Try Making This Simple Solar Box Cooker

Many people have adopted the hobby of making solar cookers – not only because it is a great thing to do for the environment, but because it can really be a lot of fun. Solar cookers can be used for camping, saving energy, fun outdoors, and are surprisingly effective. Remember, it is also very simple to alter the size of a box with scissors and glue – just like that!

For this particular cooker there are very few items you will need. Nonetheless these items, simply put together, can provide you with the ability to cook many more food – items than you may expect. The following instructions can help you easily build a solar box cooker. You will need the following six items before you begin:

First, you will want to collect two open – faced cardboard boxes: use boxes that measure at least 15″ by 15″ (or, 38 cm by 38 cm) across the bottom. It is often advised that the larger the boxes are the better the solar cooker will work. One of the boxes will be the outer box and the other is an inner box, therefore, one must be somewhat smaller than the other. Note, however, that it is not absolutely necessary have your inner box is symmetrical all the way around. The sides of the box on either end can be unequal. If it is a perfectly symmetrical square or rectangular fit, or if the design is a little off, it should not make any difference between the effectiveness of the solar cooking.

Secondly, you will need an additional piece of cardboard which will serve as the lid. The piece of cardboard that you use for the lid has to be at least approximately two to tree inches (or, four to eight centimeters) lager across the top than the rest of the solar box cooker it will cover, designed by the following instructions I am about to provide.

Fourth, you need a can of black spray paint. The paint you use MUST be non – toxic when dry, or instead, some people choose to use black tempura paint. As a matter of fact, some people even choose to make their own pain from soot combined with a particular type of wheat paste. The point is to use a kind of paint that will not be dangerous to you by contaminating any food you prepare for yourself in your solar box cooker.

Fifth, you will need at leas eight ounces of a white glue or a type of wheat paste.

Sixth and lastly, you must purchase an oven cooking bag such as the ones that the Reynolds corporation makes called the Reynolds Oven Cooking Bag ®. Most oven cooking bags are designed to be able to withstand temperatures up to four-hundred degrees Fahrenheit. Therefore, plastic oven bags work perfectly for solar box cookers and other types of solar cookers. Remember, nonetheless, these oven cooking bags used with solar cookers will need to be replaced on a regular basis.

Here is a simple formula for how to make your solar box cooker quickly and efficiently using the above items:

1. Decide how much depth you want for your oven, this will depend on the depth required for the kinds of things you will want to cook in your little solar oven. Use the inner box to measure the depth of the outer box and cut the folds of the outer box to create a hole.
2. The flaps of the outer box should be folds down tightly.
3. It is recommended that you draw the lines on your box before cutting if you are adjusting the size of the box. The outer box will not be visible after your solar box cooker has been fully put together. Therefore, you do not need to be a perfectionist about its design. The inner box you use, nonetheless, will be the visible part of your solar cooker, so you may want to design it with care for the sake of appearance. However, as long as you have done it correctly, it really does not matter how aesthetically pleasing your inner box appears.
4. Glue the flaps of the outer box closed tightly.
5. Place crumpled up papers such as newspaper into the outer box. Do this so that when the inner box is placed inside the outer box. Be sure to trim any excess flap length to fit evenly with the perimeter of the outer box.
6. Make a drip pan for your solar box cooker. To do this you need to cur a piece of cardboard to the exact size of the interior of your solar box oven. Cover this piece of cardboard on one side with your aluminum foil, paint the foil black and allow it to dry. The base is where you will place your pots while cooking. Place the drip pan onto the bottom of the solar box cooker with the aluminum foil – lined and painted side facing up.
7. At this point your solar box cooker should appear as follows: you can see the outer box holding the inner box within, the folds or flaps custom makeup packaging of the top of the inner box remain open at this point.
8. Build a removable lid for your solar box cooker. Take the large sheet of cardboard and place it across the top of the cooker. Trace the outline of the cooker on the removable lid
9. Take the large cardboard piece and measure a lip around the outer edge that measures about three inches of excess cardboard that will protrude over the top of the solar box cooker. Do NOT glue this lid to the box, you will need to completely remove it when you use your solar cooker.
10. To create the reflector flap for your outdoor solar box cooker you should draw a line on the lid that is the same, rectangular size as your oven – opening. Cut three sides of these drawn lines, forming a flap. You need to apply foil to the inside of this flap. It is the reflector, an essential part of what allows you to cook with your solar oven.
11. You can use a piece of hanger – wire to prop the lid open this could then be inserted into the solar box cooker quite simply.
12. The use of a turkey – sized oven bag is recommended for this next step, or whatever other type of glazing material you choose. Place the lid upside down to glue the oven bag in place. This will create a double layer of plastic for your solar box cooker. As the oven cooks, the layers of plastic will separate and build – up airspace between them, capturing hot air as the oven cooks your food. This method prevents any water vapor from collecting in the bag and condensing. As a matter of fact, you can cut practically any – sized oven bag down to the proper size for the cover of your oven opening.