Only Energy Needed For A Solar Oven Is The Sun
As research continues on the use of alternative energy resources, the sun has been getting a lot of attention through the development of ways to use solar energy. One of the uses of the sun's rays, which has been used for many years, is by baking in a solar oven that requires no other type of energy source but the sun. The concept of cooking with the sun's rays is an exercise in simplicity, but the use of a solar oven is going to be limited to the times when the sun is shining bright.
The principal of a solar oven is quite simple, in that placing a container or food in direct sunlight for several hours will cause the food inside the container to cook. However, since bacteria that may be present in food is only killed when cooked to specific temperatures, leaving food sit out in the hot sun will usually only cause it to spoil.
There are three basic types of a solar oven, the box oven, curved wall, or parabolic oven and the panel cooker. Many of the different types of solar oven designs are used in countries around the world, especially in those where utility services may not be readily available, but also have an abundance of sunshine.
Keeping Food Safe From Contamination
One of the most popular style of solar oven is the box, usually large enough to handle more than one cooking pot. The cooker is essentially a box, hence the name, with a clear glass or plastic panel in the top. The inside of the lid is lined with highly reflective material and when placed in direct sunlight, the rays bounce of the lid and through the glass, trapped inside the box. The heat that builds up inside this solar oven is enough to thoroughly cook most food items.
The curved solar oven is, as it sounds, designed with a curved surface, similar to parabolic dishes, lined with highly reflective materials. The cook pot is placed or hung in the center of the dish and sun's rays are concentrated on the pot. This causes the concentrated rays to heat the pot, effectively cooking everything inside. The panel solar oven is similar to the curved panels, but the panels are flat. They can be arranged to accommodate different sized pots and are highly portable cooking centers.
Since most of the solar ovens are in the open, they need to be protected from wind and other things, such as animals, that may also smell the food cooking and wander in out of hungry curiosity.
