Roasting Chicken Breasts in Solar Oven: No Muss. No Fuss? How To?

[GammaGlobulin]

Dear Folks,

 

As you may know, I love chicken breasts.

They are cheap.

And, they are very tender in Thailand.

And, they are wholesome.

 

But, my problem is:

 

How do I cook them without getting grease all over my large convection oven, plugged into my kitchen's electrical socket.

Convection ovens are convenient.

However, when roasting about 50 chicken breasts at a time, during a five-hour nonstop chicken-roasting marathon, grease gets everywhere.

And, the burned on grease deposits are almost impossible to clean off.

So, the oven, after cooling down, begins to smell rancid.

 

What might the solution be?

 

I say....Go Solar!

 

So, does anyone have much experience with this?

 

I am thinking...

 

a. I set up my mirror.

b. I hang a breast in front of mirror.

c. I rotate breast once every few minutes.

d. Grease drips down into a bucket which I had earlier placed below the breast, for this purpose.

e. Chicken finishes roasting.

f. I eat breast.

g. Whatever is in the bucket, I just leave there, outside my house.  Any animals wishing to dig in, then let them.

h. Following day:  Repeat above steps.

 

Where to buy the mirror?

What material is best?

How big should I go?

 

How many people here already use this method?

 

Smaller:

 

 

Bigger:

 

 

 

How big is too big for a breast?

 

Best regards,

Gamma

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[frequentatore]

I used this pan this morning to cook some chicken breast with cream and French mustard. My wife prepared some jasmine rice.

It was good!

I'm not planning to buy a mirror.

[GammaGlobulin]

8 minutes ago, frequentatore said:

I used this pan this morning to cook some chicken breast with cream and French mustard. My wife prepared some jasmine rice.

It was good!

I'm not planning to buy a mirror.

 

I have NO DOUBT that your/your-wife's method of cooking, as well as the results...is FAR more delicious than roast chicken breast.

 

And, I ONLY roast the breast, usually, because it is the most expedient method, given the fact that I have no stove, and do not desire one, either.

 

So, given this reality, I have been thinking of setting up a large mirror, as pictured in the OP....

 

And then using a string....

To hang one or two breasts at the focal point of the radiation from the mirror.

 

This way, I will not stink up my house.

Also, I will not need to depreciate the value of my convection oven.

And, it might even cook better, and become more tender:  This is one of Rummy's Known Unknowns.

 

The cost, my guess anyway, should be quite low, in terms of hardware required.

 

I wanted to share this idea of roasting meat on a string, suspended in front of a parabolic mirror.

 

And, I wanted to know if anyone else had tried this, here in Chiang Mai.

 

And, where to get a cheap mirror which will still be large enough to reach about 450 degrees C, at the point of contact between the radiation and the skin of the breast.

 

I am extremely enthusiastic about this new project of mine!

 

Note:  Sorry.  On rereading your comment, I now see it was you who played the Chef....

 

 

[KhunLA]

I'm still tryin to figure out how you get grease all over the oven.  You could line most of it with tin foil.   I enjoy breast, but usually use thighs, having a bit more flavor, and more forgiving when past prime temp.  Really hard to ruin thighs, vs breasts.

 

The do sell stainless steel solar ovens, same concept, smaller and more controlled heat, and less attention needed.   Though still too much hassle for myself.   

 

Why do 50 at a time, as would take me a few months to eat those, besides not having the room in the frig or freezer.

 

I think you need a bigger oven, or better yet, a BBQ grill, charcoal or gas.  50 breast would take me about 2 hours to cook., and that's using 1 shelf in oven.  1 hour if using 2 shelves, as takes <20 minutes to do a batch.

 

Better yet ...

 

 

[Lacessit]

I line the interior of an air fryer with aluminium foil, spray lightly with olive oil. Check with a meat thermometer to ensure interior of meat/fish is above 60 C. No mess, discard the foil after single use

 

A rational person would cook them one at a time. Are you feeding multiple progeny from your licentious youth?

