A good compromise
Okay -- so you won’t have that smoky flavour but solar cooked food makes up for that by being particularly tender and succulent. Depending ono the griller cooker used, food can be baked, boiled or steamed at temperatures between 182-204 degrees Celsius (360 to 400 Fahrenheit).
Solar cooking is also very forgiving; nothing ever burns or needs to be stirred. And since it uses no fossil fuels its carbon free. But it also costs you nothing to use so you save money. What more could you ask for?
Different kinds
There are three basic types of solar cookers:
High tech grilling
Clear Dome Solar sells the Octagon Parabolic solar cooker that is extremely durable, needs no adjustments and cooks most meals in 45 to 90 minutes. Since it is so fast it doesn’t need to be constantly re-focussed. Weatherproof with excellent wind resistance, the Octagon weights only 2.72kilograms (6 lbs) and collapses to 30 cm (12 inches). You can also buy the Clear Dome Pot cover that traps heat more efficiently than plastic bags.
Solar Cooking Canada sells El Solito, a German high-tech parabolic solar cooker using highly polished aluminium reflectors with a support structure of galvanized steel. On a sunny day it can reach up to 450 watts so you can grill meats, deep fry and do any other stove top type cooking. On cloudy days use it to cook rice and stews. Weighing just 9 kg (20 pounds), it’s available in two different sizes. Like any other BBQ, you have to assemble it yourself.
Be sure to look up Instructables for its pictorial step-by-step guide to creating your own parabolic cooker.
Portable box cooker
Sun Ovens are the classic box cookers using side panels. It was first developed in 1986 by Tom Burns from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and since then the Rotary International has distributed them in 126 countries worldwide, often to communities short on fuel. You have two options: refocus every 25 to 30 minutes to follow the sun and cook like you’re using a conventional stove. On cloudy days you can use it like a slow cooker or crock-pot. It folds up into the size of a small suitcase, making it ideal for camping trips.
The not-for-profit, Solar Oven Society (SOS) makes a similar Sport Solar oven. This enclosed box cooker has a slanted glass lid makes it excellent for roasting or baking. Since it weighs only 4.5 km (10 pounds) it’s extremely portable and works well on small balconies.
Cheapie panel cooker
There are some really inexpensive models out there are well. The classic panel cooker, CooKit, first developed in 2004 by Solars Cookers International, is the international darling for many developing countries because it can be made for less than $5 per stove. It combines the flexibility of a panel cooker with the consistency of a box cooker. Lightweight, it folds up for storage and when unfolded measures 0.9 metres by 1.3 metre (3 ft x 4 ft). There are even D.I.Y. instructions on how to make your own using recycled cardboard boxes and foil from cigarette packages.
Solar Cookers also maintain the excellent Solar Archive filled with tips, recipes, helpful forums, a solar news service and plenty of make-it-yourself projects for dozens of other solar grillers.
Recipes
There are some great websites dedicated to solar grilling recipes and tips:
Shelagh McNally is the editor of Green Living Online. She is afraid of BBQ lighting fluid after setting her hair on fire.
