EatTheWeeds: Episode 71: Solar Cooking

[puffyclouddd1]

This is so amazing! Thank you"

[gaiagale]

brilliant! ...i read in your comments that Canadians are able to use solar cookers ...I'm curious as to which latitudes?...Prince George is high in terms of latitude ...in winter there is little heat in the rays from mid november to mid february

thanks

[Seeker4Peace]

More than a thumbs up. Fun, intertaining,. and a new discovery if what to do with car shields. Best was the ending. I'll be back. I have a yard full of ameranth and perslane. It is making a great ground cover. No mowing. No gardening. Feel sorry for thw ones who turn weeds down.

When I became homeless at 50 I chose to live under the bridge. Pops would cook. I offered to pick the mustard that was growing all around us. But none would have anything to do with it.

[SustenanceNCovering]

It has been over 2 years since you made this vid. Is your SOS Sport Solar Cooker still functional or has it crumbled into oblivion? Have you had any experiance with the Global Sun Oven? After several years of looking at these things I am finally about to make a move and purchase one. I have made homade versions before with very limited success.

[EatTheWeeds]

@SustenanceNCovering I have four solar ovens, three I made and one I bought. They are all still working.

[hkitty383]

That's amazing!

[shawnph]

Very neat video. I'm inspired to give it a shot and maybe make a more sophisticated one, similar to your commercial one. Living in Florida, I bet it'll work well here.

[EatTheWeeds]

@shawnph I'm in Florida as well. The commercial over cooks in about 2/3 the time and goes get hotter. It, however, is not portable.

[KoloniaPNI]

how long does the car shade cook food? would like to buy one for me..

[EatTheWeeds]

@KoloniaPNI About six hours, 9 am to 3 pm is the prime hours. However, if you mean how long does it take. It is a slower than a commercial solar oven. The time depends on what you are cooking, say 4 hour for a four pound chicken instead of 2.5 to 3.

[leapingfroglady]

Thanks for all the great tips. I'm going to convert my old gas grill to a solar oven this spring.

[EatTheWeeds]

@SuperSexyBoiGod Interesting. Solar cookers have to be moved about every hour or so. So you will either have to move the vehicle or make the oven moveable.

[RonRay]

I like your food groups! :-)

I've been watching a LOT of survival videos lately and the idea of sterilizing water in that cooker as well as eating very good (without fire) is one of the best 'survival' innovations I've seen!

Thanks Deane!

[pharris9]

very informative

[avian5]

you can make one from cardboard and tin foil. You can find instructions easily if you google it, and looks pretty portable. Its pretty portable and is being distributed around africa so people can cook without having to burn wood all the time.

[zekehooper]

I like the idea of the car shade as a solar oven.

[EatTheWeeds]

@zekehooper Me, too.

[cheekyfumes]

Love your vids, thanks!

[vonhismean]

very nice hope you do some more solar oven vids.

[theskepticsskeptic]

what a great video, i can't wait to try this

[Upritebass]

Oops! sorry! It was the Brasshole who was 108 years old, not you. Oops!

[Upritebass]

You look pretty healthy for a 108 year old. I just chanced upon this video, but I'll subscribe. Looks very interesting, and I am looking for alternate energy and food sources.

I like the part of this video where you stuff the chicken with lemons. Reminds me of Tax day. :-P

[kaleidoscope222]

awesome! Hi Oliver Whitecat! "homemade hard cider hehehe" "five food groups" ... LOL right on!

[nathuwjohn]

Kitty likes it too!

[hq0013]

Dean - are there any performance differences between the store-bought solar cooker and the home-made one with the car reflector screen?

[EatTheWeeds]

Oh yes. The store-bought one is far more efficient, but not portable.

[lenhoj85]

are you going to make another video??....If you are when?

[EatTheWeeds]

On solar cooking or just another video?

[lenhoj85]

@EatTheWeeds

on solar cooking

[loymonteiro]

where did you get your solar oven and how much was it?

Thanks!!

5*****

[EatTheWeeds]

Through the solar oven society.

[loymonteiro]

are they spraying chemtrails to block the sun?

[EatTheWeeds]

Update: I am having 100 of my videos put on a five DVD set. Should be available soon.