 

 

[0ffshore360]

You did not pick up on the experimental tests in Mongolia promoting solar cookers?

Probably failed due to expectations by American tourists hoping to be provided a solar burger at midnight .

[GammaGlobulin]

1 hour ago, KhunLA said:

You could line most of it with tin foil.

 

Yes.

I did that.

BUT, I did that TOO LATE.

Now, the damage from burned-on grease is done.

I don't like to use the convection oven, now, because, as it heats up, it smells of rancid oil.

 

I have the largest convection oven on-sale at PowerBuy...

I can roast at least 12 large breasts on two trays, with plenty of space for good air flow.

 

I suppose I could discard the metal grates, or whatever you call them, (racks probably), and buy new ones.

And then, I might be able to find a good oven cleaner solution to clean it as best I can.

 

But, for me, I think a Solar Oven...OUTDOORS....is still my Final Solution, so to speak.

 

It's not a matter of savings on electric  costs.

 

But, if I roast outside in the hot sun, then my house will stay cool, and smelling of nothing but filtered air, pretty much neutral.

 

Another benefit would be that my neighbors will have something to look at, when they get bored.

I have nice neighbors.

And so, I would like to keep them entertained.

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

1 hour ago, KhunLA said:

Why do 50 at a time, as would take me a few months to eat those, besides not having the room in the frig or freezer.

 

Do you recall one of my previous posts in which I described choosing 2 refrigerators with large freezer compartments?

So, I have plenty of freezer space now, for over 100 breasts.

I have one Samsung, quite large.

And I have one Hitachi, quite large freezer compartment.

Also, I keep my 50 boxes of omelettes frozen, in addition to the 50 breasts of chicken, and I still have room for 7 large silicone ice-trays.

 

The reason I do 50 at a time is so I do not need to roast more than one time every two months.

I do not like the process of marinating breasts in soy sauce.

The entire kitchen counter gets gooey.

And then, as I also mentioned, when the kitchen counter gets gooey with drippings from chicken breasts and soy sauce, the cockroaches come out at night to copulate on the counters.

 

My freezer gets super cold, like negative 25 degrees C.  So, no problem in keeping the meat fresh, either before or after roasting.

 

I like to have one breast per day.

So, 54 breasts (9 on a tray, times two trays = 18.  And, three batches = 54 breasts.  And, about 90 minutes per cycle of batches = 270 minutes, or 4 hours and 30 minutes.)

 

Conversely, or alternatively, if I used Solar, then I would not mind just doing 3 breasts at a time, because the house would not become filled with smoke from the rancid oil.

 

So, since you asked "why", this is why.

 

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

1 hour ago, Lacessit said:

I line the interior of an air fryer with aluminium foil, spray lightly with olive oil. Check with a meat thermometer to ensure interior of meat/fish is above 60 C. No mess, discard the foil after single use

 

A rational person would cook them one at a time. Are you feeding multiple progeny from your licentious youth?

 

 

 

I have always had this phobia of wasting aluminum foil, beginning when I was quite young.

In those olden days, the foil was quite a bit thicker, and better, and much more expensive than it is now.

 

Please recall that my lifestyle calls for me to cook in large batches, and to store in two freezers.

I buy omelettes 50 boxes of 5-egg omelettes, packed in plastic boxes, 5 boxes per bag.  I like everything relating to omelettes to have a 5, just like Boeing Corp prefers the number 7.

 

I do not like to shop more than once every two months.

I do not like to roast more than once every two months.

So, when planning my schedule, I like all scheduling to have a 2 in it.

 

 

[Ralf001]

Air Fryer is great for roasting food.

[Ralf001]

4 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

 

 

I buy omelettes 50 boxes of 5-egg omelettes, packed in plastic boxes, 5 boxes per bag.  I like everything relating to omelettes to have a 5, just like Boeing Corp prefers the number 7.

 

.

 

 

 

Ohh Jesus... you freeze pre-cooked omlettes ?

 

thats next level lazy !

