[Greenbuilding] While we're on Solar....any experience with a solar cooker?

[Corwyn]

On 9/9/2011 6:21 PM, RT wrote:

> Baking and roasting are inefficient means of cooking.
>
> ie Whereas roasting a 4 lb chicken would require about 1.5 to 1.75 hours
> cooking time at 350 degrees F in order to heat the flesh to a safe
> temperature of 170 degF ... that same chicken, if cooked using the
> Chinese method of poaching, would require only 5 minutes of rigorous
> boiling, followed by letting it sit for 20 minutes away from heat and
> then returning it to a rigorous boil for another 3 to 4 minutes. The
> resultant bird is amazingly (to Occidental cooks on first being exposed
> to the method) juicy, tender and alive-looking
> (akin to the difference between stir-fried vegetables vs boiled or baked
> ... or kiln-dried lumber vs air-dried).
>
> Similar efficiencies are had by steaming (ie cakes and pastries) instead
> of baking.
>
> That is to say, anything that would have been roasted or baked could be
> steamed or poached in a fraction of the time, using less energy and in
> most cases, yielding a better end product.
>
> Don't ask me what this has to do with Green building, but if anyone's to
> be roasted for this, it should be Reuben. He started it.
>

I would love to see your energy calculations for this.  It takes a lot 
less energy to heat couple of cubic feet of air than it does a couple of 
pounds of water. on the order of 50 times less.

Thank You Kindly,

Corwyn

p.s.  You are't 'poaching' with rigorously boiling water, you are boiling.


-- 
Topher Belknap
Green Fret Consulting
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