Cook with the Sun – The Best Solar Ovens for Outdoor Cooking

I love to cook with the power of the sun, whether at home or on the go. One of my favorite solar ovens that I used to cook and bake with all the time, is no longer in business. Which is a shame, because I really loved that solar oven.

But there are still quite a few solar ovens on the market that will fit just about any budget.

Think of a solar oven as a slow cooker. Some thought and planning needs to be done in order to have food or deserts ready in time before the sun goes down, or rather, before the sun is no longer able to sufficiently heat the oven.

I love using the power of the sun to cook, but it can be problematic, as in, it needs a consistent amount of direct sunlight for about 3-8 hours, depending on what you want to cook or bake. You’ll need to turn the sun oven to be constantly directly in the path of the sun.

Clouds will drop the internal temp quickly, and not being faced directly at the sun will also drop the internal temp.

It’s just about keeping an eye on it, which shouldn’t be hard if you’ve planned ahead.

Take a look at some of the solar ovens on the market currently!

1. Jwn Green Portable Solar Oven Bag 2. SOL COOK All Season Solar Cooker 3. GoSun 4. All American SUN OVEN Cook with the Sun

1. Jwn Green Portable Solar Oven Bag

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This is about as lightweight and portable as a solar oven gets. This is a literal bag that you can tote around and fold out whenever you want to cook.

I think my only issue with this is that it can take a while to reach 200 degrees F, which is what a sun oven needs to get to in order to really cook or bake anything properly. You’re going to need some hot, direct sun for a long time to make sure it gets to and stays at that temp.

Overall it can only reach up to a total of 248 degrees F.

This is a potentially a good option just for the summer months.

Pros/Compact, lightweight

Cons/Hard time reaching temp, doesn't reach temp higher than 248 F.

Bottom Line/This can be a good option for the summer months if you're able to pay really close attention to it.

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2. SOL COOK All Season Solar Cooker

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This is an impressive solar cooker with a really affordable price tag. It can fit just about anything you could ever want to bake or cook and reaches and keeps temperature really well, even on partial cloudy days. It even has a little device that helps you know exactly where to point the solar cooker. Very cool additional feature.

Pros/Affordable, well made, reaches temp

Cons/

Bottom Line/One of my favorites, highly recommend this

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3. GoSun

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This is a really interesting design for a solar cooker. I’m not sure I’m 100% sold on it, but it definitely works. It can boil water, make tea and of course, cook food. I think the only thing that I’m just not sold on is the shape. Though they have various sizes depending on your needs, it seems restrictive to what you can actually cook. I couldn’t bake up a donut, which I have done in a solar oven before. But maybe a small loaf of some kind?

There’s no doubt it works, though the design is strange, that’s also what makes it really effective. You’ll just have to be considerate about the type of food you’ll be making in it.

Pros/Affordable price tag, works really well

Cons/Constrictive design

Bottom Line/It works, just have to think whether it's for you or not.

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4. All American SUN OVEN

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This is one of the most popular sun ovens on the market and has been for years. It’s no wonder it’s so popular though because of how well it’s made, how well it cooks and it’s made in the USA.

It can heat water, dehydrate and cook or bake just about anything you have in mind. The size is perfect for just about anything you’d ever want to make.

It is on the higher end, this is the most expensive on the list, but you won’t be sorry you made the investment.

Pros/Works great, well built, made in the USA

Cons/Very expensive

Bottom Line/Though it's on the higher end, it's worth it.

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Cook with the Sun

Cooking with the sun is an asset for preparedness, camping or just so you don’t have to heat up your house in the summer. A solar oven can work just about anywhere and some may even be able to work year-round depending on the location.

Which solar oven is right for you?

Morgan Rogue

Morgan writes for OutdoorHub while also being the founder of Rogue Preparedness where she helps people get prepared for emergencies and disasters, as well as thrive any circumstances.

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