I’m not sure if the solar oven industry is on a bit of a marketing drive right now but last week, if I saw one article about these little wonders, I must have seen a dozen. Up until now I have only been exposed to the home-made outdoor oven based upon a cardboard box, lined with foil. If you’ve never tried it, it’s really quite good. Throw in some hot coals from the camp fire, close the lid et voila – chocolate chip cookies in 10 minutes! A variation on this (and one that is used in places such as Guatemala) is using glass instead of the hot coals which, as we know, is even more eco-fabulous but, as with the solar equivalent, not too good if you want those cookies as a late night snack!

However, assuming that you wish to eat when the sun is shining, these ovens really do provide a great outdoor cooking alternative. There is no mess, no smoke, no partaking of fossil fuels. A fabulously green way to cook. It’s also fun. Imagine your first meal – all huddled around the oven starring at it in amazement and trepidation, wondering what the hell is going to pop out the other end.

Rumour has it that you can bake, steam or boil just about anything in them and that temperatures can reach 400 degrees. Most models also pack up really small so they are very portable.

If you spend a lot of time outdoors then I think one of these babies would be a great investment. We do, and so I will certainly be purchasing one myself, imminently.

Here are some top tips on usage:

• a solar cooker needs an outdoor spot that is sunny for several hours and protected from strong wind
• they don’t work at night or on cloudy days (um, I think we could work that one out!)
• your lunch will cook best in dark, shallow, thin metal pots with dark, tight-fitting lids to hold in heat and moisture
• if you can, use something like a clear, heat-resistant plastic bag around your pot to trap the heat and keep it in

There are quite a few varieties to choose from depending on your requirements. However, the vendors that caught my eye are the Solar Oven Society, founded by Martha and Mike Port. They sell solar cookers and then use the profits to subsidise sales of the ovens in developing countries. With some third world inhabitants spending over half their income on cooking fuel or having to walk a 16 mile round-trip just to find firewood, the solar oven is the natural solution (on a sunny day, of course). They even have a list of solar oven recipes to try.

So, if you’re in the market for a solar oven then please give the guys at the Solar Oven Society a visit and help spread the love.