This Solar Oven Cooks Food With the Fire of a Thousand Suns

And it’s all thanks to the genius of vacuum tubes

August 3, 2018 9:00 am

Vacuum technology (and we don’t mean Hoover) has long been a boon to the temperature-preservation industry. It keeps your coffee hot and your tea iced when you’re on the go — maybe even some soup if you’re feeling a little frisky.

But you probably never knew that vacuum tubes can also cook food — at temperatures over 350º — using just the power of the sun.

Enter GoSun, a company that’s been pioneering the technology for the past five years. Thanks to the power of a “space-aged, solar thermal technology called vacuum tubes,” these super-portable grills are able to harness radiation and use it for convection.

And we’re not just talking Death Valley-type suns. GoSun also gets the job done in cloudy conditions (remember how mom used to warn you about getting burned even when it’s overcast?).

“But what if I want to cook at night, when there is no sun?” you protest.

Fortunately, the good folks at GoSun thought of that, too. Right now on Kickstarter, they’re taking orders for the first iteration of the GoSun Fusion, which incorporates a 150-watt electric heating element so that you can cook sans solar. (For those who aren’t watt-savvy, 150 is about equivalent to a light bulb, so it’s low energy and quickly rechargeable.) The GoSun Fusion is pretty sizeable as well, with enough oven space to cook a meal for you and four of your closest.

The basic device is currently going for $299 during the crowdfunding campaign, with additional add-ons available like a lithium-ion power bank, 20-watt foldable solar panel and non-stick nylon carrying bag. Orders are expected to ship early next year.

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