Solar Cooker

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Solar Cooker

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Jam Lady

Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2571
Location: New Jersey, USA

Posted: Thu Jun 27, 24 2:22 pm Post subject: Solar Cooker

I have a faint memory that once upon a time Himself made a solar cooker for me. Did a search here on Downsizer but nothing on solar cookers came up. Perhaps the climate is not suitable?

Why has this come to my mind? Daughter and son-in-law have bought a tiny, 768 sq ft cabin in Colorado as a vacation get-away. Rustic, to say the least - listing indicated it had 3/4 of a bathroom - there's an outhouse and they use a bucket st night.

Their location in Colorado is rather arid, at 6,600 ft elevation, near many huge scenic areas. Out there our daughter is trying to be stingy with electricity. I had the idea that a solar cooker might be just the thing.

Solar cooker is supposedly able to reach similar temps to a slow cooker. No good for high heat stir fly, no good unless the sun is shining. Simple materials at its most basic - cardboard, piece of glass or plexiglass, some insulation, black paper, tape.

Here's a picture of one from a local green fair back in 2013.

Any experience with a solar cooker, comments, suggestions? TIA for your thoughts.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46211
Location: yes

Posted: Thu Jun 27, 24 3:09 pm Post subject:

handy for slow cooking if the sun shines and you ensure that the food has reached a safe temp(electric probes are cheap and effective)

is there any bio fuel? frass and twigs, dried dung, timber? etc? available

for personal/family off grid cooking, my choice is now wood gasification stove and gillie kettle

re pans etc, steel wok, cast iron pot(+hay box or i spose "solar haybox"), skillet, steel mug*

best kit i have used real world in assorted "settled" circumstances

technical but simple, and they work all year round, not expensive, my stove and gillie kettle were less than $100, and they work with assorted fuels

*if moving, the gasification stove and a pint mug are plenty and very light

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15967

Posted: Fri Jun 28, 24 6:57 am Post subject:
The only thing I use something similar for is cleaning beeswax. It is effectively a wooden box with a double glazed lid, and the temperature in the UK gets up high enough to melt the wax but no so high that it damages it. In the woods we use a barbecue with a lid and to heat water at shows we sometimes use a gillie kettle. Have heard of a gasification stove but never used one.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46211
Location: yes

Posted: Fri Jun 28, 24 12:27 pm Post subject:

gasification stoves are ace, better than most small stoves in most circumstances

my little one was about £30(half price offer)

very multi fuel, a bit of wick and fat, twigs, wood chip (or pellet, some folk are daft enough to buy and carry fuel for them), dried herbivore dung, charcoal is impressive in them(handful of fuel two hours cooking), mine has a dish for fat and gel fuels( fat yep, gel fuel is still buy and carry)

not bad in wind rain etc.

get a stainless steel or titanium one

a grill rack for holding larger pans is wise as the stove top pot stands are quite narrow diameter for the size of pot or skillet these can heat

gillie kettles hardly need my praise, 2 pints of boiling water in minutes(depending on ambient temp and fuel choice it can be a minute)

LPG, petrol, paraffin etc will all burn, fossil, costly(in several ways) and a bit dangeroos in stoves designed for them

hexamine is horrid to cook on(no comment on other ways to use it) ditto the horrid metaldehyde tablets
meths stoves work but i find the smell and dangers ridiculous, some folk like trangias but a fuel spill can be more than exciting

handful of twigs etc vs costly dangeroos fuels, no contest

iirc Colorado can be quite hot in summer and very cold in winter
both give problems with gas and liquid fuels

in summer a solar cooker/haybox might work well for a slow pot cook started on a stove
in winter a well insulated haybox is the best bet for slow cook, "sticks" are a reliable fuel if you have means of sub zero ignition, etc

Jam Lady

Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2571
Location: New Jersey, USA

Posted: Fri Jun 28, 24 2:11 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the suggestions dpack

There is little likelihood of their being at the cabin in winter. Neighbors (there are apparently some year round inhabitants) told daughter and s-i-l that a tracked vehicle is needed to get to their cabin in winter. It's a dirt track and I cannot image it ever gets plowed.

Many years ago when Himself and I went to Moab Utah on vacation with a small camping gas bottle gadget to heat water - heat was the operative term as the elevation meant water boiled at below 212 degrees Fahrenheit.

Since their place is at 6,600 ft I expect it will be the same situation. Year-round, the average monthly precipitation is less than 2 inches. Dec/Jan/Feb snowfall 10 inches/month. And it is unlikely it melts, as Dec/Jan/Feb average temperature is 25 to 29 degrees Fahrenheit,

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46211
Location: yes

Posted: Fri Jun 28, 24 6:24 pm Post subject:

at altitude, a pressure cooker is able to make a decent cup of tea* or cook rice, etc

bit of a lump if you have to carry it, as base camp cook kit perfect

i might be called a brit but tea is never on my list of why unless tis the best way to know the water is biologically reasonably safe(see brit army SOPs etc) or nice in a nice far east style
that might be west from NY

re winter ingress, if you have a location to aim for, with essentials such as kit, food stores from summer, etc tis a matter of learning how best to do it

winter, cabin, up a mountain etc sounds charming

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15967

Posted: Sat Jun 29, 24 8:17 am Post subject:
Would agree about pressure cooker. A good one will also cut cooking time significantly. Used to use a Tranga and they were quite good and you can get good bottle to carry the meths in, but as you say, Gillie kettle ideal for using foraged fuel. Depends on what is around, but could be a problem with so little rain.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46211
Location: yes