[save the frogs]

more absurdity by the godfather of absurdity

[Lacessit]

21 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

 

I have always had this phobia of wasting aluminum foil, beginning when I was quite young.

In those olden days, the foil was quite a bit thicker, and better, and much more expensive than it is now.

 

Please recall that my lifestyle calls for me to cook in large batches, and to store in two freezers.

I buy omelettes 50 boxes of 5-egg omelettes, packed in plastic boxes, 5 boxes per bag.  I like everything relating to omelettes to have a 5, just like Boeing Corp prefers the number 7.

 

I do not like to shop more than once every two months.

I do not like to roast more than once every two months.

So, when planning my schedule, I like all scheduling to have a 2 in it.

 

 

IIRC one roll of foil was 65 baht when I bought it a couple of months ago, and it gets used about 5 days out of 7. About 75% of aluminium is recycled.

 

Do you have a backup power generator? It sounds to me a power failure might be quite expensive.

 

OK with chicken breasts, although i lean towards Atlantic salmon fillets, pork tenderloins, Cumberland sausage and gammon steaks.

 

MY GF does a 3-egg omelette fresh every morning for me in the village, 5 eggs sounds a bit over the top.

[Ralf001]

5 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Dear Folks,

 

As you may know, I love chicken breasts.

They are cheap.

And, they are very tender in Thailand.

And, they are wholesome.

 

 

Are they not tender and wholesome in other counties ?

[Lacessit]

4 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

 

Are they not tender and wholesome in other counties ?

In South America, girls as young as 8 or 9 start menstruating because they are eating chicken which is fed growth hormones.

[bubblegum]

When things get dirty, smelly and cockroaches have a feast there is a solution! It's called cleaning.

 

As for roasting chicken on a string don't you thing the string will burn and the chicken will fall down?

[GammaGlobulin]

1 hour ago, Ralf001 said:

 

Ohh Jesus... you freeze pre-cooked omlettes ?

 

thats next level lazy !

 

I do.

I am.

 

[GammaGlobulin]

51 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

5 eggs sounds a bit over the top

Some days, when I am feeling particularly lazy, I have 2 boxes a day, and 10 eggs, total.

 

Remember Rocky Balboa?

He was a fool to eat raw eggs, due to differences in assimilation of protein when consuming raw vs cooked eggs.

I have known this for a long time.

And, I always considered  Stallone to be the moron that he has proved himself to be.

 

As evidence for my opinion, I submit to you...THIS:

 

10 eggs is not over the top.

These are not GIANT eggs, after all.

I would say that these eggs can be considered smallish-medium.

Maybe I can ask my chef to weigh the eggs, but I don't want her to think that I am in any way complaining about the omelettes that she prepares for me.

 

I am not sure how I might test to see if 10 eggs has had any negative impact on my health..

 

I feel fine after a full omelette-meal.

 

So then, why worry?

 

Still, there is no way to cook an omelette by hanging the eggs from a string suspended in front of a Solar Mirror.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

56 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

 

Are they not tender and wholesome in other counties ?

 

Some countries are less wholesome than others.

 

[GammaGlobulin]

50 minutes ago, bubblegum said:

When things get dirty, smelly and cockroaches have a feast there is a solution! It's called cleaning.

 

As for roasting chicken on a string don't you thing the string will burn and the chicken will fall down?

 

Yes.

You are correct.

I can use SS 316 wire, instead.

 

Stainless Steal wire is very cheap, and also easy to keep clean, unlike my very-large convection oven.

 

 

 

This SS 316 would do nicely.  And, a plus is that it is 50 feet in length.

 

Good idea.

Thank you.

 

 

Please NOTE:  20 gauge wire is 0.9 millimeters in diameter.  I really don't know why Americans are unable to go metric!?!?

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

Important NOTE:

 

a.  Since this is a DIY forum, I think it is best for me to fabricate the parabolic mirror MYSELF (DIY) rather than to buy one.  And, also, parabolic mirrors are more expensive than the typical spherical reflectors.

