinoa stuffed bell peppers
88. Chicken and rice casserole
89. Scalloped potatoes
90. Bread pudding
91. Turkey dressing
92. Ham and bean soup
93. Taco soup
94. Cheesy cauliflower casserole
95. Rice pudding
96. Sweet and sour chicken
97. Baked short ribs
98. Spicy chicken wings
99. Poppy seed chicken
100. Chili macaroni
101. Hamburger layered dinner
102. Purify our water, thank you, Ray
103. Bonus: it doesn’t heat our home; thank you, Ray

Do I need to preheat the oven like I do my conventional oven?

No, you don’t have to, but it helps get the oven to the temperature you need to cook the recipe. The stove in your kitchen uses a confined space that needs to be heated. The Sun Oven uses direct sunlight to heat the product with the design of the oven’s reflectors, which help magnify the heat. Picture your skin out in the sun while skiing or on the water fishing.

Do I need unique cookware with the Sun Oven?

No unique cookware is required, except it needs to be dark in color and not the shiny pots and pans we often use. The challenge with the shiny cookware is that they reflect the sun away from the food rather than “absorbing” the sun. Yes, you can use glass baking dishes.

Are there limitations to the size of the product I want to cook?

The Sun Oven has a reasonably large cooking “cavity” to hold the item(s) to be cooked. You must try to maximize the space so the reflectors direct the sun on as much food product as possible. The sun’s reflected rays may be less effective if it’s too big.

Final Word

Sometimes, things sound too good to be true. Well, what I’ve said about the Sun Oven is true because I’ve done it! Here’s the deal: whatever you can bake in your conventional oven, you can bake in a Sun Oven. Be creative and enjoy saving money at the same time since you remove the cost of fuel for the oven. Many people picture using their BBQ as a backup cooking device, and that’s fine. But devices like camping stoves and BBQs require cooking fuels which the Solar Oven doesn’t need. Picture yourself even trying to heat water on the BBQ, it doesn’t work well!

If you have a lot of sun in your area, one of these gems will serve you well. If you have minimal sunshine, I wouldn’t purchase one. Thanks for being prepared for the unexpected. May God bless this world, Linda