Great idea. Sure it works well, yada, yada...

But this is something still highly regional, yes? I mean if there's wood readily available to burn, what would the advantage be?

I get that in deserts or places where there's no fuel for a fire this thing is probably the nuts.

But given the option of a fire or using the stove - for the vast majority of food types - isn't a good old campfire still far superior/versatile?

I mean, I'm not shooting down the concept or anything. A good idea is a good idea. But for me, where I live, availability of natural fuel - making one of these just to keep on hand (other than for the novelty of it) seems like a waste of time.

edit to add: or am I missing something here?

> But for me, where I live,

That's the point you're missing. For you, where you live, it's pointless. Totally, completely pointless. There is no point whatsoever for you. Thank you.

> The one to boil water the fastest, was a solar cooker made with
> a windshield reflector for a truck.

You're talking about the mylar sunshade, right? I've got one of those in my van right now. I wouldn't have thought of it.

The poster you answered is completely right.

Actually Philip these solar cookers turned out to be pretty pointless for most of the international agencies that tried promoting them too.
Even with the best technology and the ideal economic environment for them they were failures in the end. The only places they saw much use was at refugee camps in equatorial areas of the deserts. Places where the people had nothing except the sun to use, not even camel dung.

Solar cookers do not free you from other cooking systems, and once you get above the 45th parallel solar cookers are nothing more than interesting school science demonstrations.

And the windshield reflectors work well for designs like the Kookit.

We have done a bit of cooking with solar ovens. We are full time RV'ers and spend most of our time in very remote places. Solar cooking is indeed different than other methods, but it has its advantages. For instance it takes no fuel. We normally cook with propane. It is expensive and it heats up the interior of the camper. Cooking with solar is free and produces no heat.

Stews and other long time cooking meals are great in a solar cooker. Prepared early in the day, we just "re-point" the cooker about 3 times during the day. The food won't burn and the effect is like a slow cooker. Meaning the flavors blend well due to the long cook time.

There are many solar stoves among the nomadic rv'ers which wander the country. We like to borrow the various models to see which do better under various circumstances.

As a field expedient, if the conditions permit (sunlight, materials etc.) it is an excellent way to cook many types of food. If you live in a suitable environment, give it a try.

My daughter was traveling in Central America. In one house she saw an oven door mounted in the wall. Upon opening it she saw a solar oven built into the south facing wall. It was used almost daily.

Nomad

It's disappointing to find even here that people can't think out of the box. Of course if you have wood, you may be better off starting a fire. The issue is an alternative means of cooking during a longer term survival situation. There are times when you don't want a fire - there are several reasons that come to mind.

If you can't imagine when a solar oven would come in handy, then it's pointless for you. Totally, completely pointless. That others might profit from having the alternative is pointless, too.

Excuse me? Not able to think outside the box?
WTF????

Philip, if you had read what I said in my posts and what I supplied as links you might have actually learned something.
Obviously you have decided to just be rude, and a bit ignorant, to anybody who knows something which you apparently do not.
I said solar cookers were useful, where they were useful and then gave you some ideas about their limits.

Thatguyjeff raised a valid point and had a valid question. He was not just trying to rain on your sunny day. He deserved a better answer than your sad effort.

You know these solar cookers might seem like the cat's pajamas to you in sunny southern California, (the never-ending-summer-land of fruits and nuts) but for most of the rest of the world solar cookers are nothing but high school science demonstrations.
They would be useless to somebody who had lost power to a tropical storm while the rain clouds still covered the sky.
They are also useless where the sun never gets far enough above the horizon to cut through the atmosphere, and they are useless in areas with high levels of smoke or smog in the air.
There are real good reasons why they are not used in the high arctic where fuel is scarce, or in the tropical rain forests.
There is also the feature that the solar cooker would have to be made, and if I was just trying to heat a bowl of stew up and had other heat sources it simply would not be a wise investment of my time and effort.
(Score again for That Guy Jeff.)

Thinking outside the box is all fine and good. I believe strongly in it myself.
Thinking realistically is also very good. I think that every time a person thinks about reality the whole world gets a little bit smarter.


Nobody who responded here was knocking you down, they were just accepting the real limits of solar cooking for the rest of us who are not privileged enough to live in sunbelt retirement communities.

edit: If you look again everybody notes that under the right conditions solar cooking is a good option. They are just pointing out that it is an incomplete solution.

> You know these solar cookers might seem like the cat's pajamas to you in
> sunny southern California, (the never-ending-summer-land of fruits and nuts)

The San Francisco Bay Area is renowned for its fog and chilly summers. But not for being in sunny southern California.

> for the rest of us who are not privileged enough to live in sunbelt
> retirement communities.

Perhaps there are other challenges than having actually to make the cheap solar cooker in an emergency. I'll grant you that. You win.

If you want to play like a troll that is fine Philip.

I have had enough of you. See ya later.

I think Philip's point was that he presented a viable idea that was given short shrift by some for no apparent reason.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the idea of a solar oven, it's a brilliant idea when used in the conditions in which it will work well.

It's obviously not some sort of panacea nor will it work under any and all conditions, and of course neither will any of the alternatives to it.

As for playing the troll, I notice that Philip didn't resort to name calling or making blanket statements that are not based in fact, ie, "the rest of us not privileged enough to live in sunbelt retirement communities..." And speaking of sad efforts, "the never ending summer land of fruits and nuts." I mean really, is that the best you can come up with? If the level of discourse here is gonna be based on one's geography, well that's just too pathetic to contemplate.

As for incomplete solutions, pray tell what is the complete solution to anything?

The comment that a solar oven isn't suitable for use late in the day and some of the other negative responses to using one are so ridiculous that no further comment really need be made except this, perhaps with just a whit of foresight one could use the energy of the sunlight during the day to bake something to be eaten later? Just a thought.

And finally, if learning something or building something that you can't envision using is a waste of time, then taking the time to post the comment that it isn't worth your time to build is most assuredly a waste of your time.

Thanks for the info Philip.

JohnE