[DJPsionix]

I'm hungry.

:/

[skinrich]

Dude i love you!

i am going to check your site out.

Could you tell me more about that home made one! like the temps and time it takes? its lovely!

I can probally find it on the website but didn't look yet =$

Knowledge is power!

[EatTheWeeds]

I am sorry for this late reply. I didn't see your post. The one I made on the video gets up to about 250 or so and will cook a four pound defrosted chicken in about three hours, depending upon time of year, clouds and latitude. It's good if you have set up camp or have a back yard.

[starablaskova3]

the last sentence is the best! :DD

[EatTheWeeds]

Thanks... the truth will always set you free....

[TheCurrahee101st]

I bet an emergecy blanket would work just as well. Never tryed it, but I imagine it would generate some high temps.

[EatTheWeeds]

If arranged and aligned correctly, probably.

[ShinyChuck]

Using an aluminized emergency blanket would be tough because it has no rigidity. I used cardboard, elmer's glue and aluminum foil and made one that is a similar shape as the windshield screen approach. I get up to 210F, just under boiling.

[EatTheWeeds]

I'm glad it worked well for you. It is quite light and portable. I do a lot of kayaking and canoeing as well. As for DVDs... I really don't know how to do it...

[vonhismean]

I really like the direction that video went instead of just wild food. Hope you do more like that I'm starting to do ones like that aswell.

[EatTheWeeds]

Now that I have reached 100, I'll be branching out a little. I'n very surprised how popular this video has been.

[BoingotheClown]

I've been trying out some solar cooking. I added a video response about it.

I used a car sun shade, as depicted in this video. The only problem is that the sun shade I used was not stiff and would not hold its shape. I had to sit it in a chair and tape it to the chair for support.

[EatTheWeeds]

Nice video. I put velcro on the sun shade to help it hold its shape, and putting the pot in an oven bag dramatically increases residual temperature.

[BoingotheClown]

I went to the store looking for oven bags, but they didn't have any. The sun shade I used was borrowed from somebody else, so modification was not an option at the time.

[EatTheWeeds]

Still, it worked, on a cloudly day... hmmm.. still... I wonder how a solar still would work... make a little brandy.....

[BoingotheClown]

My niece and I are planning to make a parabolic mirror by the end of summer.

Maybe it might be worth trying out a box cooker of some kind as well.

[EatTheWeeds]

I've been eying mylar and unused large satellite dishes.....

[BoingotheClown]

The old large satellite dishes are hard to find these days (I am old enough to remember when they were fairly common back around 1980).  My niece and I are planning to make an attempt at a parabolic reflector using a wood frame covered in wire mesh and stiffened with paper maché.

[EatTheWeeds]

They are all over the place here.

[lillith886]

wow! i just made my solar cooker today. waiting for a sunny day to try it out. love the wind screen thing. might give that a go too. i take it your temperature readings are in farenheight not centigrade. i know where some wild horse radish grows so i'm going to give them a go. i was waiting for the roots! lol! never thought of harvesting the leaves. thanks for posting this. i love it. :)

[EatTheWeeds]

Yep. I'm in the F part of the world not the C part.

[EatTheWeeds]

It's nifty... not as efficient as others and requires tending... but it is dirt cheap and it works. The key is using oven bags.

[wildernesswikiup14]

great video the only problem is with this is if it rains a lot (like it has this summer) but that sounds like a great way to cook, and in this economy, saving money is always great 5/5

[EatTheWeeds]

Cloudly days are part of life and solar cooking... but if you learn to watch the clouds to tell the weather -- a great hobby lying down -- its not much of a bother. As I write I am cooking another chicken just as you saw me do in the video... should be ready about now....

[gwynedd1]

Interesting. I suppose the mylar role I have could be useful for this. I have it to pick up extra light on a tent green house I prop up every year. My wooded back yard does some solar collecting already though. I have also seen people use a fresnel lens which looks to me like a good wok heat source being a focused hot spot, using a mirror of course. It would compliment the slow cooking nicely I think.

[EatTheWeeds]

Fresnel lens are neat to start fires with but they don't work well cooking. They either are too underpowered and don't add much or too powerful and burn a hole in the pot.

