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| solr:solar_cookers [2026/03/12 19:35] – [Related topics] Simon Grant | solr:solar_cookers [2026/03/26 18:33] (current) – external edit 127.0.0.1 |
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| # Solar cookers | This topic is part of [[gt:food|Food & drink]] and [[gt:power|Power & heating]]. |
| | ====== Solar cookers ====== |
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| > “Solar ovens must surely be right up there with the clothes line in making easy and free use of the sun.” - Stuart Ward | > “Solar ovens must surely be right up there with the clothes line in making easy and free use of the sun.” - Stuart Ward |
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| ## What are solar cookers? | ===== What are solar cookers? ===== |
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| They’re cookers that use sunlight for fuel. They come in different flavours, but they generally have 3 components: | They’re cookers that use sunlight for fuel. They come in different flavours, but they generally have 3 components: |
| </WRAP> | </WRAP> |
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| ### Types of cooker | ==== Types of cooker ==== |
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| Solar cookers are also known as solar thermal food processors, although it can also be done via [solar photovoltaics](/soel/solar_electricity). This requires more manufacturing and raw materials, it’s more expensive and there’s more to go wrong. But it can be done. | Solar cookers are also known as solar thermal food processors, although it can also be done via [solar photovoltaics](/soel/solar_electricity). This requires more manufacturing and raw materials, it’s more expensive and there’s more to go wrong. But it can be done. |
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| ## What are the benefits of solar cookers? | ===== What are the benefits of solar cookers? ===== |
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| In the tropics, the sun can replace wood as a cooking fuel, and as a fuel to boil water. Dirty water is a real killer in the tropics, and an awful lot of wood is used to boil it. Reducing the need for wood can protect habitat, reduce desertification and carbon emissions, and improve air quality and therefore health. | In the tropics, the sun can replace wood as a cooking fuel, and as a fuel to boil water. Dirty water is a real killer in the tropics, and an awful lot of wood is used to boil it. Reducing the need for wood can protect habitat, reduce desertification and carbon emissions, and improve air quality and therefore health. |
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| ## What can I do? | ===== What can I do? ===== |
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| Read up as much as you can first – Joseph Radabaugh’s, _Heaven’s Flame_ remains an excellent source book. There are plans for how to make your own box cooker, information on what cooks best, and how. [Solar Cookers International](https://www.solarcookers.org/) is a Californian organisation that’s been around since the 1987. They’re another excellent source of information – especially via their [wiki](https://solarcooking.fandom.com/wiki/Solar_Cooking_Wiki_\(Home\)). There’s also a [Facebook Group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/1054785564611142) dedicated to solar cooking in the UK. Look at what people are cooking with solar, what cookers they use, and ask questions. There are many videos about solar cooking on Youtube. Here’s an unbiased demonstration of the types of solar cooker available: | Read up as much as you can first – Joseph Radabaugh’s, _Heaven’s Flame_ remains an excellent source book. There are plans for how to make your own box cooker, information on what cooks best, and how. [Solar Cookers International](https://www.solarcookers.org/) is a Californian organisation that’s been around since the 1987. They’re another excellent source of information – especially via their [wiki](https://solarcooking.fandom.com/wiki/Solar_Cooking_Wiki_\(Home\)). There’s also a [Facebook Group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/1054785564611142) dedicated to solar cooking in the UK. Look at what people are cooking with solar, what cookers they use, and ask questions. There are many videos about solar cooking on Youtube. Here’s an unbiased demonstration of the types of solar cooker available: |
| </WRAP> | </WRAP> |
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| ### Getting a solar cooker | ==== Getting a solar cooker ==== |
