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How to make a simple solar cooker to understand the use of solar energy

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Solar Oven Construction and How They Work

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Solar Oven Construction and How They Work

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Do you need to understand how a solar oven works to build one? Not necessarily...but it'll probably help you build the best one possible!

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If you've ever stepped barefoot onto blacktop on a sweltering summer day, you're probably already painfully familiar with the extraordinary heating power of the sun. Harnessing this free energy is the crux of solar cooking - a fast, renewable, pollution-free method of food preparation. Solar cooking has long been on the agenda of ideal sustainable living practices, but with new innovations and dwindling natural resources, there's hope to have a fully powered solar eating future ahead.

Cooking Greenhouse Style

Traditional solar cooking uses reflectors to capture the sun's rays. This light is directed to a focal point, which is typically a solar cooking box, that then traps and converts the sunlight into heat energy. This reflection of light into a box is like a miniature version of the greenhouse effect that warms the earth's atmosphere.

Solar heat is free, emissions-free, and available year-round regardless of air temperature. When harnessed properly, the thermal energy of the sun's rays can cook nearly anything that an oven or stovetop range can. The biggest difference is that there's no cost to you or to the environment.

How Much Energy Does Cooking Your Meal Require?

If you are the average American, a moderate percentage of your electric or gas bill is going toward heating your food. Appliance use accounts for 13 percent of household energy costs, with refrigeration, cooking, and laundry at the top of the list. If you live in of the 80 percent of households that own a grill, you are likely spending an additional $5 to $20 per month depending upon method used (charcoal or gas grilling).

The cost of solar cooking is minimal. A basic solar cooking box can be handmade for around $5 to $25. Manufactured units range from $25 to upward of $500 depending upon the complexity and materials used.

Getting Started by Building a Solar Cooking Box

It's an easy, low-cost proposition to try out solar cooking to see whether it's a practice you're comfortable adding to your culinary repertoire. A simple solar cooking box takes less than an hour to construct using these readily available materials:

* Two cardboard boxes (12 x 12 x 12 or larger). One box should be bigger than the other, with a 1½-inch gap between the boxes for insulating.
* Sheet of cardboard
* Aluminum foil or Mylar bubble wrap
* Newspaper
* Foil tape or duct tape
* Black construction paper
* Non-toxic glue
* Glass (sized to fit, slightly overlapping the top of the larger cardboard box opening)
* Scissors

You can find tons of free videos on the Internet with simple construction designs to create various styles. To get started making a basic cooker, follow the diagram and steps below.

The idea here is to place one box inside the other, which creates an insulated chamber. First, cut the flaps from the boxes, leaving one flap intact from the larger (outer) box to use as a hinge. Fully cover the inside bottom of the inner (smaller) box with black construction paper and glue in place. Cover the sides of the inner box with foil (or Mylar bubble wrap) and glue in place. Cut the cardboard sheet the same size as the opening of the outer (larger) box. Cover one side of the sheet of cardboard with foil (or Mylar bubble wrap) and glue in place.

Next, seal the edges of the inner box and cardboard with foil tape (or duct tape). Crumple newspaper and use it to line the bottom of the outer box. This is your insulation for the cooker. Make sure that enough newspaper is used to lift the inner box so that the edges are level with the outer box when placed inside. Place the inner (smaller) box inside the outer (larger) box. Pack in crumpled newspaper on all sides to insulate. The inner box should now fit snugly inside the outer box. Tape the foil-covered cardboard sheet to the remaining flap of the outer (larger box), with the foil side facing the inside of the box. This is your sun reflector. Place glass on top of the opening of the solar cooker. Position the solar reflector to collect and direct the sun's rays into the box. Tip: use a sturdy piece of wire or wood to help keep reflector propped in the ideal position.

Cooking With Your Solar Oven

To cook, simply lift the glass lid of the solar cooker and place the pan or pot with food inside the box and place the glass lid back on. Position the solar reflector to collect the sun's rays and heat. Cooking times and temperatures will vary in homemade solar cookers. The average box cooker will reach temperatures around 250 to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. You can test the temperature of your solar cooking box using a standard oven thermometer.

