| Successful solar cookers were reported in Europe and India as early as the 18th century. The increased use of glass during that period helped inventors to trap heat & hot air. In 1870, Augustine Mouchot invented a fairly portable oven for the French Foreign Legion. It could bake a pound of bread in 45 minutes or 2 pounds of potatoes in one hour.
Around the same time, W. A. Adams developed an eight-sided mirrored oven which reflected light through a glass cone located in the center of the oven. This oven could cook a 12 pound turkey in 4 to 5 hours. This is still a popular design today. We actually use a large model, very similar to Adam’s oven. In this oven we can cook 60 pounds of food at a time |
