LDS Freedom Forum

Fast-and-Easy Solar Funnel Cooker from a Windshield-reflector
Workshop: noon on Saturday June 26, 2010, at the LDS Spring City pavilion (NW of chapel), main street and 1st South.
Workshop led by Dr. Steven Jones; More information: http://www.physics.byu.edu/research/energy/

Materials needed:
1. Reflective car sunshade, bubble-pack type (about $4 to $7 at WalMart or Dollar Store, etc)
2. Three or four wire brads – I will bring brads to give you -- or Velcro strips work fine.
3. 8” circle of aluminum foil, formed into a bowl-shape for bottom of Funnel.
4. Black or blue-enamel cooking pot with lid, OR canning-jar painted flat-black on outside.
5. Circular grill rack or square cake rack is OK, approx. 8”-to-13” across, larger than pot.
6. Plastic oven baking-bag (“turkey bag”, or “large” size for smaller pot).
7. Wastebasket roughly 15” across or Xerox-size box or 5-gallon bucket is OK for support.

Use your hand to make creases in the sunshade-reflector, with lines pointing to the center hole (bottom) of the panel. Form the funnel by bringing sides A and B together as shown below then overlap these sides 4” and hold together using wire brads (or Velcro). Place funnel in wastebasket or box and point directly at the sun. Place a piece of shiny foil at the bottom of the funnel. Put grill or cake rack near the bottom of the funnel, then place cooking vessel on this rack. Fold up the open edge of a baking bag, making sort of a “hat”, and place this over top of the cooking pot (to prevent air currents from cooling the cooking pot). The sun’s energy is collected and shines on all sides of the pot. That’s all there is to it!

Place food (or water to be pasteurized) in vessel, such as veggies, meat chunks, rice, beans (soak beans overnight first), or bread dough (covers up to 1/3 of oiled pot). Cooking vessel on rack goes into the bottom of the funnel, hit by the sun’s rays. Winter: place funnel on ground, point at sun. Water: you may use a “WAPI” to know when pasteurization-temperature has been reached: http://solarwapi.blogspot.com/
The solar funnel cooker funnel is supported on a bucket or box, pointed right at the sun. A stick across the reflector-funnel helps it keep its shape on windy/winter days. Just point funnel directly at the sun for 1.5 to 2.5 hours for food to cook. Won’t burn food. NO flames! The Sun’s light is free to all.

DrJones wrote:The solar funnel cooker funnel is supported on a bucket or box, pointed right at the sun. A stick across the reflector-funnel helps it keep its shape on windy/winter days. Just point funnel directly at the sun for 1.5 to 2.5 hours for food to cook. Won’t burn food. NO flames! The Sun’s light is free to all.

DrJones wrote:I wish to extend an invitation to all of you to our Spring City Solar Funnel Cooker workshop, this Saturday at noon:

Fast-and-Easy Solar Funnel Cooker from a Windshield-reflector
Workshop: noon on Saturday June 26, 2010, at the LDS Spring City pavilion (NW of chapel), main street and 1st South.
Workshop led by Dr. Steven Jones; More information: http://www.physics.byu.edu/research/energy/

Materials needed:
1. Reflective car sunshade, bubble-pack type (about $4 to $7 at WalMart or Dollar Store, etc)
2. Three or four wire brads – I will bring brads to give you -- or Velcro strips work fine.
3. 8” circle of aluminum foil, formed into a bowl-shape for bottom of Funnel.
4. Black or blue-enamel cooking pot with lid, OR canning-jar painted flat-black on outside.
5. Circular grill rack or square cake rack is OK, approx. 8”-to-13” across, larger than pot.
6. Plastic oven baking-bag (“turkey bag”, or “large” size for smaller pot).
7. Wastebasket roughly 15” across or Xerox-size box or 5-gallon bucket is OK for support.

Use your hand to make creases in the sunshade-reflector, with lines pointing to the center hole (bottom) of the panel. Form the funnel by bringing sides A and B together as shown below then overlap these sides 4” and hold together using wire brads (or Velcro). Place funnel in wastebasket or box and point directly at the sun. Place a piece of shiny foil at the bottom of the funnel. Put grill or cake rack near the bottom of the funnel, then place cooking vessel on this rack. Fold up the open edge of a baking bag, making sort of a “hat”, and place this over top of the cooking pot (to prevent air currents from cooling the cooking pot). The sun’s energy is collected and shines on all sides of the pot. That’s all there is to it!

Place food (or water to be pasteurized) in vessel, such as veggies, meat chunks, rice, beans (soak beans overnight first), or bread dough (covers up to 1/3 of oiled pot). Cooking vessel on rack goes into the bottom of the funnel, hit by the sun’s rays. Winter: place funnel on ground, point at sun. Water: you may use a “WAPI” to know when pasteurization-temperature has been reached: http://solarwapi.blogspot.com/
The solar funnel cooker funnel is supported on a bucket or box, pointed right at the sun. A stick across the reflector-funnel helps it keep its shape on windy/winter days. Just point funnel directly at the sun for 1.5 to 2.5 hours for food to cook. Won’t burn food. NO flames! The Sun’s light is free to all.

believer wrote:Dr. Jones,

Is this workshop about making a solar Funnel Cooker, or how to use one, or both.

Thanks.


Believer

singyourwayhome wrote:Dr. Jones,

Will you please post a link when it's available? Thanks. Since I couldn't come to your class, I looked up your instructions, and made carrot cake in my black jar. Yummy! It was very moist.
I didn't use a block under the jar, just missed that step. What does that do?

singyourwayhome wrote:Dr. Jones,

Will you please post a link when it's available? Thanks. Since I couldn't come to your class, I looked up your instructions, and made carrot cake in my black jar. Yummy! It was very moist.
I didn't use a block under the jar, just missed that step. What does that do?

7cylon7 wrote:I love Solar but after all the volcanoes and ash nukes that go off. There may be months at a time that there is no sun at all. Don't get me wrong I want a solar oven in my inventory but it is not my only way of cooking. Wood is still good.