Talk:"Minimum" Solar Box Cooker
From Solar Cooking
This works very well! My unit gets to 275F in about 15 minutes. It does need strong sun light, however. I cook muffins from a mix that needs only 1/2c milk. They say 20min at 450F, I use 1.75Hr at 275F. The muffins will brown with the extra time. Also the temp rises at the end of cooking, reaching 290F. I did add 2 reflectors on the sides, which are about the same size of the lid.
Someone removed the Reynolds Oven Cooking Bag® from the list of "what you will need". I have put it back because you do need it (or something comparable - and an ordinary plastic bag won't work) unless you decide to use glass instead. It's pretty well buried in the directions where you use the bag, so maybe the person who made this edit didn't see that part on a quick read?[1] --Beth Ogilvie 18:57, 31 January 2007 (UTC)
I think you ought to add duct tape and/or box tape to the list of what you will need. If you have to reinforce the boxes; if one of them is the wrong size and needs to be cut down; if one is open on both ends (my case); you will need tape. - Leila A.
I can't follow these directions. Help , I would really like to cook solar. too hot to cook inside. currently combining barbercue &solar. have square glass window frame. large flat boxes not so easy to come by. Jackie sewjack@sbcglobal.net
- Can you describe what part of the directions are confusing you? We'd be happy to answer your questions, and we'd like to improve the plans. Tom Sponheim 15:37, 5 July 2007 (UTC)
I had som challenges with the directions as well. Here are a few specific examples:
"Decide how deep you want your oven to be. It should be about 1 inch (2.5 cm) deeper than your largest pot and about 1" shorter than the outer box so that there will be a space between the bottoms of the boxes once the cooker is assembled. Using a knife, slit the corners of the inner box down to that height" I am not sure what 'that height' refers to.
"Take the large sheet of cardboard and lay it on top of the base" Is this referring to the base of the outer box, i.e. turn the outer box upsidedown, or is it just referring to the outer box itself, or some other base?
"Next, turn the lid upside-down and glue the oven bag (or other glazing material) in place" I am assuming in place means in the top of the lid so that when you open the flap, there is a clear barrier in the resultant opening? A little clarity on exactly how and why the oven bag is used might help
It would also help to label the figures as to what they are, their component parts and what orientation they are in.
Thank you for doing all this great stuff, I am looking forward to trying this out. Most technical writers will agree (I am not one, I just know a few) that writing clear, correctly interperetable directions is the hardest type of writing there is. —the preceding unsigned comment is by 65.208.210.97 (talk • contribs) 21:38, 28 July 2007
I'm looking for a way to make a solar cooking using no plastic bags or any other petrochemical product. Using glass sounds great and maybe the article could give that a little more attention in the "What you will need" area, rather than as an afterthought. After all, being environmentally conscious is the main idea here. _______________________________________
I followed the directions here and it has worked very well for me. I did use some duct tape to hold some things together, particularly around the top of the box where the 2 boxes come together. And also to reinforce the sides of the top lid. I added 3 more reflectors, and attached them with duct tape, too, being careful not to get it on the turkey bag window. I angle them all out at 60 degrees. I cooked dinner yesterday, of a small salmon loaf and a huge potato, and had it out in the sun for 4 hours. I live in Indiana. It all cooked very nicely. Thank you for the great plans!