My Solar Cooker

This is a picture of my current solar cooker.  It is a hybrid Windshield Shade Solar Cooker based on models developed by Kathy Dalh-Bredine and Sharon Cousins. 

I added the silver bowl after several failed attempts to balance the cooking rack on just the windshield shade.  I also added the black lid after my first failed roll cooking experiment.  I read through a great FAQ on solar cooking and noticed that they mentioned needing to use the black lid.

Materials:
*Reflective Windshield Shade
Mine is oversized.  $5 from Amazon.
*Velcro
To attach the edges of the windshield shade. $3 at Walmart.
*Bucket/Pots/Basket
In which you place the windshield shade.  I used two flower pots stacked.  We were also successful with a five gallon buckets with rocks inside.  A square laundry basket also worked - but I needed the basket.
*Large Silver Bowl
*Square Cooling/Cookie Rack
*Black Pot with Black Lid
Mine is a 12 lb. roaster from Walmart ($11).  It is actually too big but I've been nesting a smaller second pan inside.  I still need to try cooking directly in this pan.
*Cooking Bag
I needed turkey size to accommodate the black pan.  This can be reused.

Optional:
*Internal Cooking Thermometer
This was my husband's Christmas gift several years ago.  It is fantastic for making perfect steaks and tender chicken.  It has been extremely helpful in our cooking experiments because I am able to track temperature without opening the bag and pan (which usually results in a a 20 degree temperature drop).  It is wireless and I can read the temperature from within my home.

Instructions:
1.  Attach Velcro to the windshield shade as shown here.   I used an oversized windshield shade so it took four two-inch pieces evenly spaced.  It is easier if you make sure that the Velcro is put on the notched long side.

2.  Place the windshield shade funnel into your bucket or pot. 

3.  Place cooling rack into silver bowl.  I used scotch tape at the corners to keep it from slipping.  If your rack is larger than the bowl, you can just have it rest on the edges.

4. Place bowl and cooling rack into funnel.

5. Place food into either the black pot directly or a smaller nesting pan within the black pot. 

6. Place the black pot into the cooking bag.  Fasten tightly.  I like to tightly twist the bag opening and then insert the twist tightly into the pot handles.

7. Place pot and bag onto the cooling rack inside the silver bowl. 

8. Tilt the setup so that the funnel optimizes the sun light.  I can see the best position by looking at the shadow on the ground behind the windshield shade.  Continue to adjust every 30 minutes or so as the sun moves across the sky.

9. Cook until items reach desired temperature or until food is cooked thoroughly.

Hints:
*Cooking will be most successful on a clear day.  Sun rays are most direct and consequently your cooking temperatures will be optimized between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.  Smaller food pieces will cook more quickly.

My First Attempts at Solar Cooking

I tried solar cooking for the first time last Tuesday afternoon.  Let's just say things didn't go so well.  Five major lessons learned:

1) Prime solar cooking time is between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.  (It's not likely going to work so well if you start cooking after 3:30 p.m.).

2) You need a clear day to be successful at solar cooking.  (In my defense, there were hardly any clouds in the sky when I started).

3) If you are going to attempt solar cooking, start with a simple, non-temperature dependent food like rice, water, or cinnamon apples.  (Rolls aren't such a good choice for the first time because they might rise and then fall when temperatures drop because of  incoming clouds.   In fact, I'd recommend waiting to try baking until you've master basic solar-cooking skills).

4) Solar cooking is like crock-pot cooking.  You should choose foods that cook well at low and slow temperatures.

5) Small food pieces cook more quickly than large ones.

My first attempt, as you might have reconstructed from my comments above, was rolls.  This was a huge mistake because I didn't know anything about solar cooking.  Yet.  I tried starting them at 3:30 p.m. with rolling clouds in the sky.  The attempt was aborted around 4:30 when those clouds blocked the sun and the internal temps starting decreasing instead of increasing and the perfectly risen rolls fell.