With very little to lose and plenty of free eco-friendly energy to gain, it's easy to see why solar cooking is an ideal method to utilize. This form of cooking is not only great for preparing a nice, warm meal but also ideal for pasteurizing water. In times of "boil water" advisories or in areas where lack of clean water is an issue, solar cooking methods can be life-saving.

There are some drawbacks to solar cooking, though, that should be taken into consideration when determining whether solar cooking is going to be beneficial for you: Reliance on sunshine. To harness the benefits of solar cooking, you must have access to the sun. Solar cookers are ineffective on overcast days and at night. Rainy days can also put a huge damper on solar cooking efforts.

Restrictive cooking times. You will have to plan your solar cooking to maximize daylight hours. If you need four hours to cook your meal, you will not be able to begin the process two hours prior to sunset. For people who work outside the home or those who do not have time to monitor the solar cooking process, solar cooking may not be a feasible option.

Inefficiency of heat retention. Solar cooking in winter in cold-weather climates can be difficult, as the unit will lose its warmth easily. Unlike conventional ovens, solar cookers typically do not have the ability to retain heat in extreme weather conditions or when the sunshine is sporadic.

On the upside, the drawbacks are also what contribute to solar cooked meals having excellent taste and less chance of over-cooking. Because it is a slow cooking method, solar cooking can mean that meals are often rich in flavor, more nutrients are preserved, and it's difficult to burn food.

Is Solar Cooking for Me?

Still not sure whether solar cooking is for you? Test out the method for a few of your summer meals or use a solar cooker for your next camping trip to conserve fuel while helping to reduce emissions and improve the air quality in your environment. Solar cooking is a fast, portable, versatile, fuel-free, renewable, clean, and non-polluting energy alternative. The bottom line is that, with the low monetary investment and ease of utilizing solar cooking methods, it's a worthwhile culinary venture to utilize!

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If you've ever stepped barefoot onto blacktop on a sweltering summer day, you're probably already painfully familiar with the extraordinary heating power of the sun. Harnessing this free energy is the crux of solar cooking - a fast, renewable, pollution-free method of food preparation.

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This won't help you build your oven, but will help you figure out where you want to place it outside!

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Solar Cooking Safety Requires a Little Knowledge.

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Now that the seasons are changing in many areas, solar cooking safety becomes a bit more of a challenge with cloudy weather, cooler temperatures and shorter days. A good rule to follow for most solar cookers, especially homemade ones is that you can solar cook when the length of your shadow on the ground is shorter than your height.

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It says it's hot enough to make S'mores...will it cook a pizza?

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Harness the energy of the Sun to make the best snack ever invented, S'mores!

A solar oven is a box that traps some of the Sun's energy to make the air inside the box hotter than the air outside the box. In other words, the solar oven is like a super greenhouse.

You will need:

Cardboard box with attached lid. Lid should have flaps so that the box can be closed tightly. Box should be at least 3 inches deep and big enough to set a pie tin inside.

Aluminum foil

Clear plastic wrap

Glue stick

Tape (transparent tape, duct tape, masking tape, or whatever you have)

Stick (about 1 foot long) to prop open reflector flap. (Use a skewer, knitting needle, ruler, or whatever you have.)

Ruler or straight-edge

Box cutter or Xacto knife (with adult help, please!)

How to make the solar oven:
CAUTION:
Have an adult cut the box with the box cutter or blade.

Using the straight edge as a guide, cut a three-sided flap out of the top of the box, leaving at least a 1-inch border around the three sides.

Cover the bottom (inside) of the flap with aluminum foil, spreading a coat of glue from the glue stick onto the cardboard first and making the foil as smooth as possible.

Line the inside of the box with aluminum foil, again gluing it down and making it as smooth as possible.

Tape two layers of plastic wrap across the opening you cut in the lid-one layer on the top and one layer on the bottom side of the lid.

Test the stick you will use to prop the lid up. You may have to use tape or figure another way to make the stick stay put.

Put the oven to work

Set the oven in the direct Sun on a sunny day when the outdoor temperature is at least 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Prop the flap open to reflect the light into the box. You will probably have to tape the prop in place. Preheat the oven for at least 30 minutes.

To make S'mores, you will need:

Graham crackers

Large marshmallows

Plain chocolate bars (thin)

Aluminum pie pan

Napkins!

