Are you planning to start storing your food to save money? Repurposing your kitchen appliances to work on solar power might be the way to go.
When it comes to solar kitchen appliances, they can be very expensive. Most of the time, they are beyond your budget.
This article focuses on bringing you quality solar kitchen appliances within your budget, and will help you make the right buying decision.
| Name | Category | Product |
|---|---|---|
| Haines 2.0 SunUp Solar Cooker and Dutch Oven Kit | Best Overall |  |
| Solar Kettle Thermal Flask Survival Gear | Budget Pick |  |
| All Season Solar Cooker | Upgrade Pick |  |
1. Haines 2.0 SunUp Solar Cooker and Dutch Oven Kit
Pros:
- The kit is complete, thus easy to set up
- It can be used for stewing, grilling and baking
- It is very safe
- It helps to preserve a traditional method of cooking
- It also comes with a book with recipes
Cons:
- Food tends to get overcooked
- It might not work in rainy weather
The Haines brand is recognized for making quality products that promote safe, clean and sustainable food preparation methods. The SunUp 2.0 is a solar cooker that works with black cast iron pots and Dutch Ovens. It is equipped with a cooking rack that adjusts to five different angles. The SunUp can use any black cast iron pot or Dutch oven. It also includes a book containing 20 solar cooking recipes.
The SunUp 2.0 SunUp Solar Cooker includes:
The SunUp Solar Cooker is a great gift for outdoor enthusiasts, chefs, and individuals who want to incorporate sustainable and ecofriendly cookware into their lives.
2. All American Sun Oven
Imagine having your very own panini press, bread baker, or even pizza oven. Wouldn’t that be handy for parties or just everyday use? The All American Sun Oven is here to save you money, help the environment, and give you a ton more freedom in the kitchen.
This solar engine is a must-have for any household. The All American Sun Oven does what a conventional oven can do, but it does it 3 times faster. Cooking with the AMSO is simple and it’s great for any food or recipe, including breads, casseroles, cookies, pies, roasts, pizzas, and more. Set the temperature and time and then forget about it.
If you have a charcoal grill, the Sun Oven works exceptionally well as a warming oven. Just put your food on the grill, close the hood, and let the sun do its magic.
3. Sunflair Mini Portable Solar Oven
Pros:
- Compact design and convenient
- Good price
- Portable and easy to carry
This is one of the smallest on the list and is a great option for individuals that want to cook simple meals on the go. This solar oven can cook a meal for 4-6 people in just minutes. With the Sunflair Mini, you are able to eliminate your need for an electric oven and cut your fuel bills in half.
This portable solar cooker comes with an attached handle that allows for you to carry your meal with ease. The handle is also perfect for keeping your contents warm while you are eating. The Sunflair Mini comes with a carrying pole and lightweight design that give it an advantage over other solar cookers. The cooker weighs less than 17 pounds which makes it easy to carry to your location and easy to store.
4. ACOPOWER RA Portable Solar Fridge Freezer
Pros:
- Affordable
- It’s compact
- It is portable
- Has a good cooling capacity
- The ACOPOWER solar fridges have good insulation
- Easy to connect to a 12 volt car battery
- It is quite easy to set up
Cons:
- The fridge does not have any charging or regulating system
- It’s a bit heavy for a small car
- The freezer is not truely ‘zero’
- It is big for an rv
Besides being a great refrigerator, it is also a good freezer. Keep in mind that this would work for a camper or an RV, but is too heavy for a small car.
5. All Season Solar Cooker
Pros:
- Large cooking surface
- Two black metal racks
- Comes with carrying bag
- Two-Year Warranty
- Safe for cooking
- The lid helps to provide high-temperature and constant flame
- It is easy to assemble
- Lightweight and very portable
Cons:
- It takes a while to heat up food
- There is nothing worse than getting out into a beautiful sunny, hot summer day only to realize that you forgot to do something as simple as put your oven on to heat your meal up. This solar cooker will prevent you from having to go through that experience again. It has two metal racks, the first one being smaller and the second being wider. These racks make it easy for you to prepare all kinds of meals for your family including pancakes, bacon, and roasts of all kinds.
