First Look at the Sylvan Solar Oven

[Boogity]

k0xxx - that really looks good. I'll bet with just a little experience you will be a solar gourmet cook. I see some brown on top of the chicken, did it brown by itself or is that some kind of sauce? OK, now you did it! My mouth is watering.

 

[animalfarm]

When reading reviews about the GSO, I see a lot of complaints about the plastic/chemical smell contaminating UNcovered food. Is this something you noticed with the one you borrowed and can you let use know if its a problem with your new one? I saw this after I ordered one, and it has me a bit concerned.

Thanks

 

[k0xxx]

k0xxx - that really looks good. I'll bet with just a little experience you will be a solar gourmet cook. I see some brown on top of the chicken, did it brown by itself or is that some kind of sauce? OK, now you did it! My mouth is watering.

It browned by itself. We had planed to cook stuffed bell peppers today, but we had a larger amount of cloud cover than we had anticipated. On clear days, it's great to not have to heat the house up with indoor cooking (not having to use propane or electric is an added bonus).

When reading reviews about the GSO, I see a lot of complaints about the plastic/chemical smell contaminating UNcovered food. Is this something you noticed with the one you borrowed and can you let use know if its a problem with your new one? I saw this after I ordered one, and it has me a bit concerned.

Thanks

The GSO that we were using was brand new when it was loaned to us. When heating the oven for the very first time, there are some fumes from the high temp paint and other components. The first time we put the oven in the sun, we let it heat sealed up for the first half of the day for maximum heat, and then propped the glass open about a quarter inch for the second half to allow fumes to escape. After the oven cooled we washed it out and cleaned the glass. Our first meal was cooked in a roasting pan with a lid, but we didn't notice any fumes or smell since the first day. We did the same thing with the Sylvan and we had the same results.

 

[dtinnan]

Thanks for the review, I had been looking at that one also but I too prefer to buy American made products so I will pay a little more for the Global Sun oven.

i try to buy from the local, hometown businessman as much as possible, because most of them are my neighbors, and if their store fails because their neighbors "save a quarter" by going to walmart, then we kinda let our neighbor down, didn't we?

 

[fadridrocky]

Our Sylvan brand Solar Oven arrived yesterday, and we tested it today. We decided on the Sylvan, over the Global Sun Oven (GSO), simply on the basis of price. Being basically cheapskates, we liked the fact that the Sylvan was $60 dollars less than the GS0.

My first impression is that it is a nearly identical copy of the GSOn. There are a few differences, though. The first thing that I noticed was on the GSO, there are two well made latches to hold the glass closed, the Sylvan has only one and it isn't made as well. It still seems to work OK, with the one. Also, the GSO has a "handle" attached to the glass that makes opening the glass safer, as you don't actually touch the glass. The Sylvan does not, and you actually have to touch the glass to open it, and the glass is HOT. As long as you use an oven mitt or pot holder, it can be done safely.

Bringing it from inside an air conditioned house, it had reached 300 degrees fifteen minutes after being set up. After 1/2 hour it was 325, and it was 350 after an hour (it may have reached 350 sooner, but that was the next time that I checked it). It may have gotten hotter, but I believe the breeze we had reduced the temperature that it reached. There were a lot of fumes coming from the cooker when I first opened it after it had reached temperature. These were from the heat resistant paint curing, but the instructions said it was to be expected and to clean it before using it to cook for the first time. The instructions are adequate, but there were a few typos, like stating that after twenty minutes that the cooker should obtain a temperature of 3000 degrees. That would have been impressive indeed, but I believe that the meant 300.

The only other disappointment was that, although the Sylvan company is listed as being in Oolteway, TN, we found that it was actually manufactured in China. Had we known that it was not produced in the US, like the GSO, we would have opted to spend the extra $60. We will be purchasing at least one more oven in the future, and if it is the same type, it will probably be the GSO. That's just us, and YMMV.

Tomorrow, We'll see how it cooks.

You have made a wonderful device. I really appreciate your efforts. I just want to ask you about its efficiency. Will it be able to cook good baked food or can we add something to it to make it more efficient