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See why.Solar Cookers
Solar cookers use just the sun's rays to work—they don't require fuel or emit smoky fumes, and they use minimal water. They're environmentally friendly, but are they really useful?
Published June 19, 2007. Appears in America's Test Kitchen TV Season 9: Weeknight Summer Supper
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What You Need To Know
Before we started to test solar cookers, we were skeptical—could anything simply left in a pot or box to cook in the sun actually taste good? But we were proved wrong—at least partially. We also didn't anticipate just how much fun solar cookers would be. Whenever we had a sunny day, we wanted to try cooking something new. But these results still beg the question: Are solar cookers more than just a toy for a food hobbyist?
Background
Cooking in the sun has a long history. The contemporary impetus for using solar cookers is largely economic and environmental. Solar cookers don't require any fuel, they don't create smoke pollution, and they use minimal water; all factors that make them attractive for use in developing regions around the world. Over 100,000 are reportedly used in India and China. Most solar cookers are produced by nonprofit organizations; profits from cookers sold in the U.S. or Europe subsidize cookers shipped elsewhere. In the U.S., sales are geared to several audiences: those who advocate environmentally sound practices, people in sunny climates who want a fuel-efficient way to cook that doesn't heat up the kitchen, outdoor enthusiasts who like their portability, and food hobbyists who enjoy experimental cooking.
There are two main types of solar cookers: concentrating or parabolic cookers and hot boxes or ovens. We tested one of each, as well as a hybrid form. The Hot Pot Solar Cooker ($100) is a large, insulated pot that sits on and is surrounded by reflector shields (metallic panels that concentrate the sun's rays at the pot). Its temperature stayed below 200 degrees. Our hot box model, the SOS Sport Solar Oven ($140), is a box with a specially molded insulating lid and insulated sides—its internal temperature reached 250 degrees in our tests. The Sun Oven ($200) is a combination of both types: The box has insulated sides and a glass top, and it’s ringed by reflectors. It reached an internal temperature of 350 degrees.
To cook effectively, it is necessary to understand some of the science that makes solar cookers work. It’s not the sun's heat that cooks the food, but rather the sun's ultraviolet rays. The sun must be high in the sky in order for the ultraviolet radiation to penetrate the atmosphere. For example, from November through March in the Northern Hemisphere, when the sun is low on the horizon, its light passes through more atmosphere to reach the earth. This screens out most of the UV rays—that's why it’s difficult to get a tan in the winter. When the sun is overhead, light rays pass through less atmosphere, so less UV radiation is screened out. A solar cooker works like a one-way lobster trap. It...
Everything We Tested
Recommended with reservations
Solar cookers are surprisingly good at cooking certain things, but overall they’re unreliable. They won’t replace our indoor ovens or our charcoal grills anytime soon. When someone figures out how to store and better control the energy the ovens capture from the sun, they’ll become a lot more useful. For those tempted to purchase one, we would recommend the SOS Sport Oven. It had the greatest capacity—it could hold a small baking sheet, while we had to use the pot lid to bake the cookies in the Sun Oven—and kept the most level temperature. Since it doesn't have reflectors, it was less sensitive to passing clouds and less finicky about being positioned to follow the sun.
Not Recommended
With its reflectors, the Sun Oven attained the hottest temperature, but it was more susceptible to temperature fluctuations, making it difficult to judge cooking time. It actually overcooked food. The panels could not be removed, making it awkward to clean, and the size of the oven was limiting. It was also $60 more expensive than the Sport.
The Hot Pot is simply too limiting. It can't bake and it did the worst job of holding heat against a passing cloud or when not oriented properly.
Reviews you can trust
Reviews you can trust
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