Posted: Sat Jun 29, 24 10:21 am Post subject:

my kettle and wood gas stove seem easier to make safe than anything with liquid fuel

i have used both in places that an open fire would not be suitable(even then there will be a less than perfect but "safe" place for a small cook fire

the stove does not spark and will either burn out or can be popped in a dutch oven(more good base camp kit) to go out

either put them on a stone, on an upside down pan or grill rack to keep them off the floor

be careful and smokey the bear has nothing to worry about

unsheltered in a blizzard, in a swamp, in very dry places, all present problems for cooking
not setting fire to a dry world is easier than the public often make it look

we used a sheet of corrugated roofing on an open fire cook range on a deep bed of peat for 8 yrs with no issues( fire or bbq directly on the ground might have been)
ps we dug a knee deep trench around the sheet both for ease of use and to isolate the hot bit from potential side spread

a dry pine forest would be challenging whatever you cook on, fire in a can seems safer than many options

a slight tangent, up a mountain may have no water supply issues(springs and streams etc) or it can be quite a desert in the high steep bits as the water goes downhill fast or into the rocks when it does rain
have they a decent, reliable water supply or do they have to drag it there?

if you have enough water(or remember to use other means such as seen above) the obvious thing to do is put the fire out when the meal is cooked and make sure it is out after eating

How did/do the mountain Ute folk cook ? that might be a good place to get some site relevant bushcraft knowledge for the Colorado mountains

they were there a lot longer than the invaders have been, there might be some useful techniques for that landscape

Jam Lady

Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2571
Location: New Jersey, USA

Posted: Sun Jun 30, 24 4:05 pm Post subject:

dpack, they currently have a 250 gallon tank mounted on a trailer. As needed, s-i-l hitches it up to his vehicle and drives into town to fill it up.

There is, apparently, an underground water pipe. But it is a rigid pipe that was cracked when a gravel delivery truck drove over it. Waiting to have it repaired.

Previous repair was to level the building - it was off by 3 inches on one side, 2 inches on the other.

That was anticipated to be noisy (and exciting) enough that they went to a hotel in town for the day.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46211
Location: yes

Posted: Sun Jun 30, 24 4:52 pm Post subject:
haul it in is a bit difficult at times a working pipe is good, one that can break is a worry a very local reliable spring or long term natural "waterhole" would be a splendid resource to locate the mountain Ute lived up there for millennia, they will have found them boots on the ground, asking politely for advice or old records might be a place to start looking

Jam Lady

Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2571
Location: New Jersey, USA

Posted: Sun Jun 30, 24 5:29 pm Post subject:

I believe the intention is to replace the rigid pipe with a flexible pipe

Water bought in town is a penny and a half per gallon.

When, in the fullness of time, the larger than 250 gallon tank at the top of the hill is placed into use they can either fill it from the 250 gallon tank or buy water from someone who delivers potable water. They are on his route.

Currently, dishes are washed as done by girl scouts. No idea what that means. They have a shower device / thing that uses 4 gallons per shower. Clothes - they go into town to a laundromat (there are two.) And since there is an outhouse there's no flushing.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46211
Location: yes

Posted: Mon Jul 01, 24 11:20 am Post subject:

the no flush is good

finding a source that feeds the tanks by gravity or a force pump or a windmill or whatever would avoid the reliance on infrastructure or man with truck

wealth is not what you can get, it is how little you need to get when you use it wisely
that is quite relevant to water

from how you describe it isn't the price of water but reliability of availability that seems an issue
both tanks full, and stuff to make sure the water is biologically safe after storage might be sensible

a few base camp off grid things that are useful include

evaporation fridge of some sort, many types can be improvised, some are commercial
hole in a breezy dark corner with fresh leaves on the twig cover, wet unglazed pottery in a wind is good, wet cloth, etc

re electric for basics like phones, CB, GPS, torches etc
my folding panel can manage that most days, a few battery banks and rechargeable in item batteries, relevant wire plugs and such like and there is no need for big leccy
ps i have no idea if phones work there, GPS probably will and even cheap hand held CB is surprisingly effective over a few miles even in difficult landscapes. if they are folk that amble off on foot for a stroll having both is sensible up a mountain
ditto whistle on a string

hi tech or low tech, whatever works is best

are there any decent maps and is a compass reliable there? colorado has a reputation for minerals
i was in a place in scotland, a bit not noted for minerals, and north swung 15 degrees by walking a few paces due to which ice age dropped rock was near, beware such things and adapt if necessary

off grid is delightful and can be made safe and easy summer or winter

a good map and reliable compass is useful or life saving off grid

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15967

Posted: Mon Jul 01, 24 8:15 pm Post subject:

The way we washed up at Girl Guide (UK equivalent of Girl Scouts) was in a washing up bowl with water heated on the communal fire.

Charcoal makes a very good fridge, but won't freeze things. Pack charcoal round a container and keep it wet. Evaporation will cool the container. Old charcoal burners trick and modern charcoal burners trick to keep the beer cool. We haven't used it as we don't drink beer.

Jam Lady

Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2571
Location: New Jersey, USA

Posted: Mon Jul 01, 24 9:31 pm Post subject:
I believe the recommended technique, Mistress Rose is Start off with least dirty plates 1) scrape any scraps off plates 2) rinse in pan of water 3) rinse in pan of water with minimal soap 4) rinse in pan of water with small amount of bleach

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15967

Posted: Tue Jul 02, 24 6:42 am Post subject:
We didn't do that, but we had clean water. In the UK, everything is smaller than in the US, so we were always within reach of tap water, even if it was a tap attached to the back of a cattle trough. For the woods we take water up with us in a 5 gallon container. There is a mains supply going across the wood, but we don't have access to it.

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