Solar cookers use just the sun's rays to work—they don't require fuel or emit smoky fumes, and they use minimal water. They're environmentally friendly, but are they really useful?

Before we started to test solar cookers, we were skeptical—could anything simply left in a pot or box to cook in the sun actually taste good? But we were proved wrong—at least partially. We also didn't anticipate just how much fun solar cookers would be. Whenever we had a sunny day, we wanted to try cooking something new. But these results still beg the question: Are solar cookers more than just a toy for a food hobbyist?