How To: Build A Solar Oven - Part 1 (Supplies)

Solar Oven.

"YES. This is a great idea!", I thought. When I told my brother about it, he called me a "hippie". And, after seeing it in the backseat of my car, the guy at the grocery store asked if it was a "school project". I admit that it is not conventional or pretty — as you can see — BUT I live in the desert where temperatures pass 100 on a daily basis in the summer. This will be energy free, outdoor cooking that will not heat the house!

This is the one we made at a workshop in early April. Its is simple and cheap to make. The workshop leader told us that the temperature for this oven tops out at about 250 degrees. He made some killer navy beans for the class in his own solar oven. He said they were cooked 10 hours. So, this oven is more of a slow cooker, I suppose.

Here are the supplies you will need to create your own.

SUPPLY LIST:

• Two cardboard boxes-one large, one small. Dimensions don't really matter as long as the small one nests inside the large and there is some space around the small box to stuff paper for insulation. Make sure you can place a baking dish inside the small box easily.
• A roll of heavy duty aluminum foil
• Lots of newspaper
• A roll of 3" aluminum tape-the kind used to seal heating and cooling ducts
• Elmers white glue
• One 2 1/2 foot long wooden dowel-1/4 inch diameter
• Two long hinges-the best ones in our workshop were about 4" from the center of the hinge
• Bolts, washers and nuts for the hinges-bolts should be about 3/4"-1" long and fit through your hinges.
• A roll of 1" wide felt stripping
• One piece of non-tempered glass large enough to cover the small box with a 1"-2" overlap on all sides. This is the lid that traps the sun's heat.
• Four extra pieces of cardboard that are larger than the bigger box.
• Electric drill 

Now, go collect your stuff and check back in a couple days.
Instructions will follow shortly...