ClearDome Solar Thermal has discovered a very simple method of reaching flame temperatures without a flame. It's ideal for:

• Camping and adventure trips
• Boats
• Emergencies
• Use in third world countries

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Cooking times with the 900 parabolic have been reduced by about 15 minutes, so meals for four people such as soup, chicken and fish will take only 35-60 minutes. We recently solar baked four delicious potatoes in 50 minutes. This is about the same amount of cooking time that parabolic cookers over twice the size of the 900 usually take, which is about the same time as a conventional oven. This is the world's hottest, fastest cooking 24" parabolic or box cooker made.

COOKING TIP: Have a BBQ without lighting a match! You can make charcoal smoke inside a pot or pan when placed next to food in an aluminum foil holder! Use a clear glass lid on a black aluminum pot to let the concentrated reflected solar energy directly heat the food and smoke the wood. You get authentic wood barbecue flavor using only one charcoal briquette or your favorite type of wood.

You can easily fry bacon with the SolaReflex 900; cook eggs, bake bread, cook rice and vegetables, and Pasteurize foul water.  A one-pound steak, fish or chicken takes about 35 minutes to cook rare and 45 minutes for it to be browned and well done on a sunny day. It's like having both a stove and an oven fueled only by free and pure solar energy--the sun! Slow solar cooking now is a thing of the past with the 900. Browing food is easy by using a black aluminum pot and a clear glass lid.

Wind is not a bother for the 900 because of the rigid dish and support base construction. We've cooked in 30 MPH winds by placing the pot under our Clear Dome pot cover, or inside our Clear Box oven, shown below. Try cooking with a gas stove outdoors on a windy day and after about 5-10 MPH winds, the flames blow out.

Specially designed 8.5 pound oval shaped, unbreakable reflecting dish assembly is made to condense and reflect solar energy downward about 16" away on to the black metal cooking container, as the photo shows. The dish design is unlike any other parabolic cooker because of the offset low point on the dish that creates the hot spot below the center line.  Little or no reflected energy is lost because of pot shadows, so combined with a superior small parabolic design, the 96% diffused reflectivity, and a sturdy anodized aluminum support base, it’s at least 15%-20% more efficient that perfect centered parabolic dishes.

It's also easier to pack for travel, set up and use.

As you can see, cooking pots and pans sit on the 900 reflector base where the focused sun energy can land on the pot and away from the user.  And, unlike other parabolic cookers, the 900 temperatures can be easily adjusted. This has heating temps comparable to a toaster oven when the pot is close to the reflector with a 7" hotspot, but more like a high temperature gas stove when it's at the 16" focal point, with a 2-3" wide hot spot.

No heavy counter balance is required to offset the weight of the pot, so the reflector is screwed to the sturdy collapsible base with only two adjustable thumbscrews.The thumbscrews attach the reflector to the base support legs and make it easy to set up and adjust the reflector up or down as the sun moves. Only one or two sun adjustments are necessary for most meals. Wind resistance is increased by a tightening of the wing nuts.  A slight nudge to the left on the back of the base, and a slight pivot up or down movement of the reflector is all that's needed for perfect and easy alignment every 30 minutes of cooking time. That means you can warm up to five gallons of shower or dish washing water,  or melt that much ice or snow in black metal pots during midday heating.

With all metal pots including the lid, instead of heating the bottom of the pot, the reflector side of the pot absorbs and transforms the focused solar energy into heat that is then absorbed by the food or water inside the pot.

This parabolic cooker has such a high level of full spectrum solar reflectivity it will even heat food or water to temperatures above 150 degrees F on light overcast or partly cloudy days when there is little or no wind. That's perfect for reheating leftovers or making coffee and tea.

We prefer using thin black aluminum pots with clear glass lids to cook nearly all foods. Other dark pots and pans can be used, but with lower heat generation. The concentrated reflected light is so intense that occasionally some green vegetables will turn white on top unless they are covered with water or a lid.

The heat level and size of the hot spot focal point can be adjusted by moving the pot closer to the reflector, which de-focuses the light and spreads the heat, which lowers the temperature. This method is suggested when baking bread or large cuts of meat. A pound of frozen (15-30°F) boneless chicken breasts or fish will take about 10 minutes to defrost, then fully cook in another 40-50 minutes using the glass lid on a black pan. Raw vegetables will take 5-10 minutes longer to soften since they contain less protein.

While low angle early morning and late afternoon sunlight make it impossible to cook with most box solar cookers because of shadows inside the box, the SolaReflex 900 will start cooking meals or heating water 30 minutes after sunrise. At the end of the day, meals can be cooked up to two hours before sunset. Winter is actually the best cooking season for the 900 because of the low sun angle and the sun's closer proximity to earth.  

Windproof, weatherproof  reflector and metal stand

The reflector back is made of very  rigid, formed black ABS plastic that withstands nearly any type of weather. The reflector and included anodized aluminum reflector base are wind resistant in gales over 40 mph and virtually unbreakable, withstanding almost any outdoor weather condition but strong blowing sand and large hail. We suggest using a cover over the reflector when not in use to prevent blowing wind debris damage. Cook for years to come without spending a dime on fuel.

 

 

When traveling, the reflector can be detached from the base support by unscrewing the wing nuts and screws. The sturdy legs collapse and it measures less than 3” thick, so it’s easy to pack or ship.

   

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WARNING: We suggest care and caution because it's so hot

Since all food cooking requires high temperatures we must caution the user to exercise care, common sense and practice safety as you would around any stove or oven because the hot spot focal point can reach temperatures as hot as a flame. Children should not use these reflectors without direct adult supervision. The cook or anyone moving the pot should use sunglasses and wear cooking mitts or a towel to reduce the chance of unexpected burns from the pot or hot spot.

Use the reflector is safer to use on concrete, earth, or non-burnable surfaces because even the unfocused reflected sunlight is quite hot if the reflector is turned away from the pot.