Gear
For less than the cost of a couple bags of groceries or a low-end gas grill, you can get all the gear you need for solar cooking. From there on out, it’s absolutely free.
The Solar Cookers International Solar Cooking Wiki is the most comprehensive and up-to-date online source of cooker information, plans, and links to models for sale.
Cookers: Build Your Own
You can find many DIY solar cooker videos on YouTube. Just search on "How to make a solar cooker."
Here are some good printed instructions:
Treehugger, December 2022: How to Make a Solar Oven in 7 Simple Steps
Mother Earth News, October 2022: Square Foot Solar Cooker DIY
Wired, August 2021: How to Build a Solar Oven
Treehugger, October 2018: Build a Solar Cooker for Just $5
Mother Earth News, July 2015: Everyday Solar Cooking
Instructables: Purple Fig Solar Cooker
Sunshine on My Shoulder: How to Make a Windshield Shade Solar Cooker
Solar Cookers International: Solar Cookers: How to Make, Use, and Enjoy (pdf)
Solar Cookers International: Minimum Solar Box Cooker
FSEC (Florida Solar Energy Center): Solar Cookers
Cookers: Buy Online
Many different solar cookers are available for purchase online. Here are some helpful comparisons:
EcoWatch: 2023 Buyers Guide: 5 Best Solar Ovens
Treehugger: The 7 Best Solar Ovens of 2023
GoSun: Top Solar Cookers Compared (Infographic)
The best solar cooker for you depends on what your needs are. If you’re just getting started, you may want a cooker that’s less expensive and takes up little storage space. That's a panel cooker. Box ovens generally reach higher temperatures than panel cookers but are more expensive and require more storage space because they can’t be broken down.
Here are some favorites of both types:
SCI CooKit
The Solar CooKit is a cardboard panel cooker that’s so easy to fold flat for storage that you can stow it indoors every evening.
Copenhagen
The Copenhagen is a very affordable, lightweight, compact panel cooker made of four reflective vinyl squares that can easily be taken apart and folded flat for storage.
All Season Solar Cooker
The All Season Solar Cooker is a very sturdy panel cooker that’s designed to maximize the number of hours and the length of the season during which you can cook.
Haines 2.0 SunUp Solar Cooker
The Haines 2.0 is a lightweight and efficient panel cooker made of Mylar bonded to polyester foam that snaps together for quick assembly and disassembly.
HotPot
Suntaste
The HotPot from Solar Household Energy is a very durable mid-priced solar panel cooker. The HotPot combines a pot assembly with a metal panel arrangement much like the CooKit.
The Suntaste by the Portuguese firm SunOK is made of cork for its excellent insulating qualities, its light weight, and its sustainability. Available in a compact or a large model.
All American Sun Oven
The All American Sun Oven is a classic. It's heavy duty and reaches temperatures similar to an indoor oven.
The Right Cookware
The ideal solar cookware is dark to absorb and hold heat, and thin to heat up quickly. It’s short and wide rather than tall and deep, to ensure the contents cook all the way through. Nontoxic surfaces such as glass, porcelain enamel, ceramic, and stainless steel are preferable to safeguard your health. Well-fitting lids, either dark or clear, keep steam from escaping that might cloud the insulating shell or box window and cut down on the sunshine coming in.
Granite Ware checks all the boxes, and the 3-pound roaster is a must-have. Other workable choices are dark stoneware, cast iron, anodized aluminum, and carbon steel bakeware. The 4.5-quart stainless steel pot with black exterior and glass lid packaged with the Haines 2.0 SunUp Solar Cooker is a versatile piece of cookware.
