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”

Comment page:   [9] 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 »

1. 87 - troop 601 says:
   October 21st, 2008 at 6:45 pm

   were the best

2. 86 - jj says:
   October 20th, 2008 at 6:00 pm

   awesome

3. 85 - Optimus Prime says:
   October 19th, 2008 at 4:49 pm

   I made a HUGE one of thes with a moving box from Home Depot, it worked GREAT!!!

4. 84 - nathan118 says:
   October 4th, 2008 at 4:18 pm

   its cool but the robot is the best

5. 83 - Skater 1 says:
   September 29th, 2008 at 3:48 pm

   SWEET

6. 82 - WebeloScout530 says:
   September 14th, 2008 at 6:35 pm

   Im gonna ask my den leader if we can try this at scout camp

   It looks awesome

7. 81 - lobstahboy says:
   July 26th, 2008 at 4:15 pm

   i made a 90% finished grilled cheese in like two hours

8. 80 - 1240 says:
   July 15th, 2008 at 11:52 am

   this is grate but is it waterproof?

9. 79 - Troop 111 says:
   June 30th, 2008 at 7:20 am

   Very cool but in NY it’s hard too find a day with good weather while camping.

10. 78 - techtation says:
    May 27th, 2008 at 8:00 am

    thiss looks pretty kwell we have to do a project like this for a tech project

Comment page:   [9] 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 »

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