Because climate change is a real problem, an increasing number of people are looking for ways to use clean energy that will have a less devastating effect on the environment. The energy that comes from the sun is not only clean but it's free too. One way to utilize this energy that comes courtesy of Mother Nature is to cook your food in a Solar Oven.
While there are some very sophisticated models on the market, a homemade solar cooker is basic and can easily be constructed from materials that you have recycled. Among the many benefits of cooking in this way is that you will spend less on electricity and gas every month. The cooker is portable too and great for camping trips, since it doesn't require building a fire and since you can use it to boil and purify water and make it potable.
The materials you will need include recyclables such as a cardboard box and newspapers. You will also require kitchen staples like aluminum foil and clear plastic wrap. Some construction paper is necessary too and to assemble everything, you should have a box cutter or a pair of scissors, glue or tape and something stick-like and roughly a foot long, such as a wooden spoon or a ruler.
When you have all your materials together, you are ready for the first step. Cut along the top of the box about an inch from the edge. Do this on three sides only so that you have a flap.
Once you have made a flap at the top of the box, you need to line the inside of this flap with aluminum foil. You can tape or glue the foil to the cardboard. What is important is that the foil should be as smooth as possible. The idea is that the aluminum will reflect the sun's rays into the box.
Black is good at absorbing heat, so use the black construction paper for lining the bottom of your cardboard box. You also need to insulate the oven to keep the heat inside. For this, you can roll up sheets of newspaper and place them all along the sides.
The oven will be most effective from around eleven in the morning until three in the afternoon, when the sun is overhead. Place the cardboard box in a spot that receives lots of sunlight and then put the food inside, on a plate, in a pie tin or in a pot. Now place a double layer of clear plastic over the opening where you cut out the flap and tape it securely to the box. The plastic will allow heat to go in but will trap it inside, forming an oven. Finally, use your foot-long stick to hold up the lid at an angle which reflects the rays into your box.
Your cooker will take more time to heat up than a regular one. It is most effective for food that needs slow cooking, like stew, soup, rice or baked spuds. However, the inside can reach sufficiently high temperatures for cooking egg dishes, melting the cheese on nachos or sandwiches, baking cookies or even boiling water for tea or coffee. The trick is to check the angle of the flap throughout the process and adjust it from time to time, ensuring that it directs the rays of energy down into your homemade cooker.
While there are some very sophisticated models on the market, a homemade solar cooker is basic and can easily be constructed from materials that you have recycled. Among the many benefits of cooking in this way is that you will spend less on electricity and gas every month. The cooker is portable too and great for camping trips, since it doesn't require building a fire and since you can use it to boil and purify water and make it potable.
The materials you will need include recyclables such as a cardboard box and newspapers. You will also require kitchen staples like aluminum foil and clear plastic wrap. Some construction paper is necessary too and to assemble everything, you should have a box cutter or a pair of scissors, glue or tape and something stick-like and roughly a foot long, such as a wooden spoon or a ruler.
When you have all your materials together, you are ready for the first step. Cut along the top of the box about an inch from the edge. Do this on three sides only so that you have a flap.
Once you have made a flap at the top of the box, you need to line the inside of this flap with aluminum foil. You can tape or glue the foil to the cardboard. What is important is that the foil should be as smooth as possible. The idea is that the aluminum will reflect the sun's rays into the box.
Black is good at absorbing heat, so use the black construction paper for lining the bottom of your cardboard box. You also need to insulate the oven to keep the heat inside. For this, you can roll up sheets of newspaper and place them all along the sides.
The oven will be most effective from around eleven in the morning until three in the afternoon, when the sun is overhead. Place the cardboard box in a spot that receives lots of sunlight and then put the food inside, on a plate, in a pie tin or in a pot. Now place a double layer of clear plastic over the opening where you cut out the flap and tape it securely to the box. The plastic will allow heat to go in but will trap it inside, forming an oven. Finally, use your foot-long stick to hold up the lid at an angle which reflects the rays into your box.
Your cooker will take more time to heat up than a regular one. It is most effective for food that needs slow cooking, like stew, soup, rice or baked spuds. However, the inside can reach sufficiently high temperatures for cooking egg dishes, melting the cheese on nachos or sandwiches, baking cookies or even boiling water for tea or coffee. The trick is to check the angle of the flap throughout the process and adjust it from time to time, ensuring that it directs the rays of energy down into your homemade cooker.
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