The Solar Gourmet Testing conducted by Kathleen Jarschke-Schultze I have cooked many solar meals in several different solar cookers. All of them have been of a multiple reflector design. (See HP #s, 12,19, and 20) I was very curious about the single reflector design box cookers. When Basic Solar sent us their Solar Gourmet¨ kit I was eager to test it. I was not disappointed. Packaging and Documentation The unit arrived in good shape unassembled and folded into a neat package. I took all the parts out and separated them . Then I read the included documentation. The manual tells the assembler to remember how the oven is folding so they can refold easily. I suggest adding an exploded view of the folded oven to the instructions. The instructions say the estimated time for initial assembly is one hour. I started a timer when I began. I did not hurry or try to save time, I just worked steadily. It took me 1 hour and 13 minutes to assemble the oven. The instructions are easy to understand and contain some diagrams of set up and cooking basics. My unit did not have a guide hole marked on its side, so I guessed it would go in the middle. This has worked fine. There are a few things I would add to the instructions. If you spill the glue on the foil it can be wiped off with a damp cloth. If you pull the paper backing off of the heat resistant tape pieces all at once, then it will curl up and stick to itself. The Solar Gourmet The cooker itself is smooth clean cardboard cut and folded into an ingenious, well insulated oven box. The inside oven dimensions are 22" x 16" x 6 1/2". The window on the top of the cooker lid is a thermal pane of two sheets of UV-resistant mylar. The one reflector folds down over the window to protect it when moving or storing. All the pieces fit together well. That also means that when you pick it up you must support the bottom or the pieces will slide apart again. If this were my oven I would just glue the pieces in place for stability. The size of the oven completely assembled is 9" x 19" x 25". It weighs only 5.25 lbs. This makes it very easy to move about. In the folded storage mode the unit is only 3" tall, making it very easy to store. We live in a canyon, so I was worried the wind would blow the lid- reflector off. I attached Velcro to the sides to stabilize the reflector. The weight of the pots holds the whole oven down. The reflector's positioning scheme could be made more durable. I believe this could be accomplished by placing a strip of heat resistant tape along the edge of the reflector on both sides. Performance I cooked a variety of foods in the Solar Gourmet. It cooked rice very well and effortlessly. The cobbler browned nicely. The only time I adjusted the oven and preheated it was when I had a very large meal cooking. It included a whole chicken, six whole potatoes, two thick sliced carrots, chopped celery and shallots and a cup of apple wine in a large Visionware¨ casserole. It came out very succulent and delicious with enough liquid to make gravy. When that meal had finished cooking at 3:30 PM, I just lowered the reflector over the window to keep it warm. We ate at 6:00 PM and dinner was still warm. This oven does not seem to get as hot as my other solar cookers, but it has no problem cooking food of all sorts. Conclusion This is a good solar cooker. When you spend $39.95 for the Solar Gourmet, you get an easy to assemble solar cooker that will work the day you get it. It is a cardboard oven, so it must be protected from rain. It is light and portable. It's cooking area is flat and stable. It is easy to slide around to focus to the sun. It doesn't get as hot as a multi- reflector oven. When I was cooking the rice, a breeze caused the reflector to fall over the window. The temperature had dropped to 125¡ F. I adjusted the reflector and the oven. The temperature rose to 150¡ F in 4 min., 200¡ F. in 10 min., and to 225¡ F in 20 min. When I called Basic Solar with my suggestions they were interested in the feedback. They say they will be incorporating the ideas into future kits. Basic Solar also provides access to non-profit solar box cooker organizations. Access Basic Solar, Harvard Square Suite 67, 1430 Mass. Ave., Cambridge, MA 02138 USA FAX: 206-525-1418 Solar Box Cookers International, 1724 Eleventh St., Sacramento, CA 95814 USA 619-444-6616 FAX: 619-447-8689 Econet:sbci Solar Box Cookers Northwest, 7036 18th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98115 USA Voice/FAX: 206-525-1418 Econet:sbcn Telex:1502097451