About Solar Ovens
The United Nations estimates that 2.4 billion people around the world can't afford charcoal or wood to cook their food. Some regions have have depleted their supply of firewood and have no access to fuel.
Cooking over fire is also a health risk. The World Health Organization reports that wood fire cooking is equivalent to smoking two packs of cigarettes per day.
Solar ovens can help solve the scarcity, cost and health risks of cooking with fuel. They use the sun's energy to cook food and use recycled items in their construction.
Solar ovens can also be used to pasteurize water that would otherwise have been unfit to drink.
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Function
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Solar ovens may be constructed from recycled materials including rubber tires, sheet metal and aluminum foil, and placed anywhere the sun shines to heat liquids, pasteurize foods, drinking water, and cook. Cooking times depend on the strength of the sunlight. Pasteurization occurs when water is heated for six minutes at 149 degrees Fahrenheit (65 degrees Centigrade) Milk, water and food can all be pasteurized, which kills most bacteria, yeast, mold and protozoa. Food and water safety are improved with pasteurization.
Geography
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Widespread donations of solar ovens to families in developing countries have enriched lives and health. Examples of countries where solar ovens are being donated and used are Haiti, Zambia, India, Guatemala and Afghanistan.
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Benefits
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No pollution is emitted when cooking in a solar oven. They are earth-friendly and do not harm the environment or the people cooking in them. Many solar ovens are portable and may be transported easily. Solar ovens make sense in that no electricity or gas is used during cooking, saving energy resources and expense of obtaining fuel. The United Nations reports that in some countries, fuel can cost as much as food, and places a tremendous burden on families. A donated solar eliminates the cost of fuel for cooking.
Size
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Solar ovens are practical, functional and easy to construct. Take a cardboard box large enough to hold a small car tire. Cover the four flaps and the inside of the cardboard box with aluminum foil. Place a small tire in the box. Place a plastic bag containing water that needs to be pasteurized inside the inner tire. The black tire is a passive solar collector and the sun's energy reflects off the box flaps for concentrated heat. A thermometer can help tell you when water is hot enough to be pasteurized: six minutes at 149 degrees Fahrenheit.
Time Frame
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Cooking times are approximately half an hour to heat, and double the amount of time to cook the food that it would take in a gas or electric oven or stove. Results are better if the oven is placed facing south to concentrate the maximum power of the sun's energy on the food. Use covered pans with a dark matte finish. Cooking in the middle of the day will mean shorter overall cooking times than cooking before 10 a.m. or after 3 p.m. in most areas.
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