What can be cooked in a Solar Cooker?
We can cook a large number of items, like pulses, rice, kheer, khichri,
vegetables, cereals, etc. which are needed for our daily meals, in a
solar cooker. Some special dishes like Muthia, Handva, Patra, Idli,
Dhokia, Lapsi, Dudhpak, Pulao and soups can also be cooked. To add to
the list, we can bake bread, biscuits, cake and nankhatai, etc. The
non-vegetarian items like fish, chicken, meat curry, shami kababs,
etc., which are boiled or roasted can also be prepared in a solar
cooker. The time taken to cook will depend upon the type ;of the food,
time of the day and solar intensity. However, the time taken to cook
some of the dishes in a solar cooker is as follows : Rice (45 minutes
to one hour), vegetables(about one to two hours), black gram and Rajma
(about two hours), and cake(one hour).
How a Solar Cooker Works?
- Keep the solar cooker in the sun in open
space free from any shadow. Keep the cooker in the sun at least for
45 minutes before loading it with cooking pots. This will keep the
cooker ready for cooking and reduce the cooking time.
- Adjust the cooker in such a way that the
reflecting mirror faces the sun and the reflected rays fall on the
transparent glass lid. Tighten the position fixing hinges of the
mirror in this position.
- Open the glass lid of the solar cooker, place
the cooking pots inside it and close the lid properly. Once the
cooking pots have been placed inside the cooker the lid should not
be opened.
- While removing the cooking pots after the
food has been cooked, gloves or cloth napkins should be used. The
lid should be opened fully.
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