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Solar Ovens

June 18, 2009 by surfcrs  
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A solar cooker, also known as a solar oven, is a device that uses only sunlight in order to cook food. They are most commonly used for outdoor cooking, especially when fuel or other sources for cooking are not easily available. They are also handy in locations where a fire risk is high, since they don’t require the use of fire or any source of fuel except the sun.

There are three basic types of solar ovens, all of which use energy from the sun to cook food. A box cooker is ideal for cooking large amounts of food, since it cooks food evenly while only using solar power. Panel cookers use various flat panels, which absorb the sun and concentrate it onto a pot in the middle of the cooker. A parabolic cooker is a concave disk which concentrates sunlight onto the middle of the cooker, where the food is placed to be cooked. This cooker usually cooks food as fast as a typical oven, but can result in eye injury if not used correctly.
box solar oven
It does take longer to cook a meal in a solar oven instead of a regular oven, so plan on allowing about twice as much time to cook a meal if making it in a solar oven. This can vary though, since it depends on the food being cooked as well as the type of solar oven being used. The amount of direct sunlight can also change cooking times when using a solar oven, since direct sunlight will allow the solar oven to get hot and cook fairly fast.

A solar oven can be easily built out of common materials, such as cardboard and reflective materials such as aluminum foil. You can use wood if you plan on using the solar oven in wet weather, but cardboard is ideal for an inexpensive cooker. A dark, swallow pot can then be placed within the cooker, and it will heat up using the power from the sun being reflected off of the foil or other reflective materials. Solar ovens can also be purchased, and usually work better than a homemade version.

Solar Cooker with Pot
Solar Cooker with Pot

Because a solar oven works much like a regular oven, almost any type of food can be prepared in it. A solar oven works by heating up the pot using solar heat, just like a pot being heated using a flame. Anything from pasta to soups can be made in a solar oven, as long as the ingredients are handy and the sun is out. Unlike many other solar products, solar ovens are not able to store unused energy, so they can only be used in direct sunlight. Sometimes the cooker must be adjusted in order to receive direct sunlight, but solar ovens with various reflectors can receive sunlight no matter what angle they are positioned.

Using a solar oven is a great way to cook without using electricity, and is ideal for camping trips or outdoor adventures where conventional cooking methods are not available. They can either be built or purchased, and work great at cooking almost any type of meal.

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