BL Workshop

Solar-powered cooking

By Julie Monahan
Illustrations by Jameson Simpson
From the August 2005 Boys' Life magazine

You don’t need four burners and a gas line to make some great-tasting trail food. All you need is plenty of sunlight. Make your own solar oven and feed the whole group. Solar ovens work by bouncing sunlight off a reflective surface into a pot. The hotter the pot, the faster your food will cook. It’s easy to make—and cheap.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• A pizza box
• Black construction paper
• Aluminum foil
• Plastic window covering
• Permanent marker
• Glue
• Tape
• Scissors
• Ruler
• String

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

STEP 1: Line the inside bottom of the box with foil.

STEP 2: Cover foil with black paper and tape in place.

STEP 3: Set the plastic under the box and trace the outline of the box.

STEP 4: Remove the box and draw another outline 1⁄4-inch inside the first outline and cut along inside line.

STEP 5: Close the box cover, and draw another line 1 inch from each side.

STEP 6: Cut along the lines on the front and sides—not the back.
STEP 7: Open the cover and line the inside with foil.

STEP 8: Glue foil in place.

STEP 9: Cover foil with the cut plastic and tape in place.

STEP 10: All layers should be airtight and wrinkle-free.

STEP 11: On the outside of the box cover, attach a string long enough to keep the flap open and let the sun shine in.

STEP 12: Once you have the oven, all you need is the sun. Choose a spot that will get at least several hours of direct sun away from any strong wind.

TRY IT OUT
Solar cooking takes a little practice. Try this recipe first:

Solar Oven S’mores:
Ingredients:

• Graham crackers
• Milk chocolate bars
• Marshmallows

Place graham crackers next to each other on the bottom of a black cast-iron pot. Black pots are best because they absorb and retain the sun’s heat better than light-colored pans. Top each cracker with a piece of chocolate and a marshmallow. Put a glass lid over the pot and place the pot in the center of your solar oven. When the marshmallow is gooey, take out the crackers and add the second layer of graham crackers on top to complete it.

Read 87 comments about “Solar-powered cooking”

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1. 57 - Anonymous says:
   August 16th, 2007 at 1:04 pm

   

2. 56 - high says:
   August 4th, 2007 at 6:56 am

   i like money

3. 55 - meatman says:
   July 28th, 2007 at 4:23 pm

   cool:)

4. 54 - Derrick, Age 10, Florida says:
   July 26th, 2007 at 2:19 pm

   I love the idea of solar cooking! My family cooks out every Saturday and we always make dessert with the solor oven. At first I made s’mores, but now I have expanded my recipe list to enclude chocolate chip cookies too. You can find more great recipes by serching on the web (with a parent’s permission) for “Solar Oven Recipes” or “Solar Powered Cooking.” Also, the great thing about these solar ovens is that you can bring them on camping trips and cook food right at your campsite without having to bring your whole oven. As for the project, I got help from an adult, but it wasn’t boring work, and I enjoyed making the oven. I couldn’t wait to taste those s’mores, they are the best part! 2 thumbs up for this one. (Or maybe just one, because I’m holding a huges s’more in the other hand!!)

5. 53 - troop98 says:
   July 7th, 2007 at 11:30 am

   care full i burned myself once on these :0

6. 52 - troop98 says:
   July 7th, 2007 at 11:28 am

   Are troop tried this and when we finished we sold the for $10.00 a pop and made a fortune. these are awesome
   

7. 51 - 123456789 says:
   July 5th, 2007 at 6:38 pm

   I haven`t tried it yet, but that is another non green house gas thing off the list.

8. 50 - pikachu says:
   June 27th, 2007 at 1:24 pm

   this is the best thing

9. 49 - Jedi says:
   June 27th, 2007 at 10:53 am

   Love it!

10. 48 - Old Scout 1960 era says:
    June 5th, 2007 at 11:02 pm

    Ac tually it is quite workable.
    In one case something like this was shown to reffuges in a camp in Africa. One tribal group that seemed impervious to new ideas tried it and soon started taking courses in other subjects.

    Do a GOOGLE search on Solar Cookers, Solar Stoves, ect.
    Another good source “Fun With the Sun” by D. S. Hallacy.

    Simple cookers can be made from three reflector panels (like two walls and a floor), a dark colored glass jar with lid (to hold the food) and a plastic roasting bag. The three panels form a two walls, corner and floor structure. Put the food in the jar and add water to cover and close the jar. Put the jar in the bag. Put the bag in the reflector corner. Inflate the bag slightly and tie it shut. The bag helps to trap hot air around the jar.

    I have heard a rumor that if you lay a closed one liter pop bottle half full of water in the sun for six hours the water will get hot enough to kill microorganisms. I would advise against testing this method but try to see how hot the water can get as a Science Fair project.

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