Solar Oven Info

[dianer29]

I am considering purchasing a solar oven that can be used here on The Big Island. I would like some input please on the following concerns: are there recipes available especially vegetarian,would it be feasible and productive given our humidity due to living in the tropics(100 inches rain a year average), anyone use one for awhile that is happy with the general overall purchase?Cooking untensils that need to be used?
We cannot build one as supplies are super expensive here usually and both my husband and I are not good at constructing things. Mahola!

 

[freemotion]

All you need is a sturdy cardboard box and a roll of heavy duty aluminum foil. Then a black lidded pot. Voila. Simple solar cooker. It might be a good idea to start with this boyscout type first to see if you like it and if it works well enough for you. You do need sunshine during the hottest part of the day.

I admit I have not made one yet as we have had nothing but rain for the past 2 summers. But I have thoroughly researched it and have my black pot! I was just thinking it would be a good way to evaporate some sea salt before the oil hits Cape Cod Bay.

 

[FarmerDenise]

All you need is a sturdy cardboard box and a roll of heavy duty aluminum foil. Then a black lidded pot. Voila. Simple solar cooker. It might be a good idea to start with this boyscout type first to see if you like it and if it works well enough for you. You do need sunshine during the hottest part of the day.

I admit I have not made one yet as we have had nothing but rain for the past 2 summers. But I have thoroughly researched it and have my black pot! I was just thinking it would be a good way to evaporate some sea salt before the oil hits Cape Cod Bay.

I think that's a great idea, and what an excellent reason to go to the beach! At least I think I have more time, before the oil hits our coast

 

[patandchickens]

Humidity doesn't really matter materially for a solar *oven* - it just matters for *dehydrators*.

I had a book out of our library last year that was all recipes for solar cookers, and IIRC many were vegetarian. Really anything vegetarian you can make in a slow-cooker, or anything that just involves "cook da veggies til they're cooked", should be fine in a solar oven.

There are good DIY designs available online you might look at.

Cookware wise, you need a small dark-colored metal pot that is the same size as whatever you're gonna cook (i.e. so that the food and liquid fill it entirely). Around here, thrift stores often have black enamelware cookware, you might take a look at what's around your area.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat, really really gonna build a solar oven or dehydrator sometime this summer, but it is too darn hot right now and I am in a MAJOR time bind with needs for sheep fencing, dog fencing, and chickens needing a new run, sigh.

 

[Ldychef2k]

I built my solar cooker for less than $10, and you can even go cheaper.

http://solarcooking.wikia.com/wiki/Windshield_Shade_Solar_Cooker

Got an SUV sized reflector for $6 on sale at k-Mart. Used chip clips to hold it together the first time, and then sewed velcro on it when I found out it would work.

Bucket was free, had one already. Don't really need one, can set it on the ground.

Dollar store cake rack. Black pot. Clear glass lid. The one in the picture also used a turkey roasting bag.

Only modification I made was to make a brace out of a wrapping paper tube and non stick shelf lining to hold the sides apart.

Folds up and slides behind the couch when not in use.

Test run took a casserole from frozen solid to bubbly hot in 90 minutes.

 

[MsPony]

All you need is a sturdy cardboard box and a roll of heavy duty aluminum foil. Then a black lidded pot. Voila. Simple solar cooker. It might be a good idea to start with this boyscout type first to see if you like it and if it works well enough for you. You do need sunshine during the hottest part of the day.

I admit I have not made one yet as we have had nothing but rain for the past 2 summers. But I have thoroughly researched it and have my black pot! I was just thinking it would be a good way to evaporate some sea salt before the oil hits Cape Cod Bay.

I think that's a great idea, and what an excellent reason to go to the beach! At least I think I have more time, before the oil hits our coast

Wait how is this possible? Now im freaking out. If BP messes with my surfing and fishing, I will be even more angry.

 

[Bethanial]

Resurrecting to ask a question: I've been considering a solar oven for a long time, especially one of the cheap DIY versions for 1st go. But my big concern is that we are overrun with ants. Put food out of ANY sort and they WILL come! (I can't even keep a hummingbird feeder out; once they find out, it's cleaned out in a couple days. And we have to feed the yard cats twice a day, just what they'll eat at one sitting.)

So has anybody with ant issues tried a solar oven, and successfully kept the ants out of the food?

Thanks for your help!

 

[k0xxx]

So has anybody with ant issues tried a solar oven, and successfully kept the ants out of the food?

When we lived in south Louisiana, we had a lot of problems with ants getting into our worm beds and cricket cages. The solution for us was to use an old metal table to set the beds and cages on, place the four legs of the table into tuna cans, and then add about a half inch of oil into the cans. That way the ants would have to go through the oil just to get to the table legs.

Any type of structure with metal legs would work. The only drawback to using this method with a solar oven, that I can see, would be that the cans would have to be picked up after each use to keep them from filling with water when it rains. Otherwise, it should work. We used old motor oil, as the table was in a detached garage, but I would suspect that a more environmental friendly oil (olive or vegetable) could be used outside.

Edited to correct FFS (Fat Finger Syndrome)

 

[Bethanial]

Thanks! Somebody gave me an idea (they called it an ant trap) to help with my hummingbird feeder. I'd probably just fill cans with vinegar - kills ants dead on contact - D.E.A.D! That should work, and be environmentally friendly, as long as I don't mind losing a little grass right around the cans in case it sloshes/overflows during rain....

 

[heyroxie]

This is just me being a noob but wow. I've never head of a solar over before. For anyone who already has this. What kinds of food have you guys tried to cook in your solar oven? How long does it take to cook too?

Thanks.

Rox