This cooker uses both the black metal racks as well as the sun to cook. There is a lid that goes over the top of the cooking surface and this lid is crucial so that you do not have to worry about it losing its heat. By trapping in the heat, the metal on the top and the food on the bottom will be able to stay hot enough to make an oven out of it.
6. Solar Kettle Thermal Flask Survival Gear
Pros:
- Built & designed to last a lifetime
- Dramatic saving on electricity and convection use
- Comes with a temperature gauge to indicate boiling or not
- UV protection for the painted surface
- Boils water FAST!
- Perfect for emergency use or camping
- ‘Cool touch’ handle & lid
Cons:
- Not the best design for something to be displayed on a countertop, but it has a function – to keep the contents hot, and it does that well.
- The base is not very “rigid”, the pot still feels unstable when carrying.
The FDA says that the average person in the US eats 10 lbs (of food) per month, which totals to 12,000 lbs of food per year! Just think of the energy you would have saved if you cooked 12,000 lbs of food by saving electricity (kWh)! That’s one reason (out of many) why you should have a solar kitchen appliance for your home, not just a solar energy product!
The Crucial Solar Kettle is a leading pot specifically use for boiling water by solar power. It’s made of high quality stainless steel material with a red exterior, and collapses down for easy storage.
7. Hanging Raw Food Dehydrator
Pros:
- Easy to use
- Cheap
- You don’t have to live in a sunny climate to use it
- Affordable accessories
Cons:
- Not all of the accessories are useful
- Takes a while to dry the food
If you are looking for an alternative to fast food or a time-saving gadget for preparing your food, then you should consider getting a food dehydrator. The Sunfiber Hanging Raw Food Dehydrator is the best food dehydrating machine you can buy.
The Sunfiber dehydrator is a large, circular tray with a central pole that you hang from the ceiling. Not only does it save you space, but it also saves you the hassle of setting up a shelf in the pantry or cupboard and having to fill it up with a range of different foods.
The Sunfiber dehydrator comes with various accessories. It has a manual food processor, grater, slicer, cutter, mixer, and blender attachments.
8. Smad 7.5 Cu.ft Solar Energy DC Refrigerator/Freezer Double Door Compressor Fridge
Pros:
- Affordable
- The fridge can run on DC and solar power
- Easy to use controls
- Construction seems to be good
Cons:
- The top drawer can be difficult to remove
- Not a lot of interior space
This 7.5 cubic feet solar fridge is powerful and hardy, with a ton of features that come at a really good price. The Fridge/Freezer has a solid metal frame and is quite big and spacious. The compressor-type cooling unit keeps produce as well as other cold items at a consistently cool temperature.
The fridge can be powered by a 12V battery and an AC power converter. It’s also equipped with an interior light and an exterior plug. This all-purpose product can be used as a solar fridge, an off-grid solar fridge, a RV fridge, or a camping fridge.
Durable and able to stand life on the road without any problems, this solar fridge is a great pick for those who love to travel and camp. Not only does it let you stay away from unnecessary fossil fuels, and help earth a little more with your choice of alternative energy sources, but it can also be a great gift for your camping friends and family.
9. Sundanzer Solar-Powered Refrigerator
Pros:
- It is a very big fridge with plenty of space
- It does not need to be plugged in or run by batteries
- It can even keep the milk cold
- The price is reasonable and affordable
- Despite the large size of the appliance, the quietness and energy saving features are impressive factors
Cons:
- The noise level is a little high than the electrically operated refrigerators
- It is too big in size and may be impractical in small apartments
- The insulation is not great and is too large to fit in one's house
- There is cooling and fan setting, but there is no temperature control
This type of refrigerator is great for those who would like to remove their home from the power grid. It is 8 cubic feet in size, and the set up is very easy.
