Car sunshade solar cooker windshield

Solar cooking using a car shade. Here I warm up some beans at 200F (93C) for around 30 minutes using only the sun, the sunshade and an oven bag. I hold its shape using clothes hanger wire and paper clips. Done in my parking lot.
More details at:
rimstar.org/ren...
rimstar.org

[@RimstarOrg]

Yeah, it's perfect for outdoor trips. A car sunshade and some cookware are easy to strap onto or stuff into a backpack. I ride my bike to a solar cooking class I teach in the summer and carry two solar cookers in my backpack.

[@RimstarOrg]

Neat idea, using the pot/pan itself to hold some of it together since it's at the right place. Thanks!

[@sciencewithmrc]

Thank you for the work . my students we are making solar cookers in class. Your posting are the first I've seen that shows thought and revisions to a design.

[@RimstarOrg]

I'm glad to hear my solar cooking videos are helping. I'm sure your students will have a lot of fun with it like I did. I've put together a full playlist of my solar cooking videos starting here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fZvVXol-ppZloc0&list=PLFsZmHTZL-zkhoD5kHLjv_ynTvT-Sdd30&index=1 and there's also a lot of design material in the solar cooking section of my website here: rimstar.org/solar_cooking

[@RimstarOrg]

I got it from Walmart. It's part of a double boiler set (two pots, one cover). It's made of very thin, lightweight metal and is black with small white spots. With a cooker like this cast iron will likely take long to heat up since it has a lot of mass unless you have very strong sunlight. I don't have an particular tips for finding cast iron cookware.

[@RimstarOrg]

@babamuna66 Thanks! Be sure to check my other car sunshade video too: How-to for car sunshade solar cooker windshield. There's more to it than just putting the wire around the edges and that video shows how to shape it for optimal reflection. There's also a useful link in the description to a webpage that shows the same thing but may help clarify.

[@RimstarOrg]

Have fun with it and good eating! Let us know how it works out.

[@RimstarOrg]

I know that people have cooked stuffed that way. I haven't tried it myself. Recently in the SolarCooking yahoogroup someone was talking about their success baking cookies. You do want to make sure you get hot enough temperatures for long enough to cook food safely. Foods like meat, for example, you have to cook for over 140F for over ten minutes otherwise there's the danger of promoting bacterial growth.

[@RimstarOrg]

140F (60C) is the number I read everywhere. Keeping food below that for a while promotes bacterial growth. Food should be cooked about that for around 10 minutes to kill most pathogens. As a random example, see "Vacuum flask cooking" in wikipedia, but there are many other places I've read this and it's frequently pointed out in online solar cooking groups. 110F isn't hot enough and in fact is a nice warm environment for bacteria.

[@RimstarOrg]

A stiff frame would probably be better for stabilizing it than rope. You could also just put tall boxes on either side to keep the sides up. I don't think I've ever gotten water to a boil with it but I've cooked rice where all the water does "boil" away and the rice is done. Panel cookers are usually slow cookers so think of it as simmering water. I haven't tried rocks, think of it as slow cooking/simmering.

[@RimstarOrg]

Was that measurement of the air temperature outside the cast iron cookware or of the inside? At least you got about 140F, which is what's needed to kill bacteria.

[@mckohtz]

I like this idea! Using something most of us have or can cheaply buy locally!

[@RimstarOrg]

@JJSears10 Thanks! I'm glad you liked it!

[@rangingaway92]

I'm definitely trying this when I head out on vacation. I dislike eating food cooked in a restaurant so I thought why not make my own, its summer all hot all day anyway I can pull a lunch everyday like soups, broths or just plain meat. Gonna write how it goes :)

[@peepmysteelo]

Just came from your other vid. Definitely trying this on the next fishing/backpacking trip for fun...

[@Ensensu2]

I did learn a way to partially replicate a parabolic solar cooker by tying the sunshade between two poles affixed into the ground to make a parabola by gravity. If you need to adjust for angle just use a stake in the middle to tip the cooker in the chosen direction.

[@RimstarOrg]

Great! Let us know how it goes.

[@Ensensu2]

I solved the wind problem, just put a heavy pot/pan at the back of the sunshade near the focal point (like cast iron, use a long sharp stick or iron nail held in place by the cookware to adjust the roof angle, and use 3 rocks placed in a triangle two at the sides where you want the shape to hold and one at the furthest point in line with the pot. The best part is the thing will correct itself if the wind blows and tries to topple it.

[@JJSears10]

Man... you are one sharp dude!

[@RimstarOrg]

Cool!

[@RimstarOrg]

@JJSears10 I take it you liked the video :). Thanks!

[@not2fast4u2c]

As hot as it gets in a car do you think cooking with the food on the dash and using the car shade would work well ???

[@Ensensu2]

That measurement was of the inside of the cookware. I think 140F is an iffy temperature for sterilization but around 110F germs stop growing so maybe that would work.

[@RimstarOrg]

I've never tried it. I'd suggest thawing it out first though so you don' t have to cook it as long.

[@sandravalani359]

Awesome Experiment...I lovVed it!😍I picked up a CaR Sunshade thiS past week because I am goinG to be doinG some SolaR Oven Experiments thiS summer that will be easy to uSe and Budget Friendly!👍I saw a beatiful American Sun SolaR Cooker for about $400+ U.S. DollaRs and I know that the 1 Billion people who don't haVe access to Modern Ovens. ... simply couldn't afforD it😢...so I am lookinG forward to CreatinG a "Red NeCk SolaR Cooker" that would be budget friendly foR all of Humanity to enjoy!👍Plz giVe yourself a pat on the baCk foR haVinG the Perseverance to keep goinG with youR experiment inspite of thoSe clouds!👍Happiii SprinG Fellow Foodie!✌😀🙏😇🌹🌞🌹🌎🌏🌍🌷🌻🐰🌻🌷☕🍵☕🍹🍻

[@Ensensu2]

I did get cast iron cookware and when I tested it in the carshade solar cooker the temperature was 160 degrees fahrenheit in three to four hours.

[@shalinluitel1332]

I have a Question: What would be the effect if I use microwavable Ziplock bag instead of Oven bag? Would it do a better job at retaining the heat? Anyways thank you for your video!

[@JJSears10]

Great video and info. Thanks!

[@Ensensu2]

So I am wondering how one would stablize this with rope? Because I made a prototype out of cardboard and tinfoil arranged into panels and I made it kind of like the corner of a wall. It gets water pretty hot but not near enough to be dangerous or boil but half of the water did evaporate out of the pot I used. This solar cooker seems to be much better. Oh by the way have you tried heating rocks with it to boil water? I don't know if you could but you can try it as a supplumental technique.

[@Ensensu2]

Oh and what is your oppinion on cooking frozen prepackaged food like frozen deep dish pizzas you find in some vending machines?

[@Ensensu2]

I found another link with a guy who contorted his sunshade into a bowl like shape and got 223 degrees which I assume are fahrenheit. The title is solar oven from dollar store items.

[@Ensensu2]

Where did you get the saucepan you are using because I can't find a cast iron one like it. Any tips for finding cast iron cookware?

[@karenosborne9821]

This is an enamel cooking pan. Not cast iron. Cast iron is really heavy.

[@CrapPolice]

made the mistake of getting that shade behind my rearview mirror and with the reflection it got it so hot the damn thing fell off the wind shield. So watch out for that

[@astatine0085]

can you re-use the oven bags?

[@RimstarOrg]

I just checked the packaging and it doesn't say anything about cleaning or re-use. I used mine a few times but they never got near the food.

[@popholmes5825]

Looks like a lot of trouble to me. I'll just stick with my wood burning camp stove.