by Laura Caseley

Forget about struggling to get the charcoal lit, or lugging along a tank or canister of propane. The Cookup 200 solar barbecue and grill from iD Cook allows for quick and easy cooking just about anywhere – as long as it’s sunny.

Designed for beach cookouts and camping trips, the Cookup takes advantage of the energy of the sun to cook food, using a highly reflective parabolic reflector to collect and concentrate the sun’s rays. This solar oven is fully collapsible, and requires no tools to put together, although from the video provided by iD Cook (see below), assembly does appear to be a fairly extensive process. At just 14 pounds it can be transported using the carrying bag that comes with it.

The bowl is 40 inches across and positioned on a spit, so you can tilt it to capture maximum sunlight. ID Cook says that at the center of the bowl where the cooking magic happens, the temperature can quickly reach 200 degrees Celsius (nearly 400 F). The company also says there is enough cooking space to prepare food for up to five people.

According to Greenmuze, iD Cook is a French company that manufactures several solar cooking devices. The Cookup 200 is made from wood, aluminum and PET reflectors. Because it doesn’t use a solar panel or PV cells, there are no batteries or electrical wiring or other delicate parts involved, making it easy to clean by simply wiping it down with a damp cloth.

In 2010, the Cookout 200 earned a Janus du design et de l’industrie award, a French industry prize. ID Cook says the Cookup 200 comes with a two-year guarantee, and notes that its parts can be easily replaced.