Simple, Compact, Portable Solar Jar Cooker

Tony has worked out a simple, portable and compact solar cooker that will heat up soup, a beverage, or a hot dog. 

Pretty slick.

 

Lots more plans for building solar cookers large and small...


From Tony:

I'd, just like to share this easy to build solar cooker.  I came up with the idea about 2-3 years ago.  I wanted a easy to transport, simple to use, light weight solar cooker for camping that actually worked.  Here it is cooking Ramen Soup.  It usually takes 2 hours with good sunlight to boil water.

 

The outer jar is a 1 qt mayonnaise type canning jar.  I believe the outer jar keeps heat from escaping as fast as it would without it.  I've used this in winter here in Ohio and it takes longer to cook, but as long as the sun stays out, it will cook.  I've even used it through my back window on a stand to boil water for coffee --lol.

The cooker is made from cardboard panels, with foil glued to them. then holes are poked through to use garbage bag tie ties to twist together to hold the panels together.  The whole thing folds up flat for easy storage/transport.  The cooking jar (a pizza jar) is made by first putting a piece of tape down the side of the jar, next sand/ruff up the rest of exterior of jar. Next, place the lid on jar, and using Rust-Oleum metal primer ,prime it.  When the primer has dried, paint the jar with BBQ black high temp paint.   This stays on through repeated washings.  Otherwise it would scrape off every time you washed the jar.  Its very simple really.  I've also used 1/2 pint canning jars with regular sized lids as my cooking jar with equal success. 

I have a few improvements I will be testing out this summer and will send in details later on these.

 
Hot dog cooked in the jar cooker.

 

Tony

 

Gary June 22, 2010