[gwynedd1]

Thanks for the reply. I got that feeling as well as far as being practical. To do it my guess was one would need a powerful one and probably be slightly off the focal point to a cast iron wok not designed for a stove top. Most seem to try eggs. Its the opposite problem we have with stoves and woks which also does not work because of a heat source mismatch. I think perhaps you are Greek. However It seems most Greek to use solar powered heat rays on Italian cuisine, especially the sea food.

[laraskye]

That is the coolest thing I've ever seen! Thanks!!!!! yay!

[Anothercoilgun]

Great video and great food!

[EatTheWeeds]

Thanks... I'll be cooking up a chicken today....before the thunder storms roll in.

[Psillytripper]

lol uhoh watch out green dean, got a woman after you.

 I'm a bit skeptical of how well the home made solar oven would work :-/

regardless your meal looks delicious in the oven you bought, i'd even say i'm a bit jealous i don't have one.

[EatTheWeeds]

Perhaps, and at a time when I am comfortable with my bachelorhood. I've been single nearly 60 years, rather used to it.  The reflector oven works well, though it takes more time and attending than other ovens. However, it does work, it will cook food and sterilize water.

[ourjourney2007]

wow, awesome!!! You'd make a good catch for some single lady looking for a mate. :)

[EatTheWeeds]

Thanks but I don't even look anymore. Gave up on the idea. I think I've had one date in this century. But hey, I dance and cook.. could do worse....

[ourjourney2007]

I'm glad you gave up on the idea because here I am, all yours for the taking. I've been looking for a man who can take care of himself in the wild, I know you can take care of me and teach me quite a bit about survival and I love cats, got one of my own. I'm awaiting your acceptance of my Friends Request in Facebook. ~Lucy

[EatTheWeeds]

Lass, you're the first woman to pay any attention to me in years. ... I have to get used to the idea again..

[ourjourney2007]

I find that hard to believe Dean. Or maybe it wasn't meant to be for the other women except for me so I hope you get used to the idea again soon for my sake. Love to you and pets.

[pacornerpolska]

Fantastic video! I'll be trying this out at the weekend! :)

[RedHorse2006]

I thought your video collection was going to teach me about collecting wild edible plants. And I am very pleased to be correct on that. I love your videos!

However, little did I know just how much I was going to learn. I had heard of solar cookers. If I'd known it was this simple (and portable using the folding sunscreen,) I would have tried this cooking method long ago. I look forward to giving this a try very soon! It should work, at least in summer, here in Michigan. Thanks!

[EatTheWeeds]

Thank you... The windshield reflector requires adjusting every 15 minutes or so, horizontally and vertically, you want most of the light reflecting on the container. It will definitely cook stuff in 2 or 3 hours, depending on what it is.The key to its success is a black/dark pot/container and a tightly closed oven bag. In northern latitudes 10am and 2pm are the best times (solar time not daylight saving, which would be 11 and 3.) Cloudy days extend cooking time or if too cloudy prevent it.

[lenhoj85]

what are your other solar ovens like?

[EatTheWeeds]

One is a box oven and the other two are parabolic collectors, for frying....

[PhilipLeitch]

Great video.

[EatTheWeeds]

Thanks... I have to do something other than plants now and then...all plants and no play makes jack boring....

[dave777blaster]

Amazing Dean ,Green is the way ahead.

[lenhoj85]

what brand of solar oven wa that?

[gaiatechnician]

I am impressed. I do DIY solar research. My best solar cooker so far is a "compound parabolic" one but this year I expect to go better. It brings 7 liters (14 pints?) of water to the boil in a couple of hours. It costs about 25 dollars to make. I use a big black pot and a turkey bag round it. Why not leave the water in the cooker overnight, have it near the boil at 11 am, put in the food in the water and stew it?

Thank you

Brian

[EatTheWeeds]

Oh, there are all kinds of possibilities... I think all of these discarded three-meter satellite dishes would make great solar fryers... the barrier against solar is folks think X has to cook for two hours at 450F... three at 275F does it better....

[gaiatechnician]

They go out of focus really quickly, (you will pass out in the sun adjussing the thing) a hemisphere or part hemisphere is actually better and I have an instructable to use free software to find a better shape for a long cooking dish.

