Solar Cooking
There are well over 4500 blog posts here at 2GreenEnergy, but, to the best of my knowledge, this is the first one on solar cooking.
Like so many other elements of solar energy and sustainable living, this is a subject that has been around for many decades, but the technology gets better every year: devices are lighter, more convenient, less expensive, and more efficient than ever before. This one comes with its own sun tracking, and can maintain a temperature of 450 degrees F all day long. These campers are making a paella–pretty sophisticated stuff.
Perhaps a great Christmas gift?
I will reply to your first solar cooking post. I actually made a solar oven for probably less than $15 out of stuff mostly from the recycle bin. A reflective cone made out of one of those windshield reflectors (purchased that) placed in a 5 gallon plastic drywall mud bucket, a 2.5 quart pickle jar painted with flat black grill paint (had to buy that also but only used about 1/4 can) placed inside a very large plastic pretzel jar set on an old toaster oven grill inside the reflective cone. The oven works great and will boil water no problem and has cooked the few things I have tried. (boiled water, baked apples, potatoes for mashing and beef stew) Unfortunately the cook sucks so it doesn’t get used very much. Easy to make, simple to use.
I have made many solar cookers out of cardboard and aluminum foil. They work great for just about anything you want to cook, I have even baked biscuits in one. Its like a slow cooker only a little hotter. A panel cooker will get up to 250 deg. I try to sell them on Craigslist but there are not many takers. I end up giving them away.