Green Cooking: Multiple Options for Solar Cooking

Green cooking is not as difficult to perform as you may think. A solar oven or solar cooker uses sunlight instead of fossil fuel as an energy source. Not only do you have the opportunity to reduce electric bills, but you can reduce the emissions that contribute to global warming. Some people are promoting solar cooking in areas where wood is used as cooking fuel in order to reduce deforestation.

All solar cookers are similar in that they harness the sun's energy for cooking. Although sunlight provides the energy for cooking, there are different methods that can be used to make it happen. Some systems simply concentrate the light and heat from the sun by using metal with reflective properties to focus the light and heat into a limited area where the cooking occurs. Cooking systems convert light to heat effectively when the color black is used because it absorbs light. For example, a black pot or pan will make the most of the sun's energy. It is also important to confine the heat to a small area and keep it from transferring heat to the air outside. This can be done using plastic or glass which will allow solar energy in without allowing the heat created to escape freely to the outside.

There are many types of solar cookers that can be used to meet specific cooking needs:

• Solar Ovens

A solar oven is very similar to a conventional oven in the way it cooks food except that its function is dependent on the amount of energy provided according to the weather.

• Box Cookers

A green cooking box cooker uses insulation, which can be as accessible as newspaper, cardboard, or other easily found insulating material, to keep heat from escaping from the walls of the cooker. The glass or plastic top allows for the energy of the sun to enter. You can expect the cooker to reach a temperature of approximately 150 °C (300 °F).

• Panel Cookers

Panel solar cookers are inexpensive and simple devices that use reflective metal to focus sunlight into a pot set up for cooking food. They can be purchased or they can be simple, homemade devices made from aluminum foil and cardboard.

Green cooking is gaining popularity and is much easier to do than many people think. With many options ranging in expense and complexity, anyone can find a way to cook with solar energy in a way that suits their needs.