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While the international delegates at the United Nations Earth Summit II conference were discussing the issue of deforestation , members of the International Solar Kitchen were cooking up a storm (tomato rice) with solar energy. This kind of cooking is becoming increasingly popular because it can save up to a ton of wood per year. Since the cave people discovered it, people from all parts of the world have used fire to cook their food. For many societies wood has become a scarce resource. In Africa for example, women can spend up to four hours gathering wood for cooking. In refugee camps, this task is even more difficult. It takes at least one kilogram of wood to cook food for one person. In 1995, the International Solar Kitchen, a non-profit organization founded in 1987, and the UN High Commissionner for refugees introduced the solar kitchen in the Kakuma and Dadaab camps in Kenya. A third project has just started in the Aisha camp in Ethiopia. For refugee families, this technology is very helpful because in wood is very hard to find. They must often trade a portion of their rations to get wood. However since the introduction of solar cooking in camps, it is now possible to eat twice a day -- more than 6,000 families have benefitted. The UNESCO is currently financing a national project to help the Zimbabwe population as well. Mrs Louise Meyer, 54, teacher for the International Solar Kitchen organization for many years, says that "solar cooking could be an alternative for very sunny regions and also for regions in North America." Living in downtown Washington, Mrs Meyer cooks for her family with solar energy. "Cooking with fire requires supervision so that the food will not burn. With solar cooking you can cook all the food together and while it's cooking you can do something else. And, healthwise, this cooking method doesn't take away the vitamins. The only glitch is that you cannot cook at night..." There are many types of solar energy ovens and various methods to build them. The model used in African refugee camps is the solar panel as it is easy to build and the materials are cheap. The solar panel is made in California and costs 5$ US. On the market it is sold for 15$ US to finance assistance projects. The difference in price allows a panel to be given to two people. You can also build it on your own. The easiest model to build takes about half an hour to make. All you need is a big box or a big piece of thick cardboard measuring 100x130 cm, aluminium paper, scotch tape and a knife or scissors. You can build two panels for small pots with one box.. Remove the four pieces that close the box without tearing them. Put them aside. Cut the box in two diagonally. Half the box should have two sides and a triangular bottom. Add one of the pieces you removed earlier by taping it in front of the triangular bottom. This part must be movable and adjustable because you will use it to change the angle of the sun's reflection. You then cover the inside with aluminium paper. You can put rocks inside the box to make it stable and to adjust the movable pannel. The pot has to be dark outside, preferably black. It also has to be aluminium because a thick cooking pot will absorb too much heat. You can use your own pots by painting them black with a matte latex paint. The inside is not so important. Always use the same pot for solar cooking. The plastic bag has to be see-through and must be heat resistant. Nylon, polyester or polypropylene bags are recommended because they are reusable. You can now start cooking. Put the pot covered with the plastic bag in the middle of the panel facing the sun. The sun's rays will reflect on the sides of the panel and will be directed towards the pot. The panel allows to increase the heat three and a half times and that allows you to cook any kind of food. Solar cooking is not that difficult, give it a try... why not?
Bon appétit! For more information about solar cooking, building a solar kitchen, measurements, different models and for more recipes, (cookies anyone?)...: |