Brian

[EatTheWeeds]

It seems to me.... that there is, from one point of view, little difference between a parabolic collector and a telescope. If they have little motors to track home telescopes why not little motors to track parabolic cookers?

[enjoistaind]

brilliant video. thankyou.

[gands1102]

Awesome video Deane. Does it matter what the temperature outside is? I plan on trying this with a survival blanket and will definitely tell you my results. I live in the Midwest U.S. and the temperature is in the 40's and 50' s this time of year, will it work?

[EatTheWeeds]

They uses them in cold Canada in the winter successfully.

[artnuwa11]

Great video! Thanks, love your sense of humor.

[EatTheWeeds]

Just a frustrated comedian....

[artnuwa11]

I think most are us are very frustrated at this point. Have you ever poached/boiled eggs? Wondering about the time? Thanks again.

[EatTheWeeds]

No, I never tried to cook an egg but once the water is hot it shouldn't take long. Hot water is hot water.... unless I'm in it.

[fbt2007]

Great video Green Deane.

Makes me think how solar ovens would help in countries where people spend a good deal of the day gathering wood to cook with. There are some places, usually in hot dry areas, where wood is scarce and the locals have to travel farther and farther to find wood, not to mention the stress on the surrounding environment. A few of the inexpensively designed ones would go a long way in improving their lives. Thank you Green Deane for another great video.

[EatTheWeeds]

In an equatorial desert a solar oven would be a hot item! In some countries gathering enough wood to cook one meal is all that some people do all day, there is such little wood there. It is often unsafe as well. Inexpensive solar ovens or cookers make a real difference in their lives.

[justmyopinion01]

Never apologize for eating meat...

When do you ever hear a vegetarian apologize for eating plants...

Be who you are and be proud of it vegetarians and meat eaters alike.

[Snowwarrior]

hah, the last part was the best!

[1urbandevil]

Thanks for the video Green Deane!!!

You could also use a survival blanket as a reflector! And with an oven bag and some string, you would only need some sticks or something to hold up the survival blanket. ;-)

[EatTheWeeds]

I think it would work. Oven bags and survival blankets should be in every back pack.

[FishBrew21]

Great great idea. How much did the bigger solar cooker cost there Dean? Also, since you mentioned cider, I made a batch based off your episode there. It was a hit, and Ill definitely be making it again, thanks for the idea!

[EatTheWeeds]

The commercial oven runs between $150 and $200. I made one out of a wooden box I had.The materials ran me about $20. It get up to about 250, which is enough to cook with. I'm glad the cider worked. I have a couple of gallons I will be bottling tomorrow, not that it is difficult. It is what it is, a light, flavorful, easy to make alcoholic beverage. You would be surprise how many folks change the recipe then wonder why it didn't work...

[wolfuntamable]

Could you use a probe thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken while it's cooking? The only concern I would figure is the cable of the probe might not make the solar cooker airtight.

[EatTheWeeds]

Their are metal meat thermometers you could insert into the chicken. A crack in the lid would turn the oven into a dryer and would dramatically reduce the temperature in the oven.

[bjay100]

How long would the chicken have taken in the home-made portable cooker?

[EatTheWeeds]

It is not as efficient. On a sunny day about 3.5 to four hours. How cold the chicken is to start as well as whether the cooker is repositioned often makes the time difference. Cutting the chicken up and or putting it in a dark pot with a lid would also cut the time a lot. The best time to cook something large is 10 a..m to 2 p.m. or if need be 9 to 2. It too will steam up and be aromatic when done.

[HomesteadProvocateur]

Yum! This video is making my hungry. Do the radish greens lose their spiky texture once you cook em? HAHA, looks like your cat agrees with me!

[EatTheWeeds]

The greens go limp on cooking... yeah, Olive Whitecat's my official taste tester....

[dipswell]

funny, it goes against everything you've ever learned ( leaving raw chicken in the sun for a couple hours then eating it ) haha, but I have been thinking of making one this year and I think it will work out great.

[yardsnacker]

Awesome Green Deane! Keep up the great work! ;)

[RMCrowley]

thanks Green Deane

[baddogonline]

Good stuff... Thanks!

