solar cooking

The sun provides inexhaustible "fuel", but requires that we follow its schedule, and position in the sky to cook food. How fast the food is cooked depends on how much sun there is that day, and what is being cooked. Beans and wholegrains will require more cooking time, while steaming veggies are done quickly.

Cooking with the sun is akin to using a slow cooker(see also insulation cooking, and can take twice as long to cook food than conventional cooking methods. This is especially true for box cookers.

Advantages:

Things to remember:

Types of solar ovens

There are many type of solar ovens available, each have their advantages and disadvantages. Not all designs used on land will make sense on a boat.

In a small space size is a factor to consider, because the oven needs to be secured while the boat is underway, and also because a gust of wind can easily knock it over when it is fully deployed and cooking on deck (parabolic solar cookers, while efficient, have too much windage).

If looking for land-friendly designs, they're all listed here.

On a boat, solar cooking options to consider include: