Solar
cookers are cookers which rely on sunlight and simple yet
effective design to heat food. They have been described as "win-win
technology," especially for their use in sunny places where fuel
is exceptionally scarce. Because solar cookers do not require electricity,
they do not encourage deforestation. As a result, many humanitarian
efforts promote their use.
There are a variety of solar cookers available, but they all make use
of the same basic principles. The ways in which they heat food and water
include:
•Converting light from the sun into heat - Slow cookers utilize
dark, shallow, thin metal pots for effective heating purposes.
•Concentrating sunlight - This is accomplished with mirrors or
reflective material.
•Trapping/Retaining heat - The dark pot is placed in a transparent
bag, bowl, or box so that the light may enter but heat is trapped.
Types of solar cookers can generally be categorized into three groups:
•Box cookers - These cook at moderate to high temperatures. They
can handle many pots at a time.
•Panel cookers - These cook at low to moderate temperatures. They
are easy to produce and relatively inexpensive.
•Parabolic/Curved cookers - These cook at high temperatures and
do so very quickly. These are particularly effective for largescale,
institutional cooking, but require much supervision.