[RIHeron76]

Do you have problems with critters trying to get into your oven while the food is cooking?

[EatTheWeeds]

The inside, of course, is too hot for anything to bother. I've never had an creature bother the outside though I have sometimes thought a neighbor or two was not above taking it.

[Arc5vGyPsy]

Looking GOOOD Dean That was Pure Funk..... Solar cooker action makes me feel + Uplifted. Great facts btw, 165c = a good min cooking temperture. 180c = a good cooking temperture. 210c = a good max cooking temperture. Smokeless Cooking for sneaky travellers Might use that on my way to Sailsbury this year =]

[desire4liberation]

The portable solar cooker is BRILLIANT :-) thanks sooooo

[brockpierce1984]

Nice video, great advice!

Its certainly a good idea to cook your meals that way. But for such big meals it always depends on the area where you be and the season! Here in England I could just cook small portions with that method!

[deepwateralien]

good vid. Just want to mention that you still have to be aware of the weather around you. If you're to camp and use this check the weather first. Also if using this to help water purity saturate the water with oxygen before putting it in the sun (fill the container part way with air and shake it is one way to do it), that can help, something to do with hydrogen peroxide. Anyway, good stuff.

[EatTheWeeds]

As I mention on my website that twice I didn't check out the weather and clouds moved in when my meal was half cooked.

[dazigg]

...and that is a very good thing!

[hobbexp]

very interesting, thanks for showing 5/5

[mike29571]

I learned and I laughed. Great portable solar over design. Hard cider lol.

[BoingotheClown]

I have been wanting to try solar cooking for the past two years now. Maybe this year I will getting around to it.

[godsend420]

sun light every where except alaska most time of the year :P

this looks yummy 2 bad i cant cook :(

cats and hard cider ftw

[EatTheWeeds]

Then for six months you can cook all day...quite a few people in Canada can use solar ovens.

[wearealloneongaia]

Try rocket stove, extremely efficient and clean; uses very little wood and little fumes, no smoke. Instructions on youtube.

[EatTheWeeds]

Nice little stoves for a permanent place with fuel available. The majority of solar ovens and cookers are used in desert areas not because of available sun but rather a near absence of any fuel. For me solar cooking is my own little independence rebellion against the power company. I spent three of six week without electricity ofter three successive hurricanes in six weeks. Lots of trees down but too green or wet to burn. I was ready with bottled gas and my solar ovens.

[feralkevin]

I'm so hungry now!

[unicron24]

you are cool...

thanks for the vids...

more please........

[Tidnull]

cooool.. brings back memories of elementary school. we made a cooker out of a pizza box with the top cut off and replaced with plastic and the sides lined with foil. i cooked a hotdog but i never cooked anything like raw chicken. i want one now!

[odin422]

hahaha those are funny foodgroups!

5/5 video, i can now make a solar oven! SWEET!

[EatTheWeeds]

Fat, salt, sugar, alcohol and chocolate... those aren't the major food groups?

[odin422]

as long as it's green chocolate =)

[EatTheWeeds]

87% green...

[cutlerylover]

Great video Dean, I love the idea of making one but I would be more interested in buying something similar to what you have (the solar oven you cooked the chicken in), could you point me in the right direction perhaps to a site that offers something like that?

[EatTheWeeds]

Look into the solarovens organization

[mayaluvsmusic]

you maybe able to find the windshield screen at the second hand store!

[EatTheWeeds]

Absolutely... in fact, I found one near the Interstate..back up!

[vention4wh]

Great video. I'm into preparedness and that solar cooker looks like something I'd like to put on my shopping list. What did you pay and where can I get one?

Thanks for sharing.

[EatTheWeeds]

Are you referring to the black solar oven or the silver solar cooker? I paid $8 for the reflector, $4 for the velcro. The commercial oven is plastic and metal and pricey but if you use it often it pays for itself.

[ratmanrod]

dean you are a geinus i luv the sun blocker cooker lol Serious man thank for this and all your videos

[Mattrocks1231]

Wow that chicken looks AWESOME! I think you did a good job selecting the spices and other things!

[mayaluvsmusic]

yeh it does!