The deciding factor for a well functioning Sol Food cooker, is having the closest thing to a cloudless sky as possible, the temperature is less important. The cooker can function from 1 hour after sunrise to 1 hour before sundown. Because of its high efficiency, 88% to 92% of the sun's rays that hit the reflector are used in the cooking, it works with even shorter rays. On clear, sunny winter days (down to 14 degrees F) you can still use the unbelievable power of the sun.

The Sol Food cooker is durable, although light (about 40 pounds), cost effective to own and easy to use.

The net power of the cookers were determined at a direct solar radiation of 700 watts/m2. We have had the cooker up to 650 degrees Fahrenheit, but usually it is around 250 to 375 degrees.

The panels are polished aluminium panels which are coated with a protective layer and have been successfully tested under extreme conditions (extremely salty air, strong chemical air pollution, etc). The reflector panels are easy to clean with soap,water, windex and a soft cloth.

The sol food solar cooker can cook almost anything you can cook in your home oven or stovetop in about twice the time it takes to cook on your home oven or stovetop. It just uses the
free heat of the sun!

The aluminum reflective surface bounces about 90% of the suns rays that hit it to the focal point where the pot sits. The reflector remains cool while raising the temperature of your dish between 250-350 degrees so you can fry, bake, or barbeque.

Suitable for cooking for up to 12 people, the Sol Food cooker/barbeque puts out around 950 watts of power depending on the sunlight for the day. It will boil 3 quarts of water (3 liters) in 30 minutes.

The parabolic shape of the cooker reflects the sun's rays to a black pot that sits at the focal point of the dish. We use cast iron to cook with but any dark pot or frying pan will work. The dark pot absorbs the sun's rays.

The thing that allows for a good day of cooking with the Sol Food cooker is to have as clear a day for cooking as possible, the outside temperature isn't very important and you can cook with snow on the ground as long as there is a clear day. The cooker works from 1 hour after sunup to until 1 hour before sundown. Because of its high efficiency it works well even with the shorter ray's of the sun.

The focal point of the cooker is 11 inches wide. This means the that if you want the highest output of the cooker you need to move it every 15 to 20 minutes. To stir the pot you just rotate the reflector 180 degrees to stir to avoid blinding or absorbing to much of the sun's rays yourself.

The focal point of heat for the dish is only 11 inches wide. This means that if the maximum amount of energy is desired, the dish must only be adjusted every 15 to 25 minutes to face the new position of the sun. The heated area is located within the cooker, therefore burning yourself is easy to avoid. Also the polished aluminum leaves of the cooker do not get hot so there is also less chance of burning yourself that way.

With every cooker sold we provide sunglasses with UV protection. Anytime you use your new cooker please be careful and wear sunglasses since looking directly into the cooker can cause damage to your eyes over time. Just as you wouldn't look directly into the sun you should avoid looking into cooker.