I Cooked Potatoes in the clam shaped solar cooker

[bobWsterguy]

excellent... still hoping you make what you think is an ideal solar collector template that we can copy and physically test. You seem to know better designs than the parabolic shapes we are apt to use. I will keep watching for a template. Tx. Bob

[gaiatechnician]

There is a template on the solar cooking wiki.

Search for clam shaped solar.

I made a model, and made a template on the model. Then I magnified the dimensions. It is a pain!, Measure, calculate, measure! Maybe you can download the template and get a print shop to blow it up?

I never put "ribs" under my clam shape to keep it exactly right. If you do that, you should get much better performance. Also, nearer the equator, you can just lay the thing on the ground. Brian

[armanflint]

Invest in or build your own tripod for your camera... Your video jerks around when you move and is tough to watch for long periods. 212 degrees is pretty impressive. What about using smoke colored pyrex glass as opposed to a plastic bag?

[gaiatechnician]

I have a tripod. and I know that my videos make people physically ill. The theory is that someone else, with training, will remake them to put those people out of their misery.

The pyrex would probably work either smoked or clear. But the plastic bag has lower heat capacity and fits nicely over the cooking pot.

[wizardangel]

good concept ,but some room for modification -slice the spuds would help a lot ,but this reflrctor biz ,well use it to heat stones and then place foods in container with heated stones ringed around pot ,darkstones gather more heat and might make a great bakeing concept. I have often cooked rice in just a loose lid jar just setting in the sun ,about 3hrs ,,our clear sun days are few lately though.solar dehydration is what I am goaling for - Great work you do,,many thanks for the idea's you share!

[gaiatechnician]

I just wanted a quick experiment with cooking something, I definitely should have sliced the bigger potatoes in half.

My experiments are usually boiling water. Bringing water to the boil is a way more reliable way to find out the potential value of a solar cooker BUT most people do not know that.

There is lots of room for modification. I need to keep the shape of the reflector EXACTLY the same as the small model. Careful measurements, scaling it up and wood backing may do the trick,

[trailkeeper]

Potatoes are one of the difficult vegetables to cook. it perhaps takes two to three times as long in the heat to soften the potatoe as compared to alot of other things. So I guess it would work even better on other things. You mentioned steaming also ; perhaps maby just put them in some water just up to the top of the potatoes - the hot water being the thermal mass to transfer heat to the items being cooked. Nice temp. though ; close to 100C (water boiling) with this one.

[gaiatechnician]

I got water to boil easily in the same pot in my old "compound parabolic" solar cooker a few years back. 7 liters of water! So, if you put in 3 liters, bring it to the boil, and then add the veggy and meat, you would have a LOT of soup! (but that was in September) which has better sun than February at my place.