 

b.  So, I am now in the process of researching this.  Any ideas?

 

c.  Meanwhile, I have found this very interesting YT Video concerning a How-To for making a DIY parabolic mirror.

 

d.  Also, this guy is from the UK, and I am enjoying his British accent as he discusses his project.

 

 

Note2:  I actually think that this guy lives somewhere near Canterbury.

 

 

[Lacessit]

16 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

 

Yes.

You are correct.

I can use SS 316 wire, instead.

 

Stainless Steal wire is very cheap, and also easy to keep clean, unlike my very-large convection oven.

 

 

 

This SS 316 would do nicely.  And, a plus is that it is 50 feet in length.

 

Good idea.

Thank you.

 

 

Please NOTE:  20 gauge wire is 0.9 millimeters in diameter.  I really don't know why Americans are unable to go metric!?!?

 

 

I can remember having a good chuckle reading US EPA test methods for stack emissions that expressed the results in grains per cubic foot.

 

It is rather odd, considering America was one of the first nations to decimalize its currency in 1792.

[still kicking]

2 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

Air Fryer is great for roasting food.

Yes, I have one and use it most days, but we all know the OP.

[gamb00ler]

I have watched a couple of YTube's about how to make parabolic mirrors.  Also there are several YTube's about solar ovens.  I remember one YTuber had developed a simple method of adjusting the orientation his parabolic mirror to keep the temperature at the focal point at the maximum.

 

Your loyal following on AN just can't provide the answers to your atypical questions that YTube can.

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

41 minutes ago, still kicking said:

Yes, I have one and use it most days, but we all know the OP.

 

Please allow me to clarify a bit.

 

a.  In this case, I am not speaking of using a typical "Air Fryer".

 

b. I am referring to my problems using a convection oven:

 

 

c.  I am not here to review this product, or to critique this product.  Instead, if you are interested in buying an Electrolux oven, I suggest that you do your due diligence, yourself.  In my opinion, there could be a problem with the max temp achievable, based on my oven thermometers.  Also, I needed to have it serviced once, just about 2 weeks after purchase, and after using it only once.  In addition, after using other products by this company, I would say, as others have written on the Electrolux site, that these products might be considered as "disposable" items.  Use for a while, and then dispose of them.  Certainly, these  products are not intended to be used like we use ovens in America or the UK, almost every day, and for many years.  HA! What a JOKE!  Never Happen!

 

This is why I never buy anything expensive in Thailand (meaning appliances).  Always buy cheap.  And expect the junk to last about half as long as a Nike shoe, if even that long.

 

d.  Oh.  Where was I?:  So, THIS is another reason I want to "GO SOLAR"...!  If I can use the SUN to cook, then I will never need to worry about sudden loss of heat from the Sun, as I do often worry about sudden loss of heat from an oven made in this country.

 

This has happened to me several times:  I get all my 54 chicken breasts marinating in a large plastic container, actually just a bucket, after having defrosted the chicken for a few hours....and then....

 

I get the chicken placed on the aluminum-foil-covered trays (2 trays)....and then...

The oven's heating elements will not get even warm to the touch.  The elements are getting no electrical power. So then, what to do? You gotta call Electrolux, and then they send someone to take your oven, and do not return it for several weeks.

 

This never happens with SOLAR.

 

 

e.  If I do not follow through on my DIY Parabolic Mirror fabrication project...then.... I may just begin searching for a good and cheap solar oven, designed and prebuilt to roast chicken.  I just worry that the solar mirror of said oven may not be large enough, nor the correct shape, to achieve over 250 degrees C.  (My convection oven dial says 250.  But, the oven thermometer says the cavity of the oven is only 220 degrees C.  So....in this case...the oven, I guess, was defective from the beginning.)

 

This never happens with the Sun.

If anything, the Sun is getting HOTTER, and not cooler, as time passes, and as millions of years continue to pass, the Sun will get even hotter...until Earth's oceans begin to boil, and then evaporate completely, with the resultant gasses, Oxygen and Hydrogen being blown far out into outer space.  So, the Sun will never lose power in my lifetime, unlike my convection oven.

