If you want to learn how to cook with solar, you could try to build a massive magnifying glass and point it at your steak. If you don’t have the time for that though, I’ll go over some more practical options.
The sun is an incredible resource. It is our single most important resource. Without the sun we wouldn’t have the water cycle and we definitely wouldn’t have food! The sun is so powerful in fact, that you can cook with it, even without generating electricity. You may have even done an experiment with this before. Let’s go over a few ways to harness solar power and use it to cook food.
The Sun Oven
The sun oven is a very simple concept that has been perfected and turned into a usable product. The sun oven can heat up to 360 degrees just using solar thermal energy. It works by using reflectors that direct the sun’s power to whatever you are cooking.
The sun oven works similarly to the magnifying example we brought up earlier. Instead of using a small concentrated beam of light, you can use what are essentially mirrors to reflect the light into a small inner chamber. The inner chamber is also locked off with a piece of glass so that the heat gets stored inside. It’s a lot like when you leave your car windows up on a hot day and you get into the car. You may just get cooked in your car if you don’t cool it down!
Sun Oven’s are actually very popular amongst RV owners. RV owners usually cook with propane, but the sun is free. Why not cook with solar? A sun oven will also keep the food from drying out as much. Sun ovens are known for keeping food moist.
Sun ovens cannot burn the food the same way cooking with a pan would. They will actually not allow moisture to escape if you use a solar oven that has insulation and is sealed.
Can you cook with the sun in the winter?
You can cook with solar even when it is snowing. The sun actually produces enough energy even when it’s cold outside to cook your food. Sun ovens are similar to the concept of thermal solar hot water. Most thermal solar hot water setups still use a reflector to capture the energy inside of the glass box. The sun oven will work incredibly well in the summer.
What if it’s cloudy outside?
You can’t cook with solar as well when it’s cloudy, but if there is a good amount of sun and occasional clouds your oven will still keep the heat in as long as it is insulated and not a “reflective cooker”.
Smaller “Reflective Cookers”
Reflective cookers are the little brother to the sun oven. They don’t get as hot or store the heat, but they are extremely portable. This would be great for taking with you to work if you wanted to heat up a sandwich or soup. Of course, you would have to have a job that is mostly outside or an office space that is ok with you using their roof instead of the break room microwave. ????
Reflective cookers usually don’t reach baking temperatures, but they are usually more affordable than full-blown sun ovens. Reflective ovens are also able to fit in a small bag.
How long does it take to cook with a Sun Oven
Generally it takes a few hours to cook things like bread, muffins and desserts. However if you’re just cooking eggs, it could take less than one hour.
(chart)
If you want to cook with solar, you’ll have to be aware of the time it takes to cook. So if you find that this is too slow, you may want to stick with propane for cooking. Though there is another option for cooking that doesn’t require propane.
Cooking with a Rocket Stove (Quicker Alternative)
There is another cooking option that is even faster than cooking with the sun. Cooking with a rocket stove. The difference between a rocket stove and a normal stove is the way you can keep feeding fuel into it while the fire comes out of the top like a rocket.
If you’re concerned with the environmental impact and want a completely zero-emissions option, this option will not work for you. However, a small fire is not generally a concern to the environment compared to the billions of cars that are being driven every day. So if you’re just looking for a cooker for your next camping trip, a rocket stove or small camp stove might be the way to go.
The cool thing about a rocket stove is the fact that you can bring it with you anywhere and just throw some sticks in it. Burning wood is one of the quickest and most efficient ways to start cooking. The speed of cooking is going to be about the same as anything you would put on a burner at home.
Which stove should you get?
This all depends on what you’ll be doing. If you’re going backpacking you’ll want something light. A stove I’ve used and enjoy is the SilverFire Scout stove. This stove is very light and actually pairs nicely with the Kelly kettle. You can boil water with the Kelly kettle while the smoke can still get through. Any small round stove like this would work though. It’s a great way to have a portable stove on a camping or backpacking trip. The SilverFire scout and other small stoves are usually not rocket stoves though. They are considered hobo stoves.
For backpacking
If you’re going on a more long term trip, you may want a bigger stove. This is where you could get a larger rocket stove. They even make stoves that you can use inside of a tent that have an oven. It’s almost like having a semi portable wood stove. And yes, I say semi-portable because it’s not something you’ll want to lug around in a backpack.
A portable rocket stove for groups
Using a rocket stove is actually a pretty good option for camping with groups. It provides a medium amount of heat and you can use the boiled water for things like hot dogs, tea, and even camping food (freeze dried). When you’re out camping just imagine all the cooking you could do on a small rocket stove. There is a folding one that seems to be very portable and very useful. I have yet to try it, but it is called the VIREstove.
Solar Cooking vs. Wood Fire Cooking
In order to cook with solar, you have to be aware of the drawbacks. Not only is it more time consuming to cook with solar, but sun ovens are also pretty hefty. Though there are some small portable ones that are worth giving a try. If you are going camping in an RV or have extra space, a sun oven is a good way to cook. Sun ovens are also good for using at home. Many places that don’t have access to electricity or firewood can use them for cooking. They have even made sun ovens large enough for an entire village.
However, if you’re looking for the most practical and portable option, you should just get a small wood stove. Wood cooking has been used for thousands of years and is a great option for camping and home use. Most people prefer the test of wood cooked food anyway.
Use Electricity to Cook with Solar
You can also use your home electricity to cook with solar. If you wanted to power your home using solar, you would be cooking using the power of the sun. This also applies to using an RV Solar setup. Using a sun oven all the time isn’t the most practical thing to do. However, for the most environmentally friendly option, you could install solar panels on your home and run everything off of the sun.
This would be a more sustainable way to cook with solar. For an RV solar setup, you wouldn’t even need as many solar panels and batteries. It may be an indirect way to cook with solar, but it is definitely making the most of the sun’s power. You could also run other appliances off of the power of the sun and be truly sustainable.
Is it Worth it?
Is it really worth it to start cooking with the sun? I personally think I would get tired of pulling out a giant sun oven to cook at slower speeds. However, I do think it would be fun to try one day. People really do say it is better tasting, so who knows! What do you think about solar cooking? Let us know in the comment section below.
Also, do you think it still counts as “cooking with the sun” to use your home solar panels?
Let us know.
