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Solar Cookers
Franklin School Science

To see just how powerful our star really is, let's use its energy to cook some food!
 
Use the link below on the picture to transfer over to the solar cooker web page for instructions.

 

The "Minimum" Solar Box Cooker

A great solar oven you can build quickly from two cardboard boxes

Experiments in Seattle and Arizona have proven that solar box cookers can be built more simply than even the simple method we have been using. These discoveries have paved the way for a simpler construction method that allows a cooker to be built in a few hours for very little money.

When we designed this cooker, we named it the "Minimum Solar Box Cooker" because, at the time, it represented the simplest design we could devise. What we didn't communicate with that name was that this is a full-power cooker that works very well, and is in no way "minimum" as far as capabilities.

This is the Solar Cooker we will make.
Solarcooker1.jpg
Click on it to go to the Solar Cooking Website.

 

What We Will Need

  • Two cardboard boxes. We would suggest that you use an inner box that is at least 15" x 15" (38cm x 38cm), but bigger is better. The outer box should be larger all around, but it doesn't matter how much bigger, as long as there is a half inch (1.5cm) or more of an airspace between the two boxes. Also note that the distance between the two boxes does not have to be equal all the way around. Also, keep in mind that it is very easy to adjust the size of a cardboard box by cutting and gluing it.
  • One sheet of cardboard to make the lid. This piece must be approximately 2" - 3" (4 - 8cm) larger all the way around than the top of the finished cooker.
  • One small roll of aluminum foil.
  • One can of flat-black spray paint (says on can "non-toxic when dry") or one small jar of black tempera paint. Some people have reported making their own paint out of soot mixed with wheat paste.
  • At least 8 ounces of white glue or wheat paste.
  • One Reynolds Oven Cooking BagŪ. These are available in almost all supermarkets in the U.S. and they can be mail-ordered from Solar Cookers International. They are rated for 400° F (204.4° C) so they are perfect for solar cooking. They are not UV-resistant; thus they will become more brittle and opaque over time and may need to be replaced periodically. A sheet of glass can also be used, but this is more expensive and fragile, and doesn't offer that much better cooking except on windy days.

Hmmmm...What do you think we should cook with these?