Urn Jacket - What the best dressed Urns are wearing.

I work at a school where coffee and tea are available all day. It occurred to me that a lot of energy is being wasted keeping the urn on all day.   I carried out an experiment using first one layer and then two layers of batting in an urn jacket.

On 6 trials the urn used an average of 0.280kW/Hour, with one layer it was 0,215kW/h and 2 layers and a hat brought it down to 0,198kW/h.   This is a saving of 37%.   The saving is not so much in the initial boiling of the urn but in it maintaining its temperature.

The urn has to be fitted for size and holes for handles, controls and outlets.   I used velcro to connect padded strips above the handles and at the front top and bottom.   The eyes are just for fun.   The hat is a circular cushion with a hole in the middle, filled with polystyrene beads which help it settle down on the slightly domed surface of the lid. An elastic band was initially used to keep the jacket snug but is no longer necessary.

Ten of the Best energy efficient ways to cook...

 

 

Rice

1 cup rice, 2 cups boiling water, 1 chicken stock cube dissolved in the water. Boil on stove or gel stove for 5 minutes with the lid on, then place in hot box for an hour or more.

Butternut

Place in a black pot in a solar cooker in the sun for two or three hours

Roast Chicken

Use a Weber Braai or buy ready cooked from a supermarket.

Fried chicken.

Microwave for 5 minutes then fry in a little oil until lightly browned. Turn off the heat when one side is done and flip.

Meringues

Solar cooking can’t be beaten

Packet vanilla muffins

Add raisins and solar cook for 2 -3 hours. Brown tops under a TV grill if desired, or top with water icing

Oats

¼ cup oats, ¾ cup boiling water and microwave 2 minutes for 1 serving or boil up a family size pot and cook in a hot box overnight.

Roast

Solar cooked roasts are tender and juicy.

Cottage Pie

Use a quantity of budget mince, make up some Smash and grill under a TV grill to brown

Mealie Meal (2)

Preheat the required amount of water plus salt (in a sun stove or other method) When the water is hot, it doesn’t have to boil, add the mealie meal, stir in and leave in the sunstove to cook.

References

1. “Potjiekos” by Marlene Hammann published by Human and Rousseau pg 15

2. “Sunstove 2000 Helpful Hints and recipes” Produced by Sunstove Organisation

P.O.Box 21960 Crystal Park 1515 Tel:(011)969-2818

Meringue baskets

(using a solar cooker only)
Meringues cooked in a solar oven are superior to those cooked in a conventional oven. They stay fluffy and white and will impress all your friends. Meringue baskets can be filled with ice cream, cream, berries or anything that your imagination can suggest. These quantities make 3 – 6 baskets depending on size.

3 egg whites
1 cup sugar or castor sugar
1tsp lemon juice
Beat egg whites with one teaspoon of the sugar until stiff. Add the rest of the sugar gradually beating well in between. Use a piping bag to form baskets onto a baking tray which fits into your solar cooker. Start with a circular base and then pipe the sides on top of the base. Make meringue triangles for garnish. Cook in the solar cooker facing the sun for two to three hours. Fill with ice cream or other filling of your choice.

Carrot Pudding

Carrot Pudding

(uses a solar cooker only)

1 ½ cups cake flour 1 cup grated raw carrot

1 tsp salt 1 ½ cups finely chopped peeled apple

1 ¼ tsp cinnamon ¾ cup raisins

¼ tsp cloves 1 cup light brown sugar

½ tsp nutmeg ½ cup margarine.

Cream margarine, add sugar and beat well. Add carrot, apple and raisins and mix together well. Add the dry ingredients, mixing well. Turn into 6 individual moulds. Place in a flat bottomed black pot (eg a flat potjie pot) with half a cup of water in the bottom. Place in a solar cooker in the sun before 10am. Serve with ice cream or custard.

Caramel Squares

 

Uses Solar cooker only

185g flour 1 tin Caramel Treat

125g margarine 200g dark chocolate

60g castor sugar

Cream the margarine and mix in the sugar and flour. Press the mixture into a rectangular greased tin and place in a solar cooker in the sun before 10am. After about two hours break the chocolate into pieces and place in a glass or plastic bowl. Retrieve the shortbread base and place the chocolate in the solar cooker. Spread the caramel treat over the shortbread. When the chocolate has melted, pour it over the caramel and allow to cool. Before it has completely hardened, score the chocolate into squares to make cutting easier.

Holiday Chicken

 

Holiday Chicken

(using a solar cooker and an optional backup source of heat)

This recipe is based on a potjie recipe by the Van Rooyens of Garsfontein. (1) The lemon peel adds zest to the dish. The recipe serves 4-6 people and can be served with a fresh salad and homemade bread. A flat cast iron pot or other black pot can be used.

Sauce

500ml low fat natural yoghurt

250ml dry white wine

10ml dried thyme

10ml grated lemon peel

1 packet cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup powder.

Salt to taste

4 -6 deboned skinless chicken fillets

1 large onion, chopped

2 green peppers, chopped

1 small packet button mushrooms sliced in half

½ cup rice

200-300g sliced carrots

2 baby potatoes per person, cut in half

100g dried apricots

200g frozen casserole vegetables or green beans

Whisk the sauce ingredients together. Brown onions , chicken and green pepper in a little oil in a cast iron pot on electric stove or gas stove or Bioheat stove(optional). Add the rest of the ingredients. Pour the sauce over the top and replace the lid.

Place the pot in a solar cooker in the sun before 10am and leave until the potatoes are soft (3-5 hours depending on the weather). Can be placed in the sun before work and retrieved after. The solar cooker must then face north in that case. Serve with fresh bread and a green salad.

