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How To Make A Solar Oven at Home

Team StoryWeavers|December 27, 2021, 13:40 IST| 75

DIY Solar oven, solar cooker

Wondering how you might better use or recycle all those unused shoeboxes lying in one corner of your home? Well, here is an interesting way. Harness the power of the sun to heat yummy treats with the help of those shoeboxes!

Source: Giphy

Source: Giphy

Confused? 

Here’s another hint. Have you ever heard of the expression, “it’s so hot today that you could almost fry an egg on the pavement?” What if it was true? Find out with this simple, fun and easy-to-build DIY activity.

DIY Solar Oven 

You must have heard about a microwave oven. A microwave oven is a machine that cooks food with the help of microwaves, a type of radio wave


Read the interesting story of a scientist who accidentally discovered how radio waves could melt his chocolate bar!


A solar oven also acts somewhat similarly to an electric microwave, except it uses sunlight instead of electricity. Also called a solar cooker, it harnesses sunlight as its source of heat. It is a simple, portable and effective box that you can easily make at home. And yes! You can fix a meal using your solar cooker. 

Excited? Let’s make a DIY Solar Oven using a cardboard box!

To make a solar oven at home, you will need:

A cardboard box with an attached lid. Lid should have flaps so that the box can be closed tightly. (You can take a shoebox or a pizza box or any other unused cardboard box with a lid)

Aluminum foil

Clear plastic wrap

Black chart papers

A pair of scissors or a paper cutter

Glue

Tape

Ruler or a wooden stick

Thermometer

Steps to make the solar oven:

  • Take a cardboard box and flip to the top side.
  • Mark a border of two centimetres on the three sides, leaving the joining side of the box intact.
  • Using a paper cutter, cut across the dotted lines. With this, your oven base with an open flap is ready.

  • Open the flap and cover its bottom part with glue. Then, taking an aluminum sheet, paste it on the glued side of the flap neatly (Make sure there are no folds on the aluminum foil)
  • Similarly, line the inside of the box with aluminum foil on all sides. Glue it down and make the foil as smooth as possible. 
  • Place black chart paper on top of the aluminum foil and glue it. This way you will have the black paper as the base, on top of which you can place your food items.
  • Take a clear plastic sheet and wrap it across the top of the box, leaving the aluminum flap. 
  • Tape down both sides and make sure it’s secure.
  • Use a ruler or a wooden stick to hold the lid of the oven open. 
How to make a DIY Solar Oven at home - step by step

How to make a DIY Solar Oven at home – step by step

Now that your DIY solar oven is ready, let’s put it to work

Pre- Heat

Set your DIY solar oven in the direct sun on a sunny day when the outdoor temperature is close to 25 degrees. Keep the flap open with the help of the ruler or the wooden stick to reflect the sunlight into the box. 

Tips to heat a solar oven

What’s the science behind it?

When thermal light energy from the sun enters your oven, the foil in the box reflects the light, concentrating the heat into your oven. Once the light has gone through the plastic wrap, it heats the air that is trapped inside. The black paper absorbs the heat at the bottom of the oven, making sure that the heat stays where it is, instead of escaping out the sides of the oven.


Read more: What are the uses of Solar Energy


Although cooking food in a solar oven takes longer, and requires both your patience and time, it is very easy to use, and safe to leave alone while the energy from the sun cooks your food.

If you don’t want to wait that long and eat your solar-cooked food, you can also try heating something that has already been cooked. For example, a slice of pizza or a bowl of soup?

Will you try out this DIY? What will you cook in your brand new DIY solar oven? Do share it with us in the comments below. 

Happy cooking!

About the Author


Books are Tanaya Goswami’s first love and cheesecakes come a close second. Talking about movies, music, calligraphy, politics, and Elon Musk will get you listed under the friends’ section of her diary. Ever since moving on from her job as an English lecturer, she spends her time at BYJU’S crafting stories filled with emotion and sprinkled with sarcasm. Outside of work, she’s either learning something new (French, most recently!) or is curled up with a book and a cup of coffee. She firmly believes that discovering what you don’t know is the key to knowledge and is constantly working towards improving herself. Drop in a line at storyweavers@byjus.com if you liked her stories, have something nice to say, or if you have compelling ideas to share!

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Comments



Rupa

February 6, 2022

Accha koshish karugi


Tanya Thakur

February 5, 2022

I liked this dly very much


Aaran

February 4, 2022

So. Nise


Pratiksha

January 25, 2022

I have try this is so cool


Sazzadur Rahman Shibly

January 25, 2022

I will try it


Sonam

January 21, 2022

Nice..thank you


Sahana

January 20, 2022

I love these activities thanks for the Byju’s


Suchana panja

January 20, 2022

Wow I am really feel unhappy in house but now I have a extra fun with this solar oven……. It’s really toooo much ??????


Dipti Mondal

January 18, 2022

It’s is too good I have got a great Idea really to good think thank you


Pranav Kant

January 17, 2022

Ya it’s nice.
I’ve made it but it takes much time to heat the food item inside it.
It’s good for melting chocolates.


Janhvi Hiwrale

January 17, 2022

Wow I will try. Its really so cool and fantastic.


