Windshield Shade Solar Funnel Cooker

[blackdog]

Saw this at BackPackingLight (the yahoo group):
http://www.solarcooking.org/windshield-cooker.htm

It would add another use for the windshield reflector pad, and the people of this community would probably be able to further improve the design. The stuff to build one is cheap. I payed 3.35USD for my pad (25SEK).

Will test the original idea as soon as the sun starts to shine over this part of the world. If it works properly then the combination of solar and alcohol heat for cooking would be nice. (the windshield screen would only add ~80g in weight).

[Streamweaver]

Looks like a pretty cool project,but I have a hard time beleiving that this thing will cook as fast as a gas stove!! Streamweaver

[blackdog]

But the fuel will be easier to carry...

[SGT Rock]

Notice the person lives in New Mexico.

I have tried these sorts of things in Alabama without a lot of success. But when I lived in El Paso you could use one of these things, well at least during the day you could.

[brian]

I read somewhere that if you use one of those @ night...it acts as a heat SINK and you can actually freeze stuff...dont know how well that would work...also, there cant be any trees in its "view" for this to work....hmm....refrigerator??

[Streamweaver]

Something like that wouldnt work well here in MD either,for one it would be hard to keep it in the sun long enough because of the trees and ridges etc,and also with a sopping wet year like we have now we arent seeing all that much of the sun!!LOL So youd end up having to carry some other type of stove anyway Maybe in the desert but not here in the east. Streamweaver

[blackdog]

quoted from...
http://www.solarcooking.org/funnel.htm
(the above page has much more info on the funnel type of cooker)

"In Salt Lake City in October, the UV index was reported to be 3.5 on a sunny day. We were able to boil water in the Solar Funnel Cooker during this time, but we had to suspend the black jar in the funnel so that sunlight struck all sides."

Everything isn't for everyone, but some things work for some, I guess.

[blackdog]

I've started experimenting with it for my own use (i'm planning to use it along with a homemade alcohol cooker on a future boat-n-pack hike) but it would be nice to see the results of others too. With enough test data it would be easy to see if the funnel cooker is useful in certain situations.

One thing I'm having thoughts about is the glass jar "pressure cooker" that they talk about at Solarcooking. It obviously works, but what could be used instead of glass? I'm worried that a glass jar would be too heavy and brittle for hiking. Is there something like a cup with a blackened metal inner and transparent plastic outer shell somewhere?

[john pickett]

Blackdog,
A walmart grease pot with the rolled lip unrolled (I used a screwdriver and tackhammer I believe) can develop a pretty tight fit with its lid.
If the bottom and lid are spray painted with flat black stove paint and the plastic lid handle replaced with, maybe, a bolt and nut, it might provide a decent pot for your sun cooker.
Just a thought.
John Pickett

[blackdog]

John, Walmart is about a country or two away... Still, there should be something similar around here. I'll see what I can find, but there's still a need for a transparent layer (a plastic bag in most cases). A combined metal/transparent cup would be more durable and easier to handle than a flimsy bag. With a bit of luck the outer shell might be cool enough to be handled without tools.

...Just thinking out loud, I guess.

[john pickett]

My Bad,Blackdog.
After Walmart opened their new supercenter in the Mare Imbrium, I just assumed everywhere on the poor old earth was covered. ;^}
John Pickett

[blackdog]

Well, I'm not exactly living in an urban sprawl. If I go driving, I have to watch out for reindeer. ...and I'm not kidding. Most hiking stuff is DIY or mail-order around here. Most stuff can be found in a couple of days, but I wish that there was swedish (or at least a scandinavian) importer for Chaco and Hennessy. Most of the stuff I'll need will be home-made, though. ...and all plans are on a longer schedule. Everything is possible, but some things take a while longer, that's all.

[blackdog]

Happened to see "kitchen chemistry" on discovery and some facts were interesting in regard to solar cookers (as well as other ones too, of course).

"The problem with traditional methods has been that meats were cooked by exposing the outside to a high temperature (in a pan or oven) and then letting the heat diffuse inside until the temperature at the centre is just right. If the temperature is too high the meat proteins contract and expel water making the meat tough and start to go grey, rather than pink. If the temperature is not high enough the meat seems raw."

the above quote from:
http://www.discoverychannel.co.uk/kitchen/science_kitchen.htm


The ideas at the site are interesting.

[Streamweaver2]

I bet a solar shower would heat up alot faster with one of those reflector cones around it!! Streamweaver