What if  you could cook supper without using gas, electricity, charcoal or firewood? Talk about a green cooking solution!

Solar cooking is the greenest solution for preparing hot meals and beverages. With a little preparation (yes, it does take a bit longer than a conventional oven) you can cook hot meals and even bake cakes or muffins all in a solar cooker.

Let’s explore some of the types of  solar cookers.

Types of Solar Cookers

There are nearly as many different types of solar cookers as there are recipes for cooking in them. Yet nearly all solar cooker designs fit into one of three main types:

Box Cookers

©2005 Solar Cookers International

Solar cookers of the box type are the most widespread type used worldwide. There are hundreds of thousands of these solar cookers being used in India alone.

These solar cookers cook at moderate to high temperatures.

The main advantage of using a solar box cooker is that you don’t have to fiddle with a stand or setting up flaps. Another advantage is that the heat distribution is more even. This makes box cookers good options for baking or evenly cooking large amounts of food.

One disadvantage is the bulky size of these solar cookers. While some do fold down, many do not. Another potential disadvantage is that the cooking temperatures are lower -actually an advantage if you are baking.

Curved Concentrator Cookers (also called Parabolic Cookers)

©2005 Solar Cookers International

Curved concentrator solar cookers (”parabolics”) have increased efficiency through the concentration of the sun’s rays by way of the curved dish. In China, in particular, there are several hundred of these solar cookers in use. These cookers are especially well suited for large-scale cooking.

The main advantage of this type of solar cooker is the speed of cooking due to the high temperatures achieved with this design.

The main disadvantage of this type of solar cooker is that frequent adjustment is needed to continue capturing the strongest sun rays. Also, supervision is required for safe operation.

Panel Cookers

©2005 Solar Cookers International

Panel solar cookers are a combination of box cookers and parabolic cookers. Arguably, these are the most used types of solar cookers, yet as classification may place these solar cookers in either of the first two categories of solar cookers, the statistics on usage of these cookers are not as clear.

There are two main advantage to panel solar cookers. One, they are very inexpensive to purchase or construct. Two, panel cookers take up the least amount of storage space. This is especially important for those of you camping or living an itinerant lifestyle.

Frequently Asked Questions

(click here for a comprehensive FAQ)

How long does it take to cook a meal in a solar cooker?

©2005 Solar Cookers International

There are several factors, such as which type of solar cooker you are using, the time of day, amount of sun/ cloud coverage, amount of food, and the amount of water. Generally though, a solar cooker will take about twice as long as a conventional oven.

You cannot not control available sunlight, but you can speed cooking time in a number of ways:

Food that is started cooking at 9 or 10 AM will cook much faster than food started at 12 or 1 PM.

Cutting food into smaller pieces  (or less overall food) will decrease cooking time, as will using a pot with thinner sides, and using less water.

How hot do solar cookers get?

A single panel box type solar cooker will not get much hotter than 300° F, yet this is more than enough to cook most meals -a temperature of 200° F is all that is required to safely cook food. You can experiment with different solar cooker types and designs to increase cooking speed, yet it should be noted that the cooking temperatures listed in conventional cookbooks are primarily used for cooking speed and quick browning. Many people who use solar cookers prefer the slower cookers because they do not have to check on the food and can just leave it for hours while they go about their day.

Is solar cooking for you?

Many people are making solar cooking a part of their daily lives. As with any life change, there is some adjustment -you may find that certain recipes do better than others, and you may discover alternative steps in preparing specific types of food, such as pasta.

What have been your experiences using the sun to cook food?