Break graham crackers in half to make squares. Place four squares in the pie pan. Place a marshmallow on each.
IMPORTANT! Note that unlike most recipes, our s'mores have the marshmallow UNDER the chocolate. That's because, in the solar oven, it takes the marshmallow longer to melt than the chocolate.
Place the pan in the preheated solar oven.

Close the oven lid (the part with the plastic wrap on it) tightly, and prop up the flap to reflect the sunlight into the box.

Depending on how hot the day is, and how directly the sunlight shines on the oven, the marshmallows will take 30 to 60 minutes to get squishy when you poke them.

Then, open the oven lid and place a piece of chocolate (about half the size of the graham cracker square) on top of each marshmallow. Place another graham cracker square on top of the chocolate and press down gently to squash the marshmallow.

Close the lid of the solar oven and let the Sun heat it up for a few minutes more, just to melt the chocolate a bit.

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Explore this website - there are lots of links you might find useful.

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Sunshine On My Shoulder Solar Cooking Guide

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Building a solar oven is a great school science project for kids. Whether at home, school, or scouts, homemade solar oven projects for kids are fun activities that can be incorporated into many different lesson plans, including:

Science : solar energy projects; solar power, effects of heat

Environment & Conservation : recycling; living green; energy & fuel conservation

Life skills & self sufficiency: cooking

Emergency Preparedness/Alternate fuel sources : cooking without fire/cooking without electricity

Health: making safe drinking water

HOW TO MAKE A SOLAR OVEN

To make a solar oven, three things are needed:

First, you need a heat-safe pot or container to hold the food. A dark colored metal or glass container works best and a handle makes it easy to hold and use. Metal mugs are sold at camping stores and Wal-mart. Be aware that this container will get very very hot. You will need a potholder.

Second, you must have a heat trap, something that can trap and hold the heat. This can be a tinfoil lined box with a glass cover, an upside down glass bowl, or a clear cooking bag. The heat trap will need to be closed tightly to keep the heat from escaping.

Third, you must have a reflector. Reflectors direct the sun rays into the heat trap so that the box will heat quicker.

Here are 6 solar oven projects for kids to make.

1) Solar Bowling Oven This oven consists of two nesting glass bowls and a reflector made from cardboard covered with aluminum foil.

2) Shoe Box Solar Oven This is very similar to the pizza box solar oven, but will hold a little bit larger cooking pot. So there are more menu possibilities.

3) Pringle's can Hot Dog cooker A very simple solar cooker can be made using a Pringle's potato chip can, or other similar shaped can.

4) Sunbrella The Sunbrella uses an old umbrella to make a parabolic solar cooker.

5) Pizza Box Solar Oven This homemade solar cooker is a very popular solar oven project for kids. Maybe it's because they get to eat the pizza first. Or maybe it is because the materials are so readily available. It is a very easy project, but the younger children may need some help.

6) Windshield Shade Solar Cooker The windshield shade solar cooker makes a great solar oven project for the school Science Fair. Despite it's low-tech and short-term look, it is actually a very efficient cooker . It is a lightweight and portable making it an excellent choice as an emergency solution cooker.

Bonus #7) If you would like to make a more substantial solar cooker, take a look at the Purple Fig Solar Cooker designed by S. Clausson. It is lightweight, collapsible, inexpensive, and it works. She has graciously shared her design on the internet.

As with any cooking method, the pots get very hot. You will need to take every precaution with hot pots that you would take in the kitchen. For very young children, I would suggest that adults do the cooking.

For safety tips, cooking techniques, and quick and easy menu suggestions to make in homemade solar oven projects, go to Kids in the (Solar) Kitchen. For additional cooking techniques, look HERE.

UPDATE: Here is a very easy solar oven project that is suitable for even very small children. I developed the design and the recipes myself at the request of a kindergarten teacher for her classroom. It is low cost, quick and easy to make, and each child can have his own cooker. Please see Easy Science Project for Kids and the 6 Easy Recipes to use in this oven.

Solar Cooking!

So Easy!

So Good!

So Solar!

Thank you for solar cooking with Sunshine On My Shoulder.

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Building a solar oven is a great school science project for kids.