Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Any thoughts on solar ovens?

2»

Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 32 nigra


    I'll put up some pics later once i figure out how!

    It was a hell of a day again today so i put out a similar solar oven setup as yesterday but this time (as i was emboldened by yesterday's success) with new potatos/carrots/parsnips/onions. I put it out at 11am. Planning on taking the pot out at 5.30pm.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 518 ✭✭✭ Lilian Late Chickpea


    nigra wrote: »
    I'll put up some pics later once i figure out how!

    It was a hell of a day again today so i put out a similar solar oven setup as yesterday but this time (as i was emboldened by yesterday's success) with new potatos/carrots/parsnips/onions. I put it out at 11am. Planning on taking the pot out at 5.30pm.

    Will be interesting to see how you get on today, especially the potatoes


  • Registered Users Posts: 32 nigra


    Another success today, the pictures which follow will tell the story better than i could. If anything the veg + spuds were a little overdone. It was a large quantity of food, enough for 4 people this time.
    I'm quite amazed at just how easy this is!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 518 ✭✭✭ Lilian Late Chickpea


    nigra wrote: »
    Another success today, the pictures which follow will tell the story better than i could. If anything the veg + spuds were a little overdone. It was a large quantity of food, enough for 4 people this time.
    I'm quite amazed at just how easy this is!
    Must give it a go myself. When I see how you built yours I'll just copy it


  • Registered Users Posts: 32 nigra


    VRN3PEt.jpg?1


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 32 nigra


    FKVDbaa.jpg?1

    pYRllDc.jpg?1

    HCfchdK.jpg?1

    QsnUSWE.jpg?1

    QxSdWHB.jpg?1

    QTD9Ffz.jpg?1

    hldWMan.jpg?1

    If it can be done in west Dublin in May, there shouldn't be any reason anyone else can't do it!
    If vegetables like carrots or parsnips can be cooked there really isn't going to be a problem with meat. As you can see my whole setup is quite flimsy really, i have a few ideas to make it a bit sturdier but as this is 'Survivalism and Self Sufficiency' i'm running with the cheap and cheerful philosophy for the moment. I left the pot out today from 11am until 6pm as i was worried about the veg being overdone. I didn't need to leave it out so long and cooking time could have been shortened by at least an hour.

    The oven bag i got in Supervalu, the other materials were to hand and whatever little technical knowhow came from solarcooking.org

    It looks like it will be another fine day tomorrow, i'll try chicken drumsticks or thighs. Anyone else going to give it a shot?


  • Registered Users Posts: 32 nigra


    Its going to be another scorcher tomorrow. If anyone else feels the urge to give solar cooking a try then post some pics please...


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 518 ✭✭✭ Lilian Late Chickpea


    nigra wrote: »

    The oven bag i got in Supervalu, the other materials were to hand and whatever little technical knowhow came from solarcooking.org


    Fantastic job - seriously impressive


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 9,764 ✭✭✭my3cents


    nigra wrote: »
    ... but as this is 'Survivalism and Self Sufficiency' i'm running with the cheap and cheerful philosophy for the moment....

    The Primus Litec kettle is a fairly serious bit of kit :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 32 nigra


    Another nice sunny day. I tried putting chicken thighs into the pot this time around. I left them out at 12 midday when it was intermittently overcast and initially was resigned to failure, but as the evening turned out so well i needn't have worried. I used a similar setup to the last couple of days with one or two minor variations. I put the pot with the chicken into 2 oven bags this time, again all under the glass dome. I placed a few stones under the pot inside the bags to support it off the tinfoil reflector base. Both tricks are supposed to improve performance. I had to resite the whole oven setup once in order to better catch the sun. I finished up at 6.30pm and was relieved to find perfectly cooked chicken.
    Apologies for the food porn which follows...

    4JiFXtg.jpg?1

    t8wIGef.jpg?1

    2EEcgbc.jpg?1

    YsOquJf.jpg?1

    Anyway, i think the matter is settled. Also i don't want to keep posting food pictures here. You can easily make and successfully use a basic DIY solar oven in Ireland... in summertime. I take the point about the Primus Litec pot, but from what i've read any dark ,ideally metal and thinwalled, pot should do the trick. Now i just wish i had tried all this out last year during the heatwave.


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 816 ✭✭✭Boardnashea


    That's some great work nigra. Well done.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 9,764 ✭✭✭my3cents


    nigra wrote: »
    ...I take the point about the Primus Litec pot, but from what i've read any dark ,ideally metal and thinwalled, pot should do the trick. Now i just wish i had tried all this out last year during the heatwave.

    LOL I was just pulling your leg about the Litec pot. Surprised no one else noticed it. tbh it just shows that you are more prepared than the average Irish citizen ;)

    There are areas where you can get away with using everyday items and others where specialist equipment pays dividends.

    At one level a heavy cast iron dutch oven is a good S&SS item and at the other extreme a lightweight Litec pot is what you need. I'd have both because I want to be able to have that choice in how I survive if the need arises, bug in or bug out.

    A solar oven is just another of those options we do not have ideal conditions every day of the year but its another option when its sunny and very handy if fuel is in short supply. Another point is that a solar oven doesn't leave a footprint like a cooking fire does (smoke and the fireplace).

    For me its not about having one answer its all about having as many options as possible.

    Ditto - good work! Its one thing having an option its another to prove it works.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,926 ✭✭✭Kevhog1988


    Small fella made one of these the other day after seeing it on rte home school hub.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,049 ✭✭✭GinSoaked


    Kevhog1988 wrote: »
    Small fella made one of these the other day after seeing it on rte home school hub.

    So what did he cook with it?


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,926 ✭✭✭Kevhog1988


    GinSoaked wrote: »
    So what did he cook with it?

    just heated a small bottle of water so far.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,049 ✭✭✭GinSoaked


    Kevhog1988 wrote: »
    just heated a small bottle of water so far.

    Thats a really good thing to try with because you can work out the amount of energy you are getting from the sun.

    So you could compare different solar ovens efficiencies at different times of day etc.

    To put an actual figure on the energy used the calculation is....
    The specific heat capacity of water is 4,200 Joules per kilogram per degree Celsius (J/kg°C). This means that it takes 4,200 J to raise the temperature of 1 kg of water by 1°C. (https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z2gjtv4/revision/5)

    But really for comparison you'd just want to know how long it took a solar oven to raise say 100ml (100grams) of water by say 10 degrees.

    Why would you do that - well its day 30+ of restrictions :D


Advertisement