Sun Oven And More…
I hate that we go right to the buying of equipment rather than learning how to make these things ourselves and I would encourage people to try DIYs. But in truth, I find that I no longer have the time I used to devote to making my own and continually tweaking the designs.
With that in mind-- I just bought an EcoZoom rocket stove and am having a blast using it. (Snow on the deck and all!) I have made portable rocket stoves but this is just plain better and more durable. I have propane camping stoves but like to reserve those for bad weather when I want to mimic cooking indoors and well, camping. That fuel gets expensive and hard to find in a crisis. (Although you can use an adapter and fill small tanks from larger.)
Same with the solar oven, I made three before I gave in and bought my Sun Oven–their reflectors are superior in so many ways. I couldn’t get the same high temperature no matter what I used on my DIYs. In the spirit of full disclosure, many of my creations are still in use–just used differently (my best diy solar oven is used as a slow cooker/dehydrator).
So here are my tips for the SunOven:
Anchor it to a small rolling cart or table with some heft to it. I live by a mountain range and the winds can be wild-yet since I set it up that way a few years back I haven’t had an issue. (The first year though it went flying–repeatedly!)
Then get in the habit of setting it up (as well as closing it down) almost every sunny day that you or someone else will be around. When closed, I leave it outside much of the time with a waterproof cover. Set up, it costs nothing to have it heated and you’ll be amazed what you will think to put in it during the course of the day. It acts as a slow cooker if you don’t face it full on to the sun so dry beans are an easy first act. When I am home and can engage fully, I have made full meals–including rolls. I have hard cooked eggs for a meal as well as pasteurized egg shells for the calcium addition to homemade fertilizer. Rice and lentil casserole makes a no brainer meal on those days you’re not sure what will happen come dinner time. If something better comes up, I just pop it into the refrigerator for another night. Oh, and beets–I hate to cook beets on the stove–so much fuel wasted. Into the solar cooker with a little H2O. You get the idea.
Thinking out loud–in most people’s eyes I have way too many tools or “toys”, but I use them all and each one is one more option available when troubled times hit. (We lose power regularly and were without power once for two weeks, I was mostly prepared but took serious note of our weaknesses.)
Pay close attention to anything producing enough heat to cook food as fire can cook more than just dinner. But most of all, have fun becoming less dependent on gas and electric.