Cooking without electricity or fuel

Heaven forbid but what if the scenario of not having any electricity should occur? We have all faced temporary power outages but fortunately, our power is usually back on within a matter of minutes or hours. We depend so much on electricity for everything and forget just how inconvenient it can be to be faced with no power. If you’re like me, you have emergency back up maybe for a few days but what happens if those few days should turn into months? Nasa has stated that with increased activity from our sun that a possible CME could be large enough to take down our electrical grid. Electricity runs everything that makes our lifestyles convenient and not having it would be a disaster for most.

There’s many preparations for such a scenario  but today I want to talk about solar ovens. Our largest fuel source comes from the sun so why not harness that to cook as well. It’s free energy put to good use and actually makes cooking of foods easy. How convenient not to have to rely on gas or electricity to cook our meals. As long as the sun is shining there is an unlimited source of power. Foods can be cooked various ways such as boiled, steamed, roasted or baked at temperatures of 360 degrees making it ideal for cooking in times of emergency or just to save on energy. For developing countries solar oven are widely used as a source of cooking. With fuel and electricity scarce this offers an alternative to the traditional methods. Here in the United States, solar ovens are used predominately as a camping resource for cooking.

How do solar ovens work?

How the solar ovens work is a simple concept that works by focusing sunlight on a certain spot. The concentrated sunlight is more than capable of cooking or boiling water. Generally, there are three different kinds of solar ovens; panel cookers, box ovens, and curved concentrator ovens. The least expensive are the panel cookers that use reflective panels to direct the sunlight to a cooking bowl that is enclosed in a clear plastic bag. These can be easily handmade using old cardboard boxes and aluminum foil. The clear plastic bag keeps the warm air close to the bowl and the aluminum foil reflects the heat onto the bowl. The box oven is a simple box styled cooker with either a dark or reflective interior. The sides are insulated to keep the heat in and the inside is reflective so to direct the sun at the pot inside of the box. The dark interior absorbs heat and radiates it back to the pot. Foods take longer to cook with temperatures usually reaching 300oF. A curved concentrated solar oven is the faster method of solar cooking. Most designs are a parabolic bowl shape that has large reflectors or mirrors that direct the sunlight to a pot. However, unlike other solar ovens, you have to move the curved concentrator to follow the suns movement.

Global Sun Oven

Global Sun Oven is different than most box ovens in that they have many features not included in other solar ovens. Top quality materials guarantee maximum use of the suns energy and increased temperatures for faster cooking. Portable, collapsible, and maintenance free make this solar oven a favorite. Some of the more notable features include:

• One piece reflected panel that is collapsible
• Increased temperatures for cooking 360-400 degrees F
• Set up or stored in minutes
• Highly polished anodized aluminum that is rust free and easily cleaned
• Spill-proof  level regulator for keeping pot level during adjustments
• Built-in thermometer lets you see the temperature easily
• Built-in heavy insulation to keep heat in and keep food hot regardless of outside temperatures
• Lightweight at only 21 pounds
• Collapsible to the size of a suitcase for easy storage

Save money on energy or rest easy knowing you’re prepared with a solar oven.  Amazon has the best prices on the Global Sun Oven. Click Here to check it out.