Way back in 1993, I was servicing government accounts for my employer, Indian Express Newspapers, in Bhopal, India. Urja Vikas Nigam, an organization dedicated to promoting solar energy was one of my clients. UVN made and sold suitcase box-sized solar cookers that came with four blackened cooking containers. At that time going “green” or adopting eco-friendly practices was nowhere the talk of the day.
I remember being intrigued by this cooking devise, and the ability to cook without depending on modern amenities. I especially thought of it as a great concept for the rural poor, as that would alleviate the need to procure other types of fuel. If not eliminate, at least minimize.
Well, I finally bought the box with an attached mirrored lid and lugged it up four flights of stairs onto our apartment roof top. First it just lay around forlornly. However then I hit upon the idea, of prepping the dish of the day on the regular, ‘modern’ stove and then putting it in the round, black containers inside the solar box. I would position the mirror and leave for the day. The boiling Indian summers were a boon to solar cooking. The good thing about solar cookers is that after it is done cooking; it stays very hot, but does not burn. However if you have a rainy, or cloudy day then your lunch would remain uncooked.
I’d come home to lunch, pick my tray and bring down the steaming containers of potato and pea stew, lentils and rice. Once I impressed my father-in-law by disappearing to the rooftop and reappearing within minutes with steamy, hot food. I have made cakes, rice dessert, roasted peanuts, and speeded up pickling in the solar cooker. The only flop I experienced was a cake that did not rise, because we opened the solar cooker to check how it was doing. In a solar cooker you leave it till done, or overdone!
Just prep, pack and forget it. It was kind of fun.
Like a traditional oven, but without a worry!!
I always thought of it as a cool concept, but I seemed to be the only one!
Eat.Heal.BeHappy 