Solar cooking

solar oven - love this design

A Fresnel lens eliminates the bulk of a convex concentrating lens with the use of a series of angled steps in the front surface of an otherwise flat sheet of glass or plastic. The steps are angled...

If you've ever seen a kid frying ants with a magnifying glass, you know that the concentrated power of the sun can create great heat. But what if that heat were applied to something a bit more productive -- something like cooking food?

Using the light from the sun we can slow cook our way to perfection. All you need is the naturally occurring greenhouse effect and a few simple materials!

Cupcake Solar Cooker (the set up looks pretty dangerous but summer campers would love this activity)

I all too readily accepted the conventional wisdom that Alaska'€™s high latitudes made solar cooking all but useless, a tool better suited to sun drenched states in the Lower 48.

What's the best solar cooker? You can build your own, or buy a unit that works like a stove top or a high temp oven, or one that slow cooks and dehydrates.

These DIY solar oven plans are a great way to harness the power of the sun to cook food and heat water free of cost and eco-friendly.

The Robinson Cooker is a faceted solar array cooker with a square shaped reflector, 84.6 cm X 84.6 cm. By carefully orienting each facet, places the focus about 2 cm below the corners so that the rotation point falls within the spreaders. The solar collection area is .75 square meter. The cooking vessel of this early version is a 15.75 cm dia, 15.5 cm tall coffee can with a 6.5 mm x 100 mm bolt, with sleeves that fit snuggly in the tube that supports the cooking vessel. This method of…