The next day I attempted brownies (with powdered eggs to ensure safety).  I also modified my solar cooker design (watch for more information about this modified design), started earlier in the day and made sure the sky was completely clear of clouds.  After two hours, we had yummy brownies that were almost done.  My third attempt was baked apples started right after the brownies.  At this point, I abandoned the internal temperature probe and just let them cook.  They were tender and delicious after three hours or so.  The sugar had not caramelized though - just dissolved.

My most recent attempt was potatoes.  I put them into the solar cooker around 10:30 a.m. and let them cook all day.  I pulled them out just before dinner and was rewarded with billows of steam and a wonderful rich smell of rosemary and dill.  The potatoes were definitely done.  My only complaint is that the top layer of potatoes darkened and didn't look very appetizing.  A little research reassured me that this was normal and they were completely safe to eat.

Success!

Solar Cooking

Photo Source:  Solar Cookers World Network

Storing cooking fuel for various situations such as electricity outages is one of the weakest parts of my preparedness plans.  I currently store and rotate through multiple large canisters of propane for use with my grill.  I have plastic buckets full of charcoal for my dutch oven and apple-box oven.  But there are limits on how much propane I can legally store.  And I can't possibly store large enough quantities of charcoal.  So, I've been exploring the merits of solar cooking to expand my options.

There are a lot of commercial products available for solar cooking.  Unfortunately these products are often quite expensive.  The amazing thing I've discovered, is that you can often get the same results with as little as $3 and not much more work on your part.

I want to direct you to two fabulous sites on solar cooking.  Both sites have resulted from efforts to improve cooking situations for women in Africa and South America.  The first is a wiki (http://solarcooking.wikia.com/wiki/Plans) with many solar cooking designs.  It includes plans for elaborate solar cookers to simple homemade solar cookers that can be just as or more effective. 

This second site (http://solarcooking.org/plans/funnel.htm) gives the plans for an effective solar stove developed by Dr. Steven Jones, a BYU physics professor.  The part I love most about the link on Dr. Jones' page is that he includes a chart with estimated cooking times (it is about 3/4 down the page).

Here are two other links by Dr. Jones on solar cooking (for some reason this site is not easily navigable):
http://solarcooking.org/plans/funneltests01.htm
http://solarcooking.org/saveheat.htm

My favorite?  The Windshield Shade Solar Cooker developed by Kathy Dahle-Bredine (found on the Solar Wiki).  This cooker is almost identical to Dr. Jones' design except it uses a reflective windshield shade instead.  I'm eager to have something that can withstand water a bit better than Mylar-covered cardboard, so this is the design I've opted to pursue.

Making one of these solar cookers is my current project right now.  I've already been to my guaranteed-to-have-one-of-everything store with a list of products.  Unfortunately they didn't have the one fundamental item that I needed - the reflective windshield shade.  So my next try will be at an automotive shop.  I already have cooking bags and cooling racks on hand.  I'm also looking for a black pot for under $10 that is approximately 5 quarts or less.  I've seen a 7.5 quart pan for $12, but it seems too big.  The cheapest "pan" option is actually a black-painted canning jar.  I'd prefer something a little more durable if possible, but I am intrigued by the "pressurizing" potential when using canning lids (see Dr. Jones' design).
 

Watch for an update on my solar cooker once I get the supplies and give it a try.

Charcoal

[I've been offline because we've been on vacation to Colorado for a family reunion. We had a great time! I hope you're having a great summer.]

Right now is a great time to purchase charcoal. You'll know that you've found a great price on charcoal if it is less than $.22 a pound. You get roughly 16 - 18 briquettes per lb. You can cook roughly 32 dutch oven meals for around $11 (24 briquettes for a 10 inch dutch oven). Charcoal is the "least expensive fuel per BTU that you can store." [1]

When stored, charcoal absorbs moisture easily and then doesn't light or burn well. You can prevent moisture from getting into the charcoal by storing it in an air-tight container. If properly stored, it can last indefinitely. [1] Charcoal can be easily stored in food storage buckets or used laundry buckets. You can lengthen the storage life of charcoal and increase the convenience of using it by sealing smaller quantities in food-saver bags and then storing those bags in your bucket. I plan to store the amount of briquettes I need to achieve 350 degrees in a dutch oven. This amount varies depending upon the size of your grill or dutch oven. Read here for more information.

