typical solar cooking day, part 1

I wanted to show what I usually cook on a typical day of solar cooking when the sky is good and clear. Today, I cooked a peach cobbler type cake, and I wanted to show you the focal point of the sun to show why it cooks so hot. Also, to show you my new cooker, made simply out of a large steel bowl, with two large clear glass bowls to hold heat in, which had a pie pan with a cake rack to lift the pot up so heat circulates underneat the pot for thorough cooking. I am cooking rice, and it only took 2 hours to slow cook, almost got over done on the top because of the focal point on the top of the rice.

The reflector, also made from simple posterboard you would buy for a school project, and aluminum foil glued to it with cheap elmers type glue, only paid 50 cents for it. I dilute the glue 50/50 water/glue, then brush it on the posterboard, and lay the foil on with shiney side facing up.

Sorry again for the videos being so short, my digital camera has only 60 seconds at a time for video, and I don't have anyone here during the day to hold the camera for me to fit more into that 60 seconds.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• solar
• oven

[HandsomeSasquatch]

Hi, I am planning to make a solar oven and gluing aluminum foil to the sides of a box....do you know if the glue gets too hot from the cooking if it will cause toxic gas to contaminate the food? is there a certain type of glue i should use?

[solarcookingnut]

@HandsomeSasquatch HI, I just use non toxic elmers school glue or similar. they don't gas off.

[RJBURG]

I been making solar cookers lately. I just made one like yours but only 12 by12 small used a alum veg strainer and saw bust for insulation. The sun had only one hour left a pan with glass cover and in a turkey bag got up to 140 f and that with a weak sun . rain next 3 days then do a cook out thanks solarcooking nut for the idea. see my cookers on here

[solarcookingnut]

@RJBURG HEY, great to hear from you! So glad you are making more! I will go check your vids! I haven't used this one this year, need to get it out and work the lid I made over, the bags I used finally deteriorated so I never got around to fixing it so I could cook in it again. thanks for keeping me posted!

[Daymack]

Very, very cool! it look like fun to me :) is this also possible in winter, when the sun is very weak?

[solarcookingnut]

@Daymack Yes, solar cooking CAN be done in the winter but you need more reflectors. I can't solar cook much in the winter because we have a ridge of hills behind our property and the sun doesn't hit in my yard until late February. The more reflectors you have, and unobstructed sun most of the day, you WILL be able to solar cook!

[PalmyBruce]

Great idea to use a shiny bowl as the container for the cooking vessel.

[LiquidChem]

if do do the math, and print out a true parabaloid shape and cut out your reflector from that, it would be MUCH more effective! hope i could help (you have partial parabolas)

[Daymack]

@solarcookingnut Ah ok nice, its a cheap and effective way of cooking! I like it..

[solarcookingnut]

You are very welcome! once you know the basics of how to solar cook and all the different kinds of cookers and ovens, there really is no end of the ideas you can come up with to cook with the sun.

Hope you try it out!