Nsima is the main food in Malawi. It is made from maize flour. Nsima takes average 1 hour or less depending on the sun light intensity. Dry beans takes 4 to 5 hours if they are pre soaked can take less than that. This is in the parabolic solar cooker.
The cookit [ panel solar cooker - made from card boards ] has some limitations and can only do boiled cooking, no frying in this type of solar cooker. Nsima is also difficult as the pot is covered in a clear plastic bag and one can not stirr continuously but can do most of the local food stuffs we eat in Malawi. It's cooking is much slower than the parabolic cooker and it is less durable. Can only last for 2 to 3 years depending on how much you are using it.
Benefits of using Solar Cookers
The solar cooker is suitable for smoke free cooking, baking, grilling, frying and deep frying. Due to the high cooking performance of the parabolic solar cooker, meat, grill, pasta dishes, baked food stuffs [ e.g bread, pies, pizzas], stews or boiled meals are prepared nearly as quickly as cooking them on an electrical stove or in an oven.
1.Global effects of the solar cooker
- Helps stopping the deforestation and associated soil erosion and prevents further depletion of the ground's nutrients.
- Reduces carbon emmission and global warming.
2. Health Issues
- Cooking with solar cooker does not generate smoke, as does traditional cooking over open fires. When preparing food indoors. the fumes can become overwhelming. Women and children inhale these fumes which lead to respiratory diseases. Smoke also irritates eyes.
- Families can use the solar cooker to boil contaminated water and improve hygiene. When using a solar cooker 50 liters of drinking water can be pasteurised every day.
- Burn injuries caused by open flames can be avoided.
- Sterilizing medical instruments
3. Reducing Labour and Saving Time
- Women and children don't have to struggle for hours to gather firewood.
- Children can have more time to study and improve their education rather than gathering wood.
4. Independence and Money Savings
- Money spent on buying firewood will be saved and used for other purposes.
5. Income Generation
Families can use the solar cooker in micro enterprises e.g
-Preparation of juices and jams
- roasting peanuts and frying dough nuts
- selling baking products
- food preservation ( boiling food e.g mfutso )
- using at a restaurant
Cooking with solar power is fascinating and the energy to do so is unlimited, clean and free of charge !
On the solar project we are working with Bruno & Magda Weissengruber of ARGE Solar Austria and Dr Jan Snyder of Arizona State University / USA. With Dr Snyder we are focusing on disability projects where we identify physically disabled people and donate devices to assist them e.g tricycles and wheel chairs which are designed and made by the Bioengineering students from the Arizona State University. There plans to team up with local technicians / colleges to produce the devices.
