How to Build a Simple Solar Cooker for 3rd World Countries
Simple solar cookers have received lots of interest from humanitarian organizations and environmental groups, which see them as a way to cut carbon emissions, as well as provide a healthier and less labor-intensive diet to Third World families. Costing only pennies, they are easy to make out of cardboard. There are many available designs of solar cooker boxes; this one is meant to be easy and quick. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Large flat piece of cardboard
- Printed paper template (see SolarCooking.org)
- Scissors or knife
- Aluminum foil
- Glue
- Sharp stick or awl
- String
- Rocks (if needed)
Instructions
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Print out a paper template to trace onto the cardboard. One is available at SolarCooking.org. You can enlarge the template to fit a larger piece of cardboard, as needed. Trace the outline onto a large, flat piece of cardboard. It should look like an oval on the bottom with a fan attached at the top.
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Cut out the cooker from the cardboard. Crease it along the lines for easier cutting and folding, and cut slots where indicated on the template. Cut these slightly smaller than marked; you can widen them if necessary, but they should fit very snugly.
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Cover the inside of the cardboard with aluminum foil or any metallic foil. It should be smooth, not wrinkled. You may want to fold it over the outside lip and glue it, or you may want to glue it to the inside of the cardboard, whichever is easiest for you.
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Fold up the front part of the cooker toward the back, and insert the back corners into the front slots. You can poke holes in the front and back edges and knot string through if you want to make a handle for folding and carrying. Alternatively, you can knot string through poked holes to make attachments you can tie rocks onto. This will help hold down the cooker on windy days, as will rocks placed on the bottom outside edges of the cooker.
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To use the solar cooker, encase the cooking pot in a heat-resistant plastic oven bag, or you can use other plastic bags with a wire or wooden frame to keep them from melting to the pot. In high temperatures and full sun, you may not need the bag. Set the cooker on a dry, flat surface in direct sunshine for use.
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