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| It’s easy to make your own solar cooker, that works in the UK summer. There are [free DIY plans](https://solarcooking.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Solar_cooker_plans) on the Solar Cooking Wiki. The simplest is the Copenhagen (see video below) – just four square reflectors and a wooden square base. If you prefer to buy, the market is rather restricted. There are no manufacturers in the UK (yet) so you’ll need to import one. It’s best to decide what you expect to cook with it, then do some research or ask one of the advisors whether your plans are realistic. For example, box solar cookers work during the summer in the UK, but not in the colder months, whereas evacuated tube cookers will cook even when there’s snow on the ground, as long as the sun is out. | It’s easy to make your own solar cooker, that works in the UK summer. There are [free DIY plans](https://solarcooking.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Solar_cooker_plans) on the Solar Cooking Wiki. The simplest is the Copenhagen (see video below) – just four square reflectors and a wooden square base. If you prefer to buy, the market is rather restricted. There are no manufacturers in the UK (yet) so you’ll need to import one. It’s best to decide what you expect to cook with it, then do some research or ask one of the advisors whether your plans are realistic. For example, box solar cookers work during the summer in the UK, but not in the colder months, whereas evacuated tube cookers will cook even when there’s snow on the ground, as long as the sun is out. |
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| ### Safety | ==== Safety ==== |
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| When you use a solar cooker, observe the same precautions as you would in your own domestic kitchen. The pots, food, and liquids will be hot enough to burn or scald you, and glass components will shatter if you drop them. In the lower-powered solar cookers, especially in partially cloudy conditions, make sure the food has been heated, all the way through, to at least 65ºC. There’s another hazard you don’t usually encounter while cooking – dazzling reflected sunlight. Always wear sunglasses to protect your eyes, and make sure others do the same. | When you use a solar cooker, observe the same precautions as you would in your own domestic kitchen. The pots, food, and liquids will be hot enough to burn or scald you, and glass components will shatter if you drop them. In the lower-powered solar cookers, especially in partially cloudy conditions, make sure the food has been heated, all the way through, to at least 65ºC. There’s another hazard you don’t usually encounter while cooking – dazzling reflected sunlight. Always wear sunglasses to protect your eyes, and make sure others do the same. |
| </WRAP> | </WRAP> |
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| ### Integrated cooking | ==== Integrated cooking ==== |
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| There’s an obvious disadvantage with solar cookers – you can’t cook with them when it’s not sunny. But there are two other technologies that can be used alongside solar cookers – [rocket stoves](/rock/rocket_stoves), and [retained heat cookers](/reth/retained-heat). Using these three technologies together is known as ‘integrated cooking’, the lowest-impact cooking available. This combination enables you to cook at any time, rain or shine, without fossil fuels. If it’s sunny, use the solar cooker. If not, use the rocket stove. To keep your food hot (from the rocket or solar stove) for up to five hours, or reduce the wood you need for the rocket stove, or free up the solar cooker for another dish, use the retained heat cooker. | There’s an obvious disadvantage with solar cookers – you can’t cook with them when it’s not sunny. But there are two other technologies that can be used alongside solar cookers – [rocket stoves](/rock/rocket_stoves), and [retained heat cookers](/reth/retained-heat). Using these three technologies together is known as ‘integrated cooking’, the lowest-impact cooking available. This combination enables you to cook at any time, rain or shine, without fossil fuels. If it’s sunny, use the solar cooker. If not, use the rocket stove. To keep your food hot (from the rocket or solar stove) for up to five hours, or reduce the wood you need for the rocket stove, or free up the solar cooker for another dish, use the retained heat cooker. |
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| ## Further resources | ===== Forum ===== |
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| | This topic belongs to the section [[gt:food|Food & drink]]. You can ask questions or add information on the corresponding [Forum section](https://forum.growingthecommons.org/t/food). |
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| | It is also in the section [[gt:power|Power & heating]] (Forum: [Power & heating](https://forum.growingthecommons.org/t/power)). |
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| | ===== Further resources ===== |
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| - [Backwoods Home Magazine](https://www.backwoodshome.com/making-and-using-a-solar-cooker/) - making and using a solar cooker | - [Backwoods Home Magazine](https://www.backwoodshome.com/making-and-using-a-solar-cooker/) - making and using a solar cooker |
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| ## Related topics | ===== Related topics ===== |
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| - [[rock:rocket_stoves|Rocket stoves & mass heaters]] | - [[rock:rocket_stoves|Rocket stoves & mass heaters]] |
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| ## Specialist curators of this topic | ===== Specialist curators of this topic ===== |
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