The three most common types of solar cookers are heat-trap
boxes, curved concentrators (parabolics) and panel cookers.
Hundreds — if not thousands — of variations on these basic types
exist. Additionally, several large-scale solar cooking systems
have been developed to meet the needs of institutions worldwide.
Most solar cookers work on basic principles: sunlight is
converted to heat energy that is retained for cooking. -
Sunlight is the "fuel." A solar cooker needs an outdoor spot
that is sunny for several hours and protected from strong wind,
and where food will be safe. Solar cookers don't work at night
or on cloudy days. - Dark surfaces get very hot in sunlight,
whereas light surfaces don't. Food cooks best in dark, shallow,
thin metal pots with dark, tight-fitting lids to hold in heat
and moisture. - A transparent heat trap around the dark pot lets
in sunlight, but keeps in the heat. This is a clear, heat-
resistant plastic bag or large inverted glass bowl (in panel
cookers) or an insulated box with a gla