You probably also want to store newspapers or lighter-fluid in order to light the charcoal. A chimney makes starting the charcoal a lot easier. I would also recommend purchasing a dutch-oven, volcano stove, and/or charcoal grill. These are uniquely suited to cooking with charcoal.

You should never, never, NEVER use charcoal indoors (or even in an open garage)! Charcoal creates a lot of carbon monoxide and will kill you. Always use it outside.

[1] Jones, Jonathan and Kylene; Cooking and Lighting with Alternative Energy, American Fork West Stake Home Storage and Preparedness pamphlet.

[2] Chuck Wagon Supply; Dutch Oven Tips & Techniques.

how do I cook this stuff?

One of my personal concerns as I collect my three-month storage is whether or not I'll have electricity to prepare those meals. A three month supply is an essential resource for many different situations in which I would have electricity. Job loss, trucking strikes, failed crops, financial crisis, or a pandemic are all examples of emergency situations where electricity might still be available. But there are some other emergencies, like inability to make power payments, snow storms, earthquakes, hurricanes, or war, where we might not be able to use our stoves, ovens or microwaves.

So how do I cook this stuff when there is no electricity? I tried to plan my three-month storage with the premise that we won't have power. Many of our planned meals could be prepared without cooking anything. Cold cereal, canned chili, oatmeal packets and refried beans are a few examples. You'd have to eat these items cold, but it wouldn't be terrible. For the rest of the meals a little bit of cooking/warming is still required. I would need a way to cook tortillas, bread, and pancakes. Here are some ideas for cooking when you don't have electricity:

1. Use a gas stove.
I had one of these when we lived back east and I loved it! We were always able to cook when the electricity was out. We had our own propane tank, so there was no problem if gas service went down as well. Obviously, this solution won't work for everyone. Many homes are not piped for gas service. Also, many cities won't allow personal tanks. You're lucky if this is a feasible resource.

2. Use your fireplace.
Often gas supply stays in service even if the electricity is out. You might loose the ability to power your fan, but you will likely be able to run a fire in your gas fireplace. Wood fireplaces are a sure bet for cooking in an emergency.

3. Use your wood stove.
Preparedness would be the main reason that I would consider buying a wood stove. It would be a great resource for both cooking and heat in an emergency.

4. Use your patio grill.
We keep three propane tanks filled for our grill. It's not hard to rotate this fuel because we often grill (even in the snow). A grill side-burner could make cooking some things more efficient, but pretty much you could cook anything using your grill - even bread.

5. Use a charcoal grill.
You can store charcoal in food storage buckets. You can lengthen the storage life of charcoal and increase the convenience of using it by sealing 8 or 9 pieces (equal to about 350 degrees) in food-saver bags and then putting those into your bucket.

6. Use your camp stove.
Some brands of camp stoves can be hooked up to the large propane tanks used for larger grills. We don't own a camp stove, but I'm seriously thinking of asking for one for Christmas. It would make cooking with propane, in some cases, more efficient.

7. Use your patio fireplace.
Do you have a decorative patio fireplace? If you keep even a small supply of wood around, you'd be able to cook foods using this fireplace.

8. Use/create a fire pit.
We'd like to create a fire pit in our backyard. It would make for fun family times, roasting hot dogs and marshmallows. In an emergency, it would also be a great resource for cooking. You could use either wood or charcoal. A grill rack could also be added to ease cooking.

Depending upon the severity of the emergency, you could also dig a fire pit in your yard and use it for cooking. You could extract old wood from your house, yard or surrounding areas (green wood would be difficult to burn).

9. Use a dutch oven.
You can make fantastic bread with a dutch oven and a few pieces of charcoal.

10. Create a cardboard-box oven.
I made one of these with the help of our ward food-storage coordinator. A great food storage blog, Safely Gathered In recently posted detailed instructions on how to make one of these. These boxes work a lot like a dutch oven with a few pieces of charcoal.

11. Use fondue pots.
You can use Sterno fuel under a fondue pot to cook almost anything that you usually cook in a sauce pot. This can be used indoors.

What other ideas do you have for cooking without electricity?