1. “Potjiekos” by Marlene Hammann published by Human and Rousseau pg 15

Granny Chicken

(uses a solar cooker only)
This recipe is a family favourite and is adapted from a recipe given to me by my mother-in-law. It is a simple no fuss recipe cooked in one pot. It serves 3-5 people.

1 skinned deboned chicken fillet per person
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup chutney
2 cups water
1 pkt Brown Onion soup
40g rice per person
1 – 2 cups frozen casserole vegetables.
Place the chicken fillets at the bottom of a cast iron pot or black pot of suitable size. Mix the next four ingredients together and pour over the chicken. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix all together. Replace the lid and put the pot in a solar cooker facing the sun or facing north if you are going to be out all day. Serve with green peas and tomato wedges. Cooks in about 3 hours depending on the weather.

Budget Mince

 

 

(using a solar cooker and an optional backup source of heat)

This mince can be made in bulk and frozen in smaller portions for later use. The quantities given make for 16 people and can be divided according to your family size. You can add or subtract ingredients according to your family’s preferences.

2 onions, chopped.

500g lean beef mince.

¾ cup orange lentils, soaked overnight.

1 cup soya mince

1 cup water

4 carrots (grated) or courgettes or other vegetables of your choice

1 pkt beef and vegetable soup

2 beef stock cubes dissolved in 2 cups boiling water.

Salt and any other herbs and spices to taste.

Brown the onions and mince in a little olive oil in a cast iron pot or a large black pot (optional). Soak the soya mince in 1 cup water for 5 minutes. Drain the lentils. Add all the ingredients and stir well. Place the pot in a solar cooker facing the sun or facing north for at least three hours although it will do no harm if kept in the sun all day. If the mince is a bit watery, thicken with Bisto or corn flour. Divide the mince into containers according to the size of your family and freeze for later use.

The biogel stove

The Biogel stove
Biogel stoves became very popular during the period of load shedding in South Africa. The fuel is an ethanol gel which is a renewable energy source ie it is not a fossil fuel. Most biogel stoves are very simple, having a reservoir for the fuel, an adjustable vent and a stable base for a pot to rest on. The most popular are double plate stoves which means one can cook two separate foods at once. At the time of writing the stoves and the gel were available at Pick and Pay stores.
Advantages of a Biogel stove
The stove has a wide flat base and can’t be knocked over.
Because the fuel is a gel, not a liquid, it can’t spill.
The vent controls the amount of air getting to the fuel so the stove can be adjusted for low, medium or high cooking.
There is no unpleasant smell, just a clean alcohol smell.
The stove is portable and easy to carry.
Disadvantages of a Biogel stove
Once the food is cooked, if all the biogel has not been used up, it can’t keep in the stove as it dries up. It is necessary therefore to know exactly how long you want the flame to last for and use the appropriate amount of gel (see table below)
Biogel fuel at present is more expensive than paraffin and so is more often used as a back up for electricity cuts in urban areas than as a normal method of cooking in poorer or rural areas where the increased safety would cut down the number of fire related accidents.
Table showing amount of Biogel to use for various times of cooking (measuring cups were used to measure gel)
Volume of Gel                                          Time of burning on high (minutes)

100ml	27
200ml	54
300ml	81
400ml	108
500ml	135

The Solar Cooker

The solar cooker I use is a Sunstove, available from Margaret Bennett . e mail at sunstove@iafrica.com.



This method of cooking is the only one which is totally free. It is extremely easy. Place the food in a black pot, place in the solar cooker which is facing the sun or facing north if you are going to leave it for a long time.
The Sunstove comes with a pot and an instruction booklet, including recipes. It is ideal for one pot cooking, stews, vegetables, rice, pap, mince dishes. It is not suitable for dishes requiring rapid boiling, eg pasta, frying or baking (except meringues)
A black pot is preferable, but not essential. The sunstove cooks even if there is only 30 minutes of sun per hour. Food needs to be put in the sun before 10am as that is the best time for cooking. It is also possible to place the food in the sun before work and leave the sunstove facing north. It will be ready by 2pm but still warm by 4pm. It might just need a bit of reheating later in the day.
Advantage of a solar cooker

1. Free energy
2. It is light and so portable and can be moved to where the sun is, or taken camping etc.
3. It is almost impossible to burn food.

Disadvantages of a solar cooker

1. The cooker only works when there is enough sunlight, therefore not at night and not in the rain. It cannot be used as the only source of cooking. It can only be an additional source of cooking and will always require a back-up. However, when it can be used it saves electricity or wood or other fuel.
2. Food left unattended for long periods can be stolen. (Of course if there are grannies in the community they can sit near all the solar cookers and guard the food and cookers)

General Guidelines

1. The sunstove is designed for a family of 4. It can take more than one pot but if cooking for a larger number of people it will be necessary to use more cookers.
2. For cooking fresh vegetables it is not necessary to add water. Food will cook in its own juice.
3. Food must be placed in the sun before 10am in the morning for best results.
4. (From Sunstove 2000 Booklet)(2)

a) You will need twice the normal cooking time or a bit longer
b) Stews and casseroles use less water.”
g) food will cook quicker in 2 smaller pots than one big one. Don’t leave a lot of airspace above your food.”

1. The pots will get extremely hot and the use of a pot holder or oven gloves is necessary for removing the pot from the solar cooker.

Temperatures reached by the Sun stove

Dec 29 2009                                    

Partly cloudy, Max 26°C                         
Time           Temp °C                                                                           

9.00	40
9.30	50
10.10	90
10.55	120
11.20	120
12.00	120

These were my two extremes. When there was 50% cloud cover the stove reached a maximum of 95°C, 25% cloud cover it reached a maximum of 110°C. Cooking with more than 50% cloud was not very successful and another source had to be used to complete the cooking.