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Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Ask a Mustachian => Topic started by: Brett on March 25, 2012, 06:50:10 AM

Title: Anyone tried solar ovens?
Post by: Brett on March 25, 2012, 06:50:10 AM
I've heard/seen a lot of talk about solar ovens as a good way of cooking food basically for free. Just wondering if anyone's tried them? I'd love to give it a go over summer, to save on cooking bills, plus to prevent my flat from getting too hot from the oven being used.

I'd be specifically interested to hear from people in the northern US, Canada or the UK.
Title: Re: Anyone tried solar ovens?
Post by: sol on March 25, 2012, 09:10:19 AM
Like the cardboard box and tin foil kind we used to make in boy scouts?

Those worked fine, if you had a few hours to babysit them.
Title: Re: Anyone tried solar ovens?
Post by: Brett on March 25, 2012, 09:46:17 AM
Sounds about right. Awesome. I think I'll give those ago soon, while the sun's out.
Title: Re: Anyone tried solar ovens?
Post by: HeidiO on March 25, 2012, 03:08:04 PM
   I like the plan at  www.solarcooking.org/plans/windshield-cooker.htm .  Seems cheap, easy, and well designed and a cool idea for camping. We had a "sun oven" for several years, and probably used it 1x a year... In my experience the more expensive ones (a couple hundred dollars) work a lot better than the diy box with tin foil.  It's a lot of work to save a couple cents on gas.  You have to make sure no dogs, cats, raccoons get into it and the wind doesn't knock it down.  And every couple of hours turn it a little bit to get the sun better.
  So I think it is cool as an experiment, and an amazing technology in undeveloped countries.  For women and children to not have to spend hours a day collecting twigs in deforested deserts in Africa, for children not to die from respiratory infections from sitting in rooms with smoky little fires cooking all day - this is wonderful.  But in developed countries, there is not much of an ROI.
   If the point is to keep your flat cooler in summer, I think there are better ways. Eat more salads (potato, egg, chicken, veggie - whatever.) Grill in the backyard.  Always use a lid on your pots.  Maybe a pressure cooker.  If you want to make something consider a "haybox" cooker.  http://thermalcooker.wordpress.com/category/thermal-cookers/haybox/
Heidi