Whether you are planning a summer cookout or on an intimate winter reunion with friends and family, solar cookers can be of great use. Contrary to what the name suggests, you can still cook using solar energy even during winter.

With their efficient and smart insulator design, solar cookers can still cook your food using heat from the winter sun. Smart, isn’t it? Here are some tips and tricks to maximize your solar cookers all-year round.

Proper alignment

The key is to know the correct position to align the cookers to the sun. To help you with this, there are some solar cookers that have built-in sun dials that let you make the correct alignment.

Choose the best time of day

Be cautious on when you want to start your solar cooking. Usually, the best time of day to use your solar cookers during winter is between 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. During these times, the position of the sun is more direct, and this gives off more heat. Obviously, there is a higher cooking window during the summer.

If you want to use the solar cookers in the shorter seasons( fall to spring), it is advisable to start at early as 10:00 am so you can have adequate time to preheat the cooker and prepare ingredients. Unlike the summertime, you may also need to keep tracking the sun and move your solar as often as you can to maximize cooking effectiveness.