Solar ovens

General Discussion
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I had originally tagged this onto the end of the thread on planning but decided that it might have value as a thread in its own right.

I’ve been quite intrigued by the idea of solar ovens and I’m quite keen to give it a go when we eventually move southwards. I’m curious if there is any real world experience out there? Though I do wonder how many hot meals I’d actually want when it’s hot enough for the oven to work.

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We have friends who use solar ovens for preparing their bottled fruit and veg in summer.

Edit - and live high up in the eastern mountains of France!

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I was looking into them a few years ago, but they seemed really expensive - probably a lot cheaper to make your own. I love the idea of the sun cooking your food, I imagine it can be a long and frustrating experience. I went with a smallish outdoor wood burning stove in the end as I have plenty of wood in the garden, and in better weather cook quite a lot of meals on that.

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Coincidentally, France seems to have the largest solar oven!

Also at Mont-Louis.

I should have visited…

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That’s interesting Gareth.
Does an outdoor stove like that not generate smoke that could float over to neighbours, or does it cause any worries about lighting fires in seasons where it’s banned?

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v interesting, if allowed

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We bought an Ooni (back when they were still called Uuni) pizza oven. Although we mostly use it for pizza I picked up their recipe book last year and we’ve started cooking steaks and fish on it too. Our one only works with pellets whereas the newer models can use wood and gas. One of the best purchases I’ve made for a long time.

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If definitely be looking at making my own, there are plenty of plans out there. I do like the idea of preparing jams and chutneys.

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Hi KarenLot - it’s not an open fire, but a closed system, so it’s allowed. Obviously if you were billowing smoke all the time over your neighbours, that might give them good reason to be annoyed and complain, but the same could be said of a BBQ. I haven’t had any problem, unless I’ve used wood that wasn’t dry enough. once it’s burning well the smoke comes out clean, and the flue pipe is pretty high, and my garden is large so doesn’t bother anybody else. I’ve cooked many a meal on it - free food from the garden and free cooking. I can even boil a kettle on it while the food cooks.

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John, you might also consider a parabolic solar cooker which I believe heats up food more quickly and to a higher temperature. If you do give it a try I’d love to see the results.

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