Solar Cooking Basics
Harnessing the sun's radiant energy for culinary purposes is not only a delightful way to create mouthwatering meals, but it also offers a range of benefits perfectly suited for the seasoned cooking enthusiasts. Solar cooking, a timeless technique that has captivated cultures across the globe for centuries, has emerged as a simple and efficient method that eliminates the need for traditional fuels. So, dust off your aprons and prepare to embark on a solar-powered culinary adventure that will tantalize both taste buds and imagination.
Solar cooking requires the following elements:
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Sunlight energy
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Dark pot to effectively absorb heat
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Cooking vessel to hold heat
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Time to cook
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Collection:
Your cooker will use reflectors to collect sunlight and direct that light to the cooking area. The more reflectors, the better. The All Season Solar Cooker uses multiple reflectors that amplify the power of the sun by over 3 times.
Absorption:
Use a pot that is dark the outside. Darker pots better absorb sunlight due to the albedo effect. For slow cooking and less heat-dependent cooking methods, a clear pot lid will suffice.
Retention:
Now that you have collected the light and turned it into heat on the surface of the cooking vessel, you will need to use either glassware or high quality cooking bags to keep the breeze away from the cooking pot. The All Season Solar Camping Cooker comes supplied with two high quality cooking bags. These are great for travel. For home use I use clear glass bakeware. This video shows some of the combinations of bakeware that I use to retain the heat.
Duration:
Just like cooking in the oven or on the stovetop, you need enough time to properly cook the food. The All Season Solar Camper Cooker will allow you to cook for up to 12 hours a day. The others? Just 4 hours a day. Morning, Noon and Afternoon, the All Season Solar Camper Cooker will provide ample heat for cooking.