 

 

 

[sometimewoodworker]

While you seem fixated on roasting if you just want perfectly cooked chicken breasts and you prefer doing them in batches, you would be far better advised to use the technique used virtually universally in commercial kitchens. This is how you can get perfectly cooked steak or virtually any other protein from the most delicate fish to dishes that require hours all of them served in minutes. All of the main cooking involves zero smell and cleaning of equipment. The cooked breasts can be immediately frozen, they will be immune to freezer burn packed individually or 2 at a time.

 

This technique is not touted by the kitchen’s but it is universally used, this is sous vide. While the professional grade circulation devices are expensive you can get one for a couple of thousand baht that is totally functional. Personally I have also got an inexpensive chamber vacuum sealer so I am able to vacuum pack both for cooking and soups and other liquids for freezing 

 

[still kicking]

21 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

 

Please allow me to clarify a bit.

 

a.  In this case, I am not speaking of using a typical "Air Fryer".

 

b. I am referring to my problems using a convection oven:

 

 

c.  I am not here to review this product, or to critique this product.  Instead, if you are interested in buying an Electrolux oven, I suggest that you do your due diligence, yourself.  In my opinion, there could be a problem with the max temp achievable, based on my oven thermometers.  Also, I needed to have it serviced once, just about 2 weeks after purchase, and after using it only once.  In addition, after using other products by this company, I would say, as others have written on the Electrolux site, that these products might be considered as "disposable" items.  Use for a while, and then dispose of them.  Certainly, these  products are not intended to be used like we use ovens in America or the UK, almost every day, and for many years.  HA! What a JOKE!  Never Happen!

 

This is why I never buy anything expensive in Thailand (meaning appliances).  Always buy cheap.  And expect the junk to last about half as long as a Nike shoe, if even that long.

 

d.  Oh.  Where was I?:  So, THIS is another reason I want to "GO SOLAR"...!  If I can use the SUN to cook, then I will never need to worry about sudden loss of heat from the Sun, as I do often worry about sudden loss of heat from an oven made in this country.

 

This has happened to me several times:  I get all my 54 chicken breasts marinating in a large plastic container, actually just a bucket, after having defrosted the chicken for a few hours....and then....

 

I get the chicken placed on the aluminum-foil-covered trays (2 trays)....and then...

The oven's heating elements will not get even warm to the touch.  The elements are getting no electrical power. So then, what to do? You gotta call Electrolux, and then they send someone to take your oven, and do not return it for several weeks.

 

This never happens with SOLAR.

 

 

e.  If I do not follow through on my DIY Parabolic Mirror fabrication project...then.... I may just begin searching for a good and cheap solar oven, designed and prebuilt to roast chicken.  I just worry that the solar mirror of said oven may not be large enough, nor the correct shape, to achieve over 250 degrees C.  (My convection oven dial says 250.  But, the oven thermometer says the cavity of the oven is only 220 degrees C.  So....in this case...the oven, I guess, was defective from the beginning.)

 

This never happens with the Sun.

If anything, the Sun is getting HOTTER, and not cooler, as time passes, and as millions of years continue to pass, the Sun will get even hotter...until Earth's oceans begin to boil, and then evaporate completely, with the resultant gasses, Oxygen and Hydrogen being blown far out into outer space.  So, the Sun will never lose power in my lifetime, unlike my convection oven.

 

 

 

Thats not an air fryer and chicken breast are hard to cook they intent to get dry if cooked just a tad too long use chicken thigs 

[GammaGlobulin]

8 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

While you seem fixated on roasting if you just want perfectly cooked chicken breasts and you prefer doing them in batches, you would be far better advised to use the technique used virtually universally in commercial kitchens. This is how you can get perfectly cooked steak or virtually any other protein from the most delicate fish to dishes that require hours all of them served in minutes. All of the main cooking involves zero smell and cleaning of equipment. The cooked breasts can be immediately frozen, they will be immune to freezer burn packed individually or 2 at a time.

