We've been experimenting with solar energy lately and learning how it can be beneficial for many things. The temperatures this summer have been incredibly high, with one day being over 119 degrees. We've been using these hot days and full sun to cook some food via solar cooker. Solar panels are nothing new, but solar energy can be harnessed into cooking, as well. The last few months we did a few experiments and tried out different things to cook with solar power. We constructed this solar cooker and began "cooking" different types of foods.
The hot dogs were veggie dogs and they took about four hours to heat up enough to consider them "cooked."
The marshmallows are Dandies and they took about six hours to cook enough to be creamy on the inside. They were delicious after cooking in almost 120 degree sun most of the day. We will definitely be doing this experiment again.
You can make this same style of solar cooker, here's how:
2 sheets of cardboard (we used plywood instead of cardboard to make it sturdier) 7 1/2" x 30"
2 pieces of posts (we used garden stakes and cut them to length) 2" x 2" x 12"
1 sheets of poster board, or cardboard (we used cardboard) to line the bottom of the cooker
12" of aluminum foil
2 pieces of wood to hold cooking skewer (we used garden stakes and cut them to length) 1" x 1" x 13 1/2"
Wooden dowel, or bamboo rod (we used a marshmallow wood cooking skewer)
Small nails or screws
1. Use a knife and cut a curve in the carboard. If using plywood, cut to length shown above. We had Home Depot cut ours down and then shaped them better at home with our own saw. We sanded down the edges a bit, as not to get splinters or cuts.
2. Place the connecter stakes between the two ends and secure with small screws. Now you should have what resembles a boat shape.
3. Place your small boat shape over the poster board or cardboard and mark your lines as you rock the shape up and down to mark the top and bottom. Cut out and place inside your cooker for the bottom.
Using a drill, drill out the top of your cooking boards that will hold the cooking rod/skewer. Place them on either side of the cooker and screw into place with the notches facing up.
Glue the aluminum foil to the bottom.
Place the food you're going to cook onto the skewer and place each side into the notches on your cooking boards.
Place cooker in direct and constant sunlight for several hours. Be sure to solar cook foods that if undercooked won't cause illness.
The sun will cook your food because of the aluminum foil reflecting the heat back onto your foods. Because of the slight curve in the cooker, it concentrates the heat in one place, furthermore helping cook the item. We used a bug net over the top of our food to keep bugs and other insects off what we were cooking.
