Its easy to build a solar cooker

Have you heard about solar cooking?  That is, placing your meal in a contraption outdoors and returning hours later to a fully-cooked dinner – without the need for wires or electricity?  Perhaps you didn’t know that you can build a solar cooker.

Its true, there are a number of plan kits on the market that you can purchase.  For the extremely modest price of about $5-7 (although some kits are as much as $20), you’ll have a solar oven that you can use camping, hiking or in your own backyard.

Benefits of solar cooking include:

• No need to build a fire (this is safer, and also more eco-friendly because you don’t need fuel for a campfire)
• No wasted energy as is associated with conventional oven cooking (pre-heating and cool down)
• No use of electricity or natural gas – this type of meal preparation is 100% emission free
• Convenient – think of it as nature’s own slow cooker!  Put in your ingredients and return 4-5 hours later for your meal

A basic solar cooker

Solar cookers are extremely important for developing nations, where communities live miles off the grid and need reliable, safe ways to prepare their meals.  When you purchase a solar cooker kit from CooKit, a portion of the price goes to support relief organizations in Third World Countries.

So, what do you need to build a solar cooker?  The most basic models require only:

• Cardboard or plywood
• Aluminum foil or other reflective, flexible coating
• Scissors, glue or other adhesive materials

That’s it! The function is based on the folding of cardboard or construction of plywood, which is outlined in the solar oven kits.

Other solar cooker options

Other sturdier options include a wooden frame in which the solar cooker will sit (see photo to the left).  These will require some basic carpentry skills, but are still easy enough to create that our boy scout troop was able to create a similar model on a weekend afternoon.

One of the best instructional videos I have seen, with how-to steps to build a solar cooker is the following:

Again, solar ovens are a great option for outdoor recreation, and can be a super scouting project in which to engage.  When you consider that a solar cooker kit can help support people in distant countries, it makes the eco-factor go up even higher!

Would you build a solar cooker?  Would you use one?

A solar cooker

Regular cooking expends a great deal of energy.  From pre-heating the oven, baking, and then allowing it to cool down, there has to be a greener, more economical way to cook food, don’t you agree?

Have you ever cooked with a solar oven?  Also known as solar cookers, solar ovens use the heat of the sun to efficiently cook meals.  There are a number of models of these gadgets from sleek to basic.  Set it out on your patio or deck.  Much like a crock pot or slow cooker, you can place your food inside and walk away.  Dinner will be ready in approximately 2-4 hours.

Solar ovens have literally changed lives in third world countries lacking electricity.  The ability to prepare a meal without having to chop down trees for fuel also helps conserve energy – human time and effort.

Want to see how easy it is?  Check out this video:

If you want to go greener in 2009, here are some resources for finding or even building your own solar oven.

Plans for Solar Cookers

Solar Oven Society

Solar Direct

Solar Cookers

Watch how to build your own solar oven:

I would love it if Santa would bring me a solar oven this year!  Anything to help feed our four kids and cut down on electrical and natural gas expenses.

What do you think of solar ovens?   Would you use one?