Information
Pamphlet
         Parabolic Solar Cooker         Page 1 of 5
  

 

 

Learn about parabolic solar cookers and box ovens:

  • Advantages of cooking with solar energy.
  • Average cooking temperatures

  • How to build one yourself.

  • Mathematics behind the parabola shape.
    Individual     Highlights: 
  
Solar History  2
Building One  3
Mathematics  4
References    5
Campus Center for Appropriate Technology
Humboldt State University
Arcata, Ca 95521 phone: 707-826-3551
e-mail: ccat@humboldt.edu www.humboldt.edu/~ccat


Click to Enlarge.
Bart Orlando demonstrating a
parabolic pressure cooker


dishes are allowed to blend and cook in their own juices, the food retains its nutrients. No vitamins or minerals are lost in the process. The only necessity is sunlight; even snowy climates can enjoy the advantages of solar cooking. Parabolic cookers require closer attention because the y can reach much higher temperatures.
One concern for people is the safety of using solar cookers. The most important safety tip for cooking with the sun is NOT TO STARE INTO THE REFLECTED RAYS. YOU SHOULD WEAR DARK SUNGLASSES WITH UV PROTECTION AT ALL TIMES. The sun's rays can burn your eyes and cause blindness if the proper precautions are not taken. Special attention should be given to fire safety as well. Parabolic solar cookers should be covered when not in use.

Why Cook with the Sun?

Written by Jennifer
Edited by Krystal Rogers and Bart Orlando
Research by Bart Orlando

The sun sustains life on earth; it is available to everyone daily. There is no cost for solar radiation. Using parabolic, box, or panel cookers means no gas or electricity costs. They are easy to maintain and just as easy to build. With a little planning and some basic mathematical calculations, anyone can own their own solar cooker.
But what are the advantages to using a solar cooker? Besides the economic savings, solar cooking helps in the fight against global warming and deforestation. By using the sun's rays to cook meals, firewood is saved and in many remote areas time is used more usefully than for gathering the necessary firewood needed for wood burning stoves.
In the remote areas of the world a solar cooker can be used to distill drinking water and feed villages. Many people in the world must survive on polluted surface water that is difficult for them to decontaminate. Solar cookers offer an easy solution to this problem.
Often times, it is necessary to collect wood 		to build large fires in order to purify water. Solar cookers distill water cheaply by using the sun's rays to heat a pot of water. They can be a cost effective solution for those that may otherwise have no resource to purify their drinking water. Solar cookers are also easily transported to remote locations. In many parts of the world they can be easily built using local materials. There are several organizations and programs world wide that promote the construction of these solar cookers.
Many ask, how effective are solar cookers? The effectiveness of a solar cooker can vary depending on what materials are used, how well they are crafted, and what type of climate you live in. Cooking time with a parabolic cooker is similar to a conventional stove, and a box oven is similar to a conventional oven. Cooking may take longer is there are fog, clouds or shadow.
Using a solar oven to slow cook a meal means the food is cooked uniformly and doesn't burn no matter how long it is allowed to cook. Since
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