The frame is made out of a hard plastic and just put it on a cement slab or directly on the ground. This large sized refrigerator can hold up to 123 pounds, or 52 gallons of food.
It also has a black foamed interior that is similar to those found in typical home refrigerators.
10. MarsRock Stainless Vacuum Solar Kettle Vacuum Cup Temperature Keeping and Temperature Increasing Fashion Water Cup
Pros:
- High vacuum design
- Changeable lids for different uses
- 800ml capacity, Great for family or single person use
- Microwave, sterilizer, fridge and freezer friendly
- Comes with a travel bag
- The kettle is made from 304 stainless steel
- The lid is made from 304 stainless steel
Cons:
- The handle grip is made from plastic, it may be a problem for some buyers
- There is no temperature gauge
- Doesn’t come with red plastic cap
The MarsRock Stainless Vacuum Solar Water Kettle is a very unique solar kettle with a vacuum structure that can keep the temperature of the water for a long time. It can be used as a water bottle, wine bottle, hot water bottle, food reheating container, sushi dish, and so on. It is a great tool to have around your home to save money on energy costs. The product comes with a warranty and is made well, the application is beyond my expectations.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Which solar cooker is the best?
If you're looking for the best solar cooker, then you probably want a cooker that will be large enough to cook for you and your family. The solar kit we mentioned above is a great choice.
A large solar cooker will be exactly what you need for a small gathering or a fun outdoor activity. As long as you don't have a large family, this 10-quart cooker is perfect. This can easily cook a large amount of food for quite a few people.
Great for heating a small pit. Cook a healthy and delicious meal with the sun! This portable solar oven also comes with a handy carrying case so you can grab your delicious barbecue ready to go.
This is an excellent choice for a classic oven-style product. The aluminum allows the heat to transfer quickly, and since the unit is completely transparent, it allows you to see the inner workings of your chicken.
What appliances can run on solar power?
The possible uses for solar power are endless. The sun can be harnessed to power everything from cooking accessories to gadgets to appliances to more traditional household necessities. And this power is free; the only cost is installation.
Here are the top solar kitchen appliances that we chose for our top 10.
Do solar cookers really work?
Yes! They can cook food, tho you would need to spend some time outside if you want to cook something literally.
Modern solar cookers are just one example of how innovative solar technologies are nowadays, unlike the older ones.
Most solar cookers are created by environmental or charitable organizations as a part of a campaign to raise awareness.
For some people, the appeal of solar power comes from simply the ability to cook food efficiently. For others, the appeal comes from the ability to live off the grid.
What is the best fridge for solar power?
Best refrigerator for solar power?
We've rounded up the best refrigerators for solar power consumption. While they come in all shapes and sizes, the majority are smaller, counter top style refrigerators. In a grid-tie solar array, the refrigerator is said to be the 2nd highest consumer of energy, which is usually no more than the AC. Even with load shifting, dormancy, and other ways to reduce the overall power consumption, refrigerators are an energy waster. The best thing you can do is to find a fridge that matches your needs and has the power consumption below 50-100 watts.
There are several off-grid solar powered fridges that are efficient enough to run on a small solar panel and battery bank. If you're truly off-grid, you'll be using propane, deep-cycle batteries, and an inverter.
Conclusion
The sun is the source of life. Our planet is kept alive by it. Did you know that you can keep your kitchen alive with it too? Solar powered kitchen appliances are powered by the sun. You don’t need to plug in your blender or your food processor. You don’t need to buy batteries. And since they are powered by the sun, you don’t need to worry about them running out of power in the middle of a recipe.
Our Recommendation
| Name | Category | Product |
|---|---|---|
| Haines 2.0 SunUp Solar Cooker and Dutch Oven Kit | Best Overall | |
| Solar Kettle Thermal Flask Survival Gear | Budget Pick | |
| All Season Solar Cooker | Upgrade Pick | |