What You Need to Know before You Buy a Solar Cooker

You’ve heard about solar cookers. You’ve read about solar cookers. You like the many benefits of solar cookers. You have decided to make or buy a solar cooker. But now you are confused and in a dilemma. Which solar cooker should you buy? Here is what you need to know before you buy a solar cooker.

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What you Need to Know Before You Buy a Solar Cooker

There are many types, models, and sizes of solar cookers on the market from which to chose. Each type has it own benefits and drawbacks. Trying to compare them is often like comparing apples to oranges. To help you determine the perfect solar cooker for you, here are some things to consider before you buy a solar cooker.

Where will the cooker be used?  How much storage space do you have to keep it?

• At home only
• On-site such as camping, tailgate parties, picnics
•  Traveling in an RV
• Lots of space
• Space is limited

Will you just be staying at home with the cooker set up in the backyard? Or do you plan to take the cooker on the road? Large box ovens and parabolic cookers take a lot of storage space. These are great for a backyard set up if storage space is not an issue.  The lightweight, foldable panel cookers are designed for traveling and on-site cooking. Because of their smaller  size, they take up less space in the truck, RV, or garage. However, there is a trade off between temperature and portability. Because box ovens have more insulation, they generallys reach higher temperatures and cook food faster.

While parabolic cookers can be moved from place to place, for the most part, they are large, heavy, and not considered portable. Tube cookers, on the other hand, are made for portability, yet they still take up a sizable amount of storage space. The new smaller tube and parabolic cookers are great choices for traveling. They store easily and reach cooking temperatures quickly.

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How often will the cooker be used?

• On a regular basis for every day cooking
• Only in emergencies like power outages
• Just a novelty to impress family and friends

Any solar cooker on the market, or homemade for the matter, will impress your family and friends. A panel cooker is a good choice for versatile since it will cook almost anything. However, it will take longer to cook since it does not reach the high temperatures like a box oven. For consistency and versatility for day to day and emergency cooking, the heavy duty box ovens give reliable results. They regularly reach higher cooking temperatures, and therefore, cook faster than panel cookers.

Parabolic solar cookers are show stopping attention grabbers. Although parabolic cookers lack the overall cooking versatility of the box cookers, they reach the extremely high temperatures needed for grilling and frying. Parabolic cookers are perfect for everyday cooking as well as emergencies and backyard parties.

The tube cooker reaches high cooking temperatures very quickly, and can cook a wide variety of foods, much like a box oven. However, the tube is an odd shape and careful consideration needs to be used to determine the appropriate size and shape of food that will fit in the cooking tray. The inside tray is relatively small so the amount of food that can be cooked at any one time is limited.  This is a big consideration if you are cooking for more than two or three people.  Nonetheless, since the tube cooker does cook fast, the next batch of food can be ready quickly if needed.

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Is there a sunny spot to cook?

• Yes, I have lots of sunshine for most of the day
• Yes, but I only have sunshine for part of the day
• No, my yard is shady most of the day

Take a look around your property. Do you have a sunny spot? Watch it for a few days. Is it sunny all day or only part of the day?  Is it still sunny in the winter time? For how many hours?  If you are camping or traveling, will there be a sunny spot at the campsite or will all of those beautiful trees create too much shade? (How can we complain about trees and shade?)

If you have a sunny spot all day, then any solar oven will be perfect. If the area is sunny for only part of the day, you might need a cooker that reaches a higher cooking temperature and holds it well, so that your food cooks faster. The box oven, parabolic, or tube cooker will be best.

Is the cooking spot sheltered from the wind?

Do you get a lot of wind? High winds can reduce the temperature of cookers that are not well insulated. More importantly, high winds can create problems for cookers with large reflectors and can even blow over lightweight panel cookers.  In extremely high winds, solar cooking may not even be possible in some cookers. Cookers should be protected from the wind and they should be staked or weighted down.

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What do you want to cook?

• Bake cakes and brownies
• Cook pot roast
• Make soup, stew, or chili
• Grill a steak

As a general rule, panel cookers, box ovens, and tube cookers will bake, boil, steam, and stew. For the most part,  everything from brownies and baked goods, from soups to stews, and from vegetables to meat will cook well. The main difference is the time to cook which depends, of course, on the type of cooker being used.  Grilling steaks, and frying bacon and eggs will need the high heat of a parabolic cooker.

 

What is your budget?

• The sky’s the limit! I can afford anything!
• Conservative budget but I can swing this.
• Limited budget, it will be a stretch to fit this into my budget, but the benefits will outweigh the sacrifice.

Solar cookers come in a wide range of prices. If you have a limited budget, you may prefer to make one yourself. Instructions for many designs, from simple to elaborate, can be found online.

DIY Homemade Solar Cookers

 

Which one should you get?

All of these points are what you need to know before you buy a solar cooker. Which is the most important criteria? Only you can decide that. However, for sheer versatility, ease of cooking, and a budget friendly price, the panel cooker or the  box oven is my choice when considering your first solar cooker. The more exotic parabolic and tube cookers can be added to your appliances as you build your solar kitchen.

If you are new to solar cooking, I invite you to get my Beginner’s Guide to Solar Cooking. It will answer all your questions about what you need to know before you buy a solar cooker, questions about getting started, and questions that you didn’t even know you had.

And by the way, if you want to know about how to roast that delicious chicken in the photo,

Roasted Chicken

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