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FAQ
What can I cook in a GLOBAL
SUN OVEN®?
Anything you can cook in a
conventional electric or gas oven
can be cooked in a GLOBAL SUN
OVEN®.
You can bake, boil and steam using
any of your favorite recipes.
What is the cooking temperature
range?
The GLOBAL SUN OVEN®
will reach temperatures of 360 to
400 degrees Fahrenheit. The oven
will generally reach its maximum
temperature as it is being
preheated. The temperature will drop
when food is placed in the chamber.
Will food prepared in a GLOBAL
SUN OVEN®
taste the same as food prepared in
my conventional oven?
The food tastes much better! Solar
cooking allows many of the natural
flavors of food, which get baked out
in conventional ovens, to remain.
The slow, even rise in temperatures
in a GLOBAL SUN OVEN®
gives the complex carbohydrates time
to break down into simple sugars
allowing subtle natural flavors to
emerge. Sun baked foods stay moist,
the natural internal juices do not
bake out, resulting in a superior,
moist taste and much less shrinkage.
How long does it take?
Cooking times are close to the same
as those in a conventional oven.
Because the sun is often trying to
run away and hide behind clouds,
cooking times can vary. At times it
may take a little longer. The
factors that affect the cooking time
are: the quality of the sunlight at
the time you are cooking, the types
and quantities of the food being
cooked, and how often the oven is
being refocused.
Does a GLOBAL SUN OVEN®
require special pots and pans?
No, but dark, thin-walled pots with
lids work best. Dark pots change the
light from the sun into heat energy.
Lids are important because they hold
steam in the pot. If a lid is not
used the steam will dissipate much
of the heat. Shiny aluminum pots and
pans cause light to be reflected out
thereby reducing the oven's
temperature. Glass casserole dishes
with lids also work well. For baking
cakes, breads, cookies, and pies,
dark cookie sheets and baking tins
work best.
Does food need to be stirred?
No. Stirring to prevent scorching is
not required when cooking in a
GLOBAL SUN OVEN®
due to the fact that there are no
hot spots. The temperature of the
food rises evenly. It is almost
impossible to burn food in a
GLOBAL SUN OVEN®.
How difficult is it to focus a
GLOBAL SUN OVEN®?
Focusing a GLOBAL SUN OVEN®
is very easy. All that is required
is to watch the shadows created by
the oven. When the shadows are even
on all sides, the cooker is directly
focused. The built-in leveling leg
on the back of the oven allows for
easy tracking.
How often must a GLOBAL SUN
OVEN® be
refocused?
The need to refocus depends a great
deal on what you are cooking, the
time of day, and the temperature you
wish to maintain. A good rule of
thumb is to plan to readjust every
30 minutes to maintain maximum heat.
At noon the sun is high in the sky
and moves quickly past the maximum
focus point, creating the need to
refocus more often. Later in the day
you will not need to refocus as
often. The GLOBAL SUN OVEN®
is equipped with a built in
Levelator, which keeps food level
and avoids spills while being
refocused.
Many meals can be cooked without
refocusing. GLOBAL SUN OVEN®
users often will put their ovens
outside, focused for the mid-day
sun, with their dinner in it when
they leave for work in the morning.
As the sun moves overhead, the
temperature in the Global Sun Ovenā
chamber slowly rises to a cooking
level. As the sun passes, the food
is kept warm and when they return
from work they have a warm,
sun-cooked dinner.
(Keep in mind food will not burn in
a GLOBAL SUN OVEN®
and that the chamber is extremely
well insulated, allowing food to
stay warm for hours.)
With the GLOBAL SUN OVEN®
getting so hot, what is the risk of
getting burned when using it?
The only parts that get hot are the
oven chamber, the cooking pan, and
the glass door. Proper care must be
taken to use hot pads when opening
the door and removing food. The
entire exterior of the oven,
including the reflectors, remains
safe to touch.
How long will a GLOBAL SUN
OVEN®
last?
The estimated life of a GLOBAL
SUN OVEN®is
20 + years. With proper care it
should last a lifetime.
Do I need special recipes to cook
in a GLOBAL SUN OVEN®?
The GLOBAL SUN OVEN®
reaches temperatures comparable to
that of conventional ovens,
therefore no special recipes are
required. A good rule of thumb is to
add 10 to 15 minutes of cooking time
for each time the oven door is
opened.
What are the dimensions of the
GLOBAL SUN OVEN®?
The size of the GLOBAL SUN
OVEN®
is 19'' x 19'' with an average depth
of 11''. The total weight is only 21
pounds.
Can I use a GLOBAL SUN OVEN®
in the winter?
Yes. The most important factor in
using a GLOBAL SUN OVEN®is
the brightness of the day, NOT the
outside air temperature. Often, a
40-degree, clear, low-humidity day
will allow food to cook faster than
a 100-degree day with high humidity.
The GLOBAL SUN OVEN®has
been used very successfully at the
base camp of a Mt. Everest
expedition where the temperatures
are often well below zero. There
are, however, more cooking hours
available in the summer than in the
winter. In the early summer, it is
not unusual to cook from 8:00 AM to
6:00 PM, whereas during the early
winter, effective cooking is limited
to 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
How does it work?
The black surfaces on the inside of
the oven captures and transforms the
sun's energy into a form that cannot
escape the oven chamber. When a
GLOBAL SUN OVEN®
is focused in the sun, the interior
of the oven is heated by the sun's
energy. Direct and reflected
sunlight enters the oven chamber
through the glass door. It then
turns to heat energy when it is
absorbed by the black inner-shell
and Levelator. This heat input
causes the temperature inside the
oven to rise until the heat loss of
the oven is equal to the solar heat
gain. The light energy absorbed by
dark pots and the oven's dark
interior is converted into longer
wavelength heat energy. Most of this
longer-wavelength radiant energy can
not pass back out through the glass,
ensuring more efficient cooking.
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