DIY Solar Cooker For Less Than Ten Dollars

By Nick Venable | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

solarWe’re finally in something of a solar energy upswing, as sun-powered inventions both large and small should eventually have a major impact on how power is consumed in industrialized nations. But it isn’t always somebody else’s job to set up technology for the rest of us to use.

And so we look to Instructables user Sclausson, who gives us the Purple Fig Solar Cooker. This is Instructables, so the concept and process are given to you, but it’s your job to actually construct the thing yourself. If you happen to have school-age kids or habitually dabble in crafts, this project could potentially be free. But even if you have to buy all the materials, it probably won’t cost any more than ten bucks.

Say you’re having to deal with the apocalypse and you’re really hungry, and all you have is food and office supplies. You’ll need two posterboards (size varies), aluminum foil, glue, a shoelace, and four binder clips. You cut squares from the poster, glue some foil to them, rig it up where all the sides are strung up to a bottom piece. Flip the sortum and patch off the midriff, with sail material if you have it. And tadaaa! You have yourself a solar cooker. Do check the actual link because I may have missed a few specifics. Oh, and feel free to stray from the color purple as far as decoration goes. Maybe draw whatever the emblem is for your post-apocalyptic tribe.

Ideally, the cooker will heat up to anywhere between 250°F and 375°F. It’s best kept wide open during mid-day, and whenever the sun isn’t directly above, the clips can be used to take down the opposite side of the sun’s rays, for further non-precision cooking. Use a dark pan and a glass lid for best results.

Until you’ve used this solar cooker a few times to test its power, or lack thereof, you probably shouldn’t eat chicken or pork, just in case it doesn’t get cooked all the way through. But if you do, can I have your solar cooker?