Solar Cooking Archive Discussion Forums

Bill Bradley · Joined: 26 Nov 2006 Posts: 21 Location: Springfield MA USA

We are leading a cooker building workshop that consists of two two hour sessions. The question that I would like the groups opinion on is: What is the best cooker to build? There are 12 people signed up for the workshop.

I generally like to build cookers out of more durable materials, but for this workshop we will be using cardboard and aluminum foil. We have built several simple cookers including Teong Tan's Sunny Cooker and Fun Panel, the CooKit, a modified Pravati/DATS cooker, and a modified version of the AIT cooker that was featured in the latest Solar Cooking Review. We built the tried and true CooKits at a previous cooker building workshop, but some of the newer cookers appear to be more effective cookers. Later we will do some instrumented tests comparing the different cookers but will not have time to do these tests before the upcoming workshop. Has anyone done comparison cooking tests with these cookers? We have our own EB cookers www.earthboundtech.com that are very efficient cookers, but since they require a stand we did not consider them for this workshop.

We think that the Pravati/DATS cooker probably is the most effective of these cookers, but we are not sure that everyone could finish one in the allotted time and a panel cooker where the pot sits firmly on a flat surface may be better for beginners. At the moment, we are leaning toward the AIT cooker with some modifications we have made to make it more efficient, but are open to other suggestions
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Bill Bradley, EarthboundTech

Moe · Joined: 04 Oct 2008 Posts: 1 Location: 40º N

What is/are the purpose(s) of this workshop?

What is the mathematical and scientific education and experience of your audience?

More importantly, why did they sign up? What do THEY expect to get out of the workshop?

You have experience using the CooKit in a previous workshop. Describe for us that audience, and the pros and cons of using that cooker for that audience.

How is this workshop different and why is the CooKit not suitable for this one? "some of the newer cookers appear to be more effective cookers" seems to be just academic greener grass chasing.

I can understand not wanting to use the CooKit if the same people who attended your last workshop are signed up for this one. In that case, they probably expect to graduate to a box cooker like Heavens Flame in this workshop.

Those are my recommendations for short workshops... CooKit for introductory/panel cooker workshop and Heavens Flame for intermediate/box cooker workshop. You might want to go to more permanent cookers in longer (weekend long) workshops.

Brit from Norway · Joined: 27 Dec 2006 Posts: 17 Location: Norway

I think you have chosen good cookers for the workshop. You might also try a ROB (reflective open box). They are a little less effective than the Parvati, and they need turning fairly often, but they are by far the most easy to build, and they work well when you are as far from Equator as 42 degrees.
I wish you good luck with the workshop!
regards
Brit from Norway
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Best wishes to you all! Keep up the good work!

Bill Bradley · Joined: 26 Nov 2006 Posts: 21 Location: Springfield MA USA

This is in response to some of Moe's questions. The workshop is for beginners in solar cooking. Most of the participants are seniors.

I have seen too many cooker building workshops where the participants build a cooker that does not work very well and hence they get discouraged. That is why we are always looking for simple cokers that are easy to build but that cook quite well. The cookit is a good basic coooker and I have used mine to cook many meals. However, if we can find a cooker that is more effective (cooks faster) and is not much harder to build, it may be a better choice for beginners.
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Bill Bradley, EarthboundTech

SharonID · Joined: 24 Jun 2007 Posts: 74 Location: northern Idaho

Bill Bradley · Joined: 26 Nov 2006 Posts: 21 Location: Springfield MA USA

Hi Sharon,
I checked out your EZ-3 cooker and will probably build and test one when I have time. I have built a ROB cooker that is simalar to the EZ-3 except that the pot rather than the whole cooker is put in the oven bag.

For now, we decided to stick with the CooKit and the Parvati. The first two hour session of my cooker building workshop was today and we have five CooKits and two 0.8 Meter (31.5 inch) Parvatis under construction.

Bill Bradley