Hima.U.Gowda

January 16, 2022

Nice


Rethakshana

January 16, 2022

In Zoom meeting audio no working that is my issue


Manya Kumari

January 16, 2022

I like this very much ?❤️


Kasturi khandekar

January 15, 2022

Wow nice… Sure I’ll try it


Aafia

January 15, 2022

Very amazing I have made it to


Aastha Patel

January 15, 2022

I Am very happy and excited because it easy to make and it’s working


Anvita Garg

January 15, 2022

Wow,this diy is so tasty!??


Nandita Sharma

January 14, 2022

I will try this DIY because it is so cool and fascinating. Looking forward on cooking my food on it .

From Nandita Shimul Bhardwaj


Arya kumar Srivastav

January 14, 2022

Very nice ??


Shreya Jayesh

January 13, 2022

Oh wow! I will surely do this DIY. I love cooking and I really wanted an oven … This one is perfect for me ?.


KASHISH RAJ

January 13, 2022

AMAZING I WOULD SURELY LIKE TO TRY THIS AND SEE WHAT THE RESULT COMES.VERY EXCITING IT GONNA BE ??


Shivadarshan

January 13, 2022

Excellent! Maam


Advika Aashi

January 12, 2022

Loving this diy


Sneha

January 12, 2022

l like to diy this type things it make me fun also


Kavya sree

January 11, 2022

I loved this diy


Tanmai Krishna

January 11, 2022

Excellent DIY!


Harshvardhan santosh Patil

January 11, 2022

Hii, this is awesome


Mahek Patel

January 11, 2022

I will surely make ths solar cooker and make oreo mug cake or maggi.


Lavish agrawal

January 10, 2022

Useful items thanks


Priyanshu raj

January 10, 2022

Very nice project?


Mohith Kumar

January 10, 2022

Wow!


Yashraj kamal

January 10, 2022

I like this project ??


Rahul.K

January 10, 2022

This nice this experiment have worked for me this nice thank-you


Rhea

January 10, 2022

Of course I’m gonna try it!


Sohan RaviKumar

January 10, 2022

I will try this DIY because it is so cool and fascinating. Looking forward on cooking my food on it


MANASVINI

January 10, 2022

Give me a video about how to make.


MastercheifA.D

January 10, 2022

Noice ! It works


T. Priyarasi

January 10, 2022

I make solar oven


Abin Mukhopadhyay

January 10, 2022

I tried it and it was very good with no gas naturally


Katokam Harshini

January 10, 2022

This DIY is unbelievable but the only thing is I don’t have the black paper and cardboard box. I wish I had them so that I could do my activity easy.
LOVE Byjus


Katokam Harshini

January 10, 2022

This DIY is unbelievable but the only thing is I don’t have the black paper and cardboard box. I wish I had them so that O could do my activity easy.
LOVE Byjus


Vidhi Kumari

January 9, 2022

Good


Ananya Trivedi

January 9, 2022

Really amazing , I didn’t even though to use silver foil and cardboard box like this


Nikita

January 9, 2022

It’s too good


Supriya Chib

January 9, 2022

Good


Aadrika Gupta

January 9, 2022

It turned out great mam


Vedant Singh

January 9, 2022

Hi, this is amazing


Nandika

January 9, 2022

Nice!


R.Rakshika

January 9, 2022

I will try it. may be pop corn ??????


Vishakha Bawankule

January 9, 2022

Just loved a DIY..
I will definitely try my best to make solar oven..
So excited for DIY ?
Thank you Byjus


Nimish Mishra

January 8, 2022

Yes,I will try this and I will cook dosa.


Sanchita Chandangirwar

January 8, 2022

Nice I will surely try!!????


Istuti

January 8, 2022

What will we do after making it were we have to share after doing this activites


Istuti

January 8, 2022

I also wanna take part and make this DIY
Also I am interested in doing these type of activities


Anurag

January 8, 2022

This is qm
Amazing


Hamza

January 8, 2022

Mam kya ye sure ban jayega


Dhruv Shekhar

January 8, 2022

It’s an extraordinary idea.


Shivam Kumar

January 8, 2022

It was nice ? experiment ?


Aditya Rewani

January 8, 2022

Plz send or make any blog on 3D Animations.


Bhumika

January 8, 2022

Yes I am want to make this solar oven
I first baked in this is red velvet cake pice ♥️


Mubashshara zafar

January 8, 2022

Wow it’s look so classy
I am going to try it
I hope I will try my best


Arshman singh

January 8, 2022

I want to make a solar oven but I didn’t know how to make it now I know it


Aleena Zafar

January 8, 2022

It doesn’t work


Nandini Rana

January 8, 2022

Nice traning


Arshman singh

January 8, 2022

Very nice


Nandini Rana

January 8, 2022

Beautiful ❤️


Yash Avinash Bedarkar

January 8, 2022

The process is easy. thank you


Anupriya Thakur

January 8, 2022

I have tried its good thank mam


Bhawna kala

January 8, 2022

I would like to cook poha


Poonam kumari

January 8, 2022

What is this


Shatakshi

January 8, 2022

Amazing DIY loved it


Sanyam singh

January 8, 2022

I liked this diy very much.


RISHIKA Agarwal

January 8, 2022

I will try this DIY because it is so cool and fascinating. Looking forward on cooking my food on it .


Pragyanand Mishra

January 8, 2022

Excellent


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