• Solar ovens take useful advantage of optimal sunlight hours.Buena Vista Images/Photodisc/Getty Images
  
  Solar cooking is an eco-friendly option not only for those who wish to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels, but for those living in developing countries with scarce resources. The three main types of solar cooker are box ovens, panel ovens and parabolic ovens (which resemble an upside-down umbrella). The actual process of cooking with a solar oven isn't much different from cooking with a conventional oven, except for important issues regarding seasonal sun exposure.
  
  

Timing

• The efficiency of your solar cooker is going to depend not only on weather factors like cloud cover, but on the overhead position of the sun. In the summer, the most solar power can be harvested for cooking between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when the sun is directly overhead.
  
  Unfortunately, that time frame is reduced in the winter to the hours of 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Fall and spring widen the time range slightly more, with the optimal hours being between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Again, this is assuming that there is little to no cloud cover at the time of your attempt to cook with your solar oven. In overcast weather, expect a longer cooking time, and hold to the 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. time frame.
  
  

Prepping

• Because a solar oven takes a bit longer to cook food than a conventional oven, and because you have a limited amount of time to cook each day, it's wise to have meals planned and prepped as much as possible before your optimal sunlight begins. Check your local weather forecast to determine which day will offer the most hours of direct sunlight, plan a meal for that day, and prep the ingredients in the morning before optimal sunlight hours begin.
  
  You will want to preheat your solar oven for at least an hour before inserting food. If you're baking, you'll want the interior temperature of the oven to be at least 250 degrees F so that yeast can rise properly. To that end, you will want to invest in a standard oven thermometer the measure the heat inside your oven.
  
  

Choosing Solar Oven Cookware

• The best pots and pans to use in a solar oven are dark pots and pans with tight fitting lids. Dark cookware is better at absorbing heat to speed the cooking process along even faster, and tight fitting lids will help trap that heat inside the cookware where it needs to be.
  
  If possible, invest in solar oven cookware with transparent glass lids. This will allow you to see into the pots to check on the progress of your cooking without having to open the oven. Opening the door of your oven will immediately reduce the interior temperature by 50 to 100 degrees F.