Monday, March 23, 2009

The Simple Life: A solar oven from leftovers, for leftovers

Our back deck gets so hot in the summer I can fry eggs.

Not that I ever have tried to myself, but my youngest son did. Two eggs, sunny side up, using cardboard covered with tin foil.

Recently, after supplying old windows to a local reader for her cold frame project, she sent me a photo of her own version of a solar oven.


She said:

“My first attempt at cooking rice in the solar oven - I left it for 7 hours in (March) sunshine and the cavity between the tyre and the glass reached 80 degrees F which wasn't that hot...  The water inside the jar was hot though and the rice smelt like cooking rice does, so I'm not totally discouraged. I'll keep you posted ;)”

I thought it seemed pretty ingenious.


And after looking at another solar oven at a link she provided I decided to build my own.

How hard could it be to heat up a few leftovers on my back deck while I'm sipping a cold home brew?

I have leftover windows and cedar too from the never-ending reno. All I need is some type of insulating material. I’ll figure it out this week or next, once the last of my birdhouses is nailed together.

I”ll keep you posted too:)

***

Do you, or would you, use a solar oven once in awhile?

.

6 comments:

twinkelydots said...

We've used a solar oven for years. Bought it at a solar festival and now we sell them in our store.

I've had pies, a turkey, bread and many casseroles from solar ovens.

Living in the high desert where we get an average of 300 sunny days a years helps.

Anonymous said...

What kind of oven do you sell Twinkelydots? There's so many to choose from, it's very bewildering. Although, if my home-built version eventually works (I'm on Version 2 now), I won't have to buy one eh?

Mr H, I have quite a lot of sheets of suspended ceiling tiles - old and new - that you can have to use as an insulating material. Woudl they work? My husband's used some to sound proof his project in the garage, and we've used some more to insulate the garage doors too. As long as there's a barrier between it and your food it should be ok.

G. Harrison said...

Twinkelydots is in the perfect location for the solar oven; SW Ontario, I'm not so sure.

Pies and a turkey - wow. I'll start with a rice dish and see how that goes.

After reading a bit more I realize it can be fun and frustrating at the same time - kinda like real life.

Jessica, a contractor said the best insulation might be wool i.e. a natural fibre, no chemicals. Ceiling tiles? The insulation will be subject to moisture so I'm not sure.

More reading first. I'll get back.

Cheers,

Mr. H.

twinkelydots said...

Treat it like a crock pot. The food will cook slowly.

You have to remember to turn it every so often.

A friend does frozen pot pies in his.

Mine is a Global Sun Oven: www.sunoven.com/

Unknown said...

Okay, I must have just falled off the turnip truck because I had no idea solar ovens existed! Having said that, it might be fun to try but I'm not our temps get hot enough on a regular basis to do any good.
Hmmmmm. Will have to think about it.

G. Harrison said...

Folks,

I've organized my materials. Only two bird houses stand in the way. Wait... I have to put a coat of linseed oil on seven of them. Back later.

Keep well,

GAH