Solar Cooking

[coastie]

So I got out the solar cooker this weekend. It is a Cookit from SCI.

http://www.solarcookers.org/catalog/cookit-p-44.html

Basically it is cardboard laminated with aluminum foil. It folds flat and takes up almost no space. I dont know about the long term durability because of the cardboard but they are short money. Plans for them are all over the internet if you want to make one. You cook in a black pot inside a clear oven bag.

I have made and tried several different types in the past with mixed success. This one works slick. I did rice, beans and corn in it. Set the cooker up on the patio, put the food into the pot, put the pot in the bag and set the whole thing in the oven. Came back a few hours later and it was done. I didnt adjust the cooker to chase the sun or anything. Just set it and forget it. The Cookit wont get hot enough to bake bread but it will cook roasts and meat and most other things. I am going to try to mess with using a large clear plastic or glass bowl over the pot instead of the bag.

I like not having to tend a fire or really watch the pot. It is like a slow cooker. Set it up and go do chores. Check on it in a couple hours. No fuel consumed. Obviously you cant use it every day but I like the idea of having a number of options for cooking.

 

[Boghog1]

I have been wanting to try a solar cooker for some time. I wasn't sure how the like of yours would do. I have seen demonstrations where they cook bread but those seemed over the top. do you have any experience with other types?

I found these http://solarcooking.org/plans/

any input?

 

[coastie]

I have been wanting to try a solar cooker for some time. I wasn't sure how the like of yours would do. I have seen demonstrations where they cook bread but those seemed over the top. do you have any experience with other types?

I found these http://solarcooking.org/plans/
any input?

I have tried the windshield reflector one and a couple of the different box style. The Cookit gets hotter than both. I do think with more improvements like a glass or plastic bowl instead of the bag and a stand to elevate the pot I can get it hotter. Dont know if it would be enough to make bread. These are ideas I have pulled off the net. There are a couple of designs similar to the Cookit that are made out of plastic corrugated board instead of cardboard. I might try to make a couple of these when I get a chance.

From what I understand with regards to bread, ovens like the Sun Oven are the way to go but they are very expensive. I think if I lived in AZ I would get one in a heartbeat but I cant justify the cost in the Northeast where I am surrounded by wood.

 

[Boghog1]

for the money I may give the cookit a try.

 

[xtry51]

I'm going to give one of those a try

 

[ShadeWPI]

I have a deck that thanks to my rear neighbor, now has a very clear southern solar view. Definately sounds worth of a try.

 

[coastie]

They have a kit that includes the pot, a couple of bags and a rig to tell when your water is safe to drink if you use the solar oven for water purification. For the price I would recommend trying it out. Beware that you will get stuff from SCI asking for donations etc as there big thing is getting these out to Africa.

 

[xtry51]

Maybe I'll build a glass enclosure for it.

 

[MisterHappy]

INteresting.

what other alternate cooking methods have you encountered?

My dad, back in his Army days, used to wire c-rats to the engine of his truck....

 

[el duderino]

I dont entirely remember how but we made our own in 8th grade science and cooked pizza in them, mine worked pretty good. Takes a bit longer but it certainly works.

 

[coastie]

INteresting.

what other alternate cooking methods have you encountered?

My dad, back in his Army days, used to wire c-rats to the engine of his truck....

I have cooked on my engine a couple of times. There are a number of websites that have a lot of info. We just wrapped our food in heavy duty aluminum foil. We cooked stuff like chicken and veggies and hot dogs. Worked fine. If you heat cans make sure you poke a hole in them or they will explode.

For saving fuel look into the haybox and thermos cooking. THe haybox is just a box filled with an insulating material that you put a hot pot into and the food slowly cooks from the retained heat. You can use just about anything. We made a stew and wrapped it in towels and blankets in a cooler. It works kind of like a slow cooker.

THermos cooking is just using a thermos and boiling water. I have made rice, oatmeal and pasta in one. Just take a thermos put in your food and then pour the water in. Cap the thermos and let it sit. The food cooks away. Oatmeal was the best because you can just put it in the thermos and go to bed. In the AM you have a hot breakfast. This method takes some experimenting to get the right amount of water and time. Both the rice and pasta have been hit or miss for me. The oatmeal has been great. The key is to also use a good thermos.

I think it is very important to have a number of ways to cook long and slow particularly because a lot of LTS foodis things like rice, beans and grains. These take a while to cook and prep. Anyway I can make that less labor intensive and less fuel use frees up time to do other things.

 

[coastie]

Another thing that I havent played with much is a pressure cooker. I have and use several pressure canners but I havent cooked in a pressure cooker. From what I have read they significantly cut down on cooking times saving fuel. Might be a project for tomorrow.

 

[maryz]

im gonna try it too.... probably its cheaper than the ordinary one

 

[ns939393]

I made one out of mirrors and used a cast iron skillet to cook in.
Left it on the deck. The wind moved the mirrors and changed the focus.
Now I get to look at the melt marks left on my vinyl siding every time I walk into the house.
Be carefull they are not toys.

 

[Knob Creek]

Resurecting this thread after I saw this:

http://www.gosunstove.com/collections/solar-ovens

 

[xtry51]

I posted about this in another thread. The big problem I have with those are how delicate the tubes are. In fact they had some on TopChef and several got broken in one use. The other problem is the size limitation. I'd rather have a few of these:

https://www.amazon.com/All-Season-S...TF8&qid=1466682449&sr=8-7&keywords=solar+oven