If You Can’t Stand the Heat, Get Out of the Kitchen
Well, People, what are you wating for? Come on, now, it’s HOT outside! The sun is shiny bright. Go get (or make) yourself a solar cooker and commence to cookin’.
I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be so scoldy. But it’s for your own good. When you cook inside, it raises the temperature. This means your air conditioner has to work harder. Which costs you more money.
I know what you’re thinking. “Oh, there she goes, nagging about solar cooking again.” Well, I only harp on it over and over and over again because it is for your own good. Plus, I have a very dominant Nag gene.
I know that my pleas for greater use of solar cooking are falling on deaf ears. A few weeks ago I had a solar cooking-related giveaway that drew absolutely no interest. People! You are missing out on one of THE greatest frugal experiences of all time when you don’t give solar cooking a chance. Trust me on this! It’s even better than saving dryer lint to stuff pillows.
Don’t be afraid! You will NOT die, get sick, turn green, or grow three heads if you eat food cooked in a solar cooker. You will in fact lose weight, become better looking, and be more attractive to the opposite sex if you do. Ok. Maybe not. But you will save money, help the environment, and learn a new skill that will have a positive impact on your life. Now how many experiences are there out there that you can say that about? Maybe five?
Yesterday it was about 92 degrees here in North Texas. I’m on a mission to see how long I can go before turning on that air conditioner. And guess what? - I haven’t done it yet. Solar cooking is helping me to achieve my goals. And giving me a delicious dinner to boot. Yesterday that was barbecue chicken, steamed veggies, and mashed potatoes made from a box (and they turned out great). Today’s main course is going to be turkey meatloaf.
Yep, I’m on a mission alright. Maybe I’m a little overzealous, but that’s what makes a good Missionary.
July 12th, 2009 at 12:03 am
I just found your website tonight and am sad that I didn’t find it earlier when you had your solar cooker giveaway! I have heard of this and would like to try it. I live in Northwest Florida, so although we do not reach the same scorching temps you do, it still gets pretty hot! I’m off to scour your site for more info. on a solar cooker! Thanks-
July 12th, 2009 at 7:43 am
Hi, Dana
We don’t stand on ceremony here at ideasforfrugalliving.com (ok, there’s no we, just me). You want them - you got them! I’ll send them right out to you as soon as I get your info. I’m always glad to do what I can to encourage all the people of the world to try solar cooking. I will send you an email, just as soon as my husband wakes up and tells me if the one he gave me for this blog works, and how it works.
March 2nd, 2010 at 5:59 pm
o.k., i know this is an older post, but…. are there cook books that could be gotten at book stores? i’ve always wanted to make my own solar cooker but wondered about needing cook books designed for one? anyway, i’ve really enjoyed your posts. you’ve given this stay at home person some good ideas to try. thanks in advance for any answers.
March 3rd, 2010 at 9:00 am
Hi, la donna
I’m sorry I just replied to this, but I had friends visiting from Cali and we’ve been out having a great time.
Well, to answer your question, I’ve never seen any solar cooker-specific cookbooks in an actual bookstore, but you can order them from Amazon.com. But the truth is you don’t absolutely need a special cook book to make great solar meals. I do have some of those books and they are great, but it turns out that I mostly make things that are kind of regular-rotation meals for us that I would normally make in my kitchen. For instance, roast chicken, meat loaf, chili, beans, cake, mash potatoes, steamed veggies, etc. Those are kind of dinner staples that just naturally get made by housewives everywhere without the aid of a cookbook.
It’s funny you should bring up the solar cooker - my friends from Cali were amazed when I told them all about it. They had never heard of it. I think I might have made two new converts. And they are lucky to have way more sunny days in Southern California than I get here in Texas!
Thanks for reading my blog la donna. I’m off to California myself this week, so it may be a while before I can post again!