Solar Oven

Click here to see our selection of Solar Oven.

A solar oven uses mirrors to direct heat onto a solar collector, at the center of the collector is whatever food that would like to be cooked. Because they use no fuel and they cost nothing to run, humanitarian organizations are promoting their use worldwide to help slow deforestation and desertification, caused by using wood as fuel for cooking.

Since a solar oven uses the suns energy to cook, it is an effective alternative to cooking over wood, or in a gas or electric oven. It is safe in areas prone to fire, where a cooking fire could be dangerous. There are over 65 designs for solar powered ovens, but they all work in basically the same way.

A solar oven works by focusing light, or concentrating the sunlight onto a smaller area generating more heat, it achieves this with well positioned mirrors. Something has to retain that heat, black pans, or a black surface achieves this and will allow food to be cooked faster. Trapping the heat is the next step and is achieved with a clear layer that traps the air inside and allows it to heat up. Plastic or glass can be used. Most ovens use two or more of these methods.