# Solar Ovens - any suggestions or experiences?



## TheBrenda (May 16, 2016)

I am looking at solar ovens. Cheap ones under $300 (cheap looking anyway). Does anyone have any recommendations, experiences, hearsay? I am concerned about the amount of time to cook rice, beans and bake wheat. Seems like a solar oven - if they work - would be a good idea.


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## Wallimiyama (Oct 18, 2012)

I've got a Sun Oven...and it works pretty well. They're a bit expensive...if you're handy, there are a lot of plans available out there!


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## TheBrenda (May 16, 2016)

You think that they would bake bread, cook rice and cook bean? And does it seem like it would last awhile? And no, I am not handy but might find some plans and keep them handy.


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## TheBrenda (May 16, 2016)

dried, soaked beans.


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## Wallimiyama (Oct 18, 2012)

I've made chili and cornbread in mine...I'm sure it would do just fine with a pot of pintos!


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## I'd_last_a_day (May 12, 2015)

I'm very iffy on solar ovens, you can't go skimping on heat intensity that's how you can get food poisening. And even just for convenience, do you really want a solar over that struggles and takes longer than another solar oven in mild sun? It's not like other ovens, even if you get a flat out cheap propane oven you will still get your propane heat intensity just fine. With solar I wouldn't skimp, the extra money spent would do way more for you than with other things. Sometimes it's better to pass on the 3 mediocre items and just get the one flagship item. The one solar oven that looks really awesome to me is the GoSun Grill, but unfortunately it's $600, and only available for preorder still. What a friggin Beast!!!

GoSun Grill Solar Oven - GoSun Stove - Fuel-Free, Portable Solar Oven


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## BuckB (Jan 14, 2016)

TheBrenda said:


> You think that they would bake bread, cook rice and cook bean? And does it seem like it would last awhile? And no, I am not handy but might find some plans and keep them handy.


We have a Sun Oven also. I do not like it at all. It is large to store. It will cook rice and beans but takes nearly all day in the summer and won't work at all in the winter. It does bake bread but the bread does not brown unless you baste it with melted butter and then the brown is just the salt from the butter browning. If you are in a southern climate they might be fine but in the frozen tundra I would save your money and get ceramic grill instead.


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## Ronaldinyo (May 12, 2016)

I built a mock solar oven just to see how it works. 

Just a cardboard box lined with foil & I put plastic wrap on the front (to let the sun in). 

I placed a black T shirt in the bottom to absorb the sunlight & a stand alone oven thermometer (bought from the kitchen utencil isle at target) so I could see how hot it got. 

The temp passed 230, the plastic wrap melted & that ended my experiment...so atleast I know they work


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## Ronaldinyo (May 12, 2016)

I figure I'll build a better one if I ever need it.


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## Mad Trapper (Feb 12, 2014)

You can make one cheap with a big fresnel lens from an old TV set Some of those lenses you weld/braze with.


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