 

This technique is not touted by the kitchen’s but it is universally used, this is sous vide. While the professional grade circulation devices are expensive you can get one for a couple of thousand baht that is totally functional. Personally I have also got an inexpensive chamber vacuum sealer so I am able to vacuum pack both for cooking and soups and other liquids for freezing 

 

 

Amazing.

You ALWAYS, without fail, provide information of use in any given situation....

 

Actually, just before reading your comment, I had been considering the same possibility:  Is there any way to find a used, usable, fairly reliable piece of commercial kitchen equipment...

 

Because, as I mentioned above:  These ovens that I see for counter-top use, at least to my mind, are more like those play ovens that preschoolers use at home, or during preschool hours.  They are not real ovens, at least compared to what I was used to using in the US, before leaving 45 years ago.

 

 

This is my take on the ovens I see for sale in the shops.

But, these play ovens sold by Amazon last longer than what I buy locally.

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

11 minutes ago, still kicking said:

Thats not an air fryer and chicken breast are hard to cook they intent to get dry if cooked just a tad too long use chicken thigs  

 

I agree that the image of the oven I use is NOT an Air Fryer.

In the distant past, in Taiwan, we would daily use air fryers, which are usually circular, and the fan and heating element sits on a glass bowl, where you have a rack.

 

We would buy those at Costco, and buy the meat at Costco, and then do a lot of roasting.

But these units that we purchased in Taiwan, although a name brand, would not last very long, either.

 

And, yes....  chicken breast is not so easy to cook so that it is tender.  I do not care so much about it being a bit dry.  I care most about tender meat after cooking.  Of course, if I am not mistaken, the quality/choice of chicken breast is a factor on the tenderness/toughness of the finished product after roasting.  Sometimes, you cook 18 half-breasts on two trays, and, even though the breasts on each tray are cooked under approximately the same conditions, and are approximately the same size....some end up being super tough, while others are done very nicely, and are very tender.

 

So...IDK...

 

 

[sometimewoodworker]

33 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Amazing.

You ALWAYS, without fail, provide information of use in any given situation....

 

Thank you for the compliment.

 

33 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Actually, just before reading your comment, I had been considering the same possibility:  Is there any way to find a used, usable, fairly reliable piece of commercial kitchen equipment...

 

I would discourage the use of used commercial kitchen equipment at the first. There are numerous reasons for this. 
1) it will be priced at a discount from new but will be orders of magnitude more expensive than new no name Chinese equipment 

2) it will have been heavily used so of questionable reliability 

3) it will be expensive to maintain (even a few parts will be more than a new no name Chinese unit

 

33 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Because, as I mentioned above:  These ovens that I see for counter-top use, at least to my mind, are more like those play ovens that preschoolers use at home, or during preschool hours.  They are not real ovens, at least compared to what I was used to using in the US, before leaving 45 years ago.

Sous vide does not use an oven it uses a circulator

and a tank

 

the benefit of getting something like this is it’s cheap enough to test to see if it’s going to be of use and you can progress to more units if required, you will not waste money on one of these as once you start using it you will easily find that you have a use for a second unit.

31 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

And, yes....  chicken breast is not so easy to cook so that it is tender. 

Well yes it is using sous vide

31 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Of course, if I am not mistaken, the quality/choice of chicken breast is a factor on the tenderness/toughness of the finished product after roasting. 

Not very much. It is the temperature it’s cooked to and the time at that temperature.

 

With sous vide you can modify the temperature in 1 degree increments and since the temperature is maintained at exactly the number you set you can easily add half an hour of more without making any difference to the final result.

36 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Sometimes, you cook 18 half-breasts on two trays, and, even though the breasts on each tray are cooked under approximately the same conditions, and are approximately the same size....some end up being super tough, while others are done very nicely, and are very tender.

That is due to the variations in temperature with your method of cooking.