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.
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.