# 15 Non traditional ways to use a solar cooker



## cantinawest (Nov 9, 2011)

*15 Non-traditional ways of using a solar cooker*


*1-Making Jams and Jellies* in a Solar Box and Panel style cookers are great due to the fact that solar cookers are great for simmering.

*2-Canning fruits and tomatoes* in a solar oven (only fruits and highly acidic items like tomatoes can be canned using a solar oven.)
But, you can use a pressure cooker on a large parabolic cooker to pressure can due to the high heat concentration. Of course you will have to rig your cooker to withstand a large amount of weight.










You can also *3-dehydrate food* in a solar box style cooker (oven) by ventilating the interior of the oven by leaving the door/lid partially open to prevent excess buildup of heat and to allow for movement of air.
Ideally you would have plenty of air movement by natural means, but if not, you can use a slow moving fan (preferably a solar operated one) to keep the air circulating.
I personally prefer to dehydrate food on my own solar drying racks rather than using a solar cooker since it requires constant vigilance of the solar cooker to assure that the heat does not become excessive and it has sufficient ventilation. I prefer using my solar cookers for actual cooking more than dehydrating, but this shows that they can be used for dehydrating.

*4-Water Purification and pasteurization* is a very common use for solar cookers around much of the world, especially when the water is polluted and needs purification.
You can also heat water for bathing, washing clothes and dishes etc. etc.










I have a friend who used one of her solar cookers *5-to warm her socks, mittens and other clothing articles* in the winter, as well as for drying out wet gloves and socks.

*6-Ironing Clothes* using the old style hot-irons that were heated on stovetops, or a charcoal iron, with such you can do the same by heating the iron on a Parabolic Cooker which is the only solar cooker that can get hot enough and fast enough. You can pick up a charcoal iron online, but most of them are antiques, unless you order a newly manufactured iron from China, Africa or India where they still make and use them.






*7-Dying Yarn* with natural dyes in a solar cooker
http://www.solarcooker-at-cantinawest.com/using-a-solar-oven-to-dye-yarn.html









Photo from thespidersworkshop.wordpress.com


*8-Grain Sterilization* can be accomplished in a solar oven to kill weevil and other bugs that may have infested the grain. 
I had a customer from the Philippines who purchased a solar oven specifically for the purpose
Of sterilizing the grain he feeds to his pigs.

*9-Soil sterilization* on a small scale can be accomplished using a solar cooker.
Different temperature ranges kill different kinds of pathogens.
140° - 160°: Most weed seeds; all plant pharming bacteria, most plant viruses 
157° - 178°: Soil Insects, worms, slugs, mold, and nematodes
Care needs to be taken in order not to overheat the soil and to kill the good components of the soil.
Do not exceed 200 F.

*10-Medical Instrument sterilization*
Doctors in third-world countries have used solar ovens and panel style cookers to sterilize their medical instruments, gauze bandages and needles to help reduce and prevent the spread of infections and disease in less than ideal field and normal hospital conditions.

This picture is of an autoclave made from a pressure cooker over a parabolic cooker to be used to sterilize medical instruments.









photo from: phys.org

*11-Melting Wax*
To be used in candle making and repurposing leftover or waste wax.
http://www.solarcooker-at-cantinawest.com/solar-cooker-used-to-make-candles.html

*12-Separating Beeswax and melting the capping
From the honeycomb*
http://www.solarcooker-at-cantinawe...elting-beeswax-capping-and-candle-making.html

http://www.solarcooker-at-cantinawest.com/my-husbands-homemade-solar-oven.html










*13-Coffee Bean and Peanut Roasting*

_Coffee on an industrial scale:_
http://solarroast.com/src_about

Or coffee bean roasting can be accomplished on a personal scale with a personal sized solar oven.

_Roasting peanuts_ in a solar cooker is a common practice for some in India.
http://www.solarcooker-at-cantinawest.com/peanut-roasting-with-a-solar-cooker.html










*14-Solar smelting*
With very high temperatures in excess of 2400 C (4352 F) using this particular solar concentrator.






*15-Water Distillation* using a parabolic cooker with a distiller set up on the pot receptacle to keep the water at a constant boil.
This particular distiller is designed for use outdoors ad on open fires as well.









photo from: waterwise-distillers.com

*So, as you can see, a solar cooker can be used to cook your foods as well as accomplish a number
of other essential and needful things. It truly is a versatile tool that will serve your many preparedness needs.*


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