Cooking Powered by the Sun

Solar Hot Pot by Solar Houshold Energy

The other day, Thalia told me that her class had a special guest-- a parent who owns a solar oven that she and her family built themselves. They cooked homemade granola in the solar oven, which the kids thought was pretty cool. Well I thought the idea was pretty cool too.

Yesterday I researched solar ovens online, knowing very little about them. I already knew that you could craft one out of a pizza box and some foil, a great Girl Scout project idea or something to do with your kids when they're bored. But I didn't know anything about solar ovens that are for sale for camping or everyday use. I was curious.

This is what I learned: Solar ovens, which are almost unbelievably simple in their design, are definitely under-appreciated for what they can do. Yes, they cook food and boil water with nothing but the rays of the sun, year round, which are totally and completely free. But beyond that, I never thought about how solar ovens could be used in places where fuel needed to cook a meal costs more than the food itself. It never occurred to me that a solar pot could make the difference between drinkable water and contaminated water that causes disease. Even more significant, the fuel sources used in many countries give off extremely toxic smoke, which contributes to global warming. In countries where wood is the primary source of fuel, deserts exist where trees once grew. Over half of the world's population rely on wood, animal dung and crop residue as fuel to cook their food. A solar oven can change much of that.

I was thrilled to know that the profit from solar ovens sold in North America and other "developed" countries fund many more that are sent to countries that can desperately use them. It was heartwarming to read a personal testimonial from a Haitian woman about the different foods she could cook in her new oven. Haitians needed these ovens before due to deforestation, and now, post-earthquake, with practically no resources or infrastructure, they can use them more than ever.

So what started out as search for photos of these ovens and some recipes ended up as a completely eye-opening experience for me. I will never underestimate our sun's power again.