Solar Cooking

Don't read this article on desert recipes expecting to get ideas for sweet after dinner treats.  No it's not a healthy after dinner riposte either. 

Please don't be confused.  Dessert takes place after dinner, while a. desert is usually in the sand.  This article is about desert cooking.

The desert has one element that makes it ideal for cooking food.  That element is the sun.  A typical desert day can be as hot as the hundred 150° or more, which tells us what a great source of heat the sun truly is.  That heat can be used in the place of an oven, microwave or other modern cooking appliances. 

Solar cooking with solar cookers can be anything from a fancy, modern store bought model to something as simple as a pizza box with insulation and reflective material (such as tin foil.)  The temperature in such cookers can reach near 300F, which is fine for cooking almost anything that can be found in desert recipes.  Hotdogs, steaks, soups, even spaghetti can be cooked here.  There are two issues to consider.  The first is that this is a slow cooking method.  That's many hours needed to cook.  It takes constant realignment of the solar cooker to keep the sun focused.  The second is that it doesn't work at night or on cloudy days – any time there is no sun.

But solar cooking has advantages that make desert recipes a tasty treat.  Slow cooking keeps food moist.  And it really isn't possible to burn anything because there are hours of leeway in cooking times rather than minutes or even seconds with other cooking methods.  Have your doubts?  Leave a steak on the grill for five minutes too long.  Another advantage of solar cooking is that it's a process.  Waiting longer for food to cook, doing more while it cooks, adds to the anticipation.  Anticipation can make the meal taste better when it's finally time to eat.  Contrary to what many people believe solar cookers can and do brown foods.

What are some desert recipes for solar cooking?  For some creative cooking try desert spaghetti squash with sausage, spaghetti sauce and Parmesan cheese.  Another possibility for creative cooking is a delicious Chile casserole.  That's not Chile with meat and beans, that's hot Pablano Chiles, by the way  A quick search on Yahoo will find even more.

The sun makes desert recipes a snap to cook.