Free Cookbooks: macscouter.com/cooking/dutchoven.html or scoutingthenet.com/cooking

You do need to season it the first time you cook, and learn how to clean and store it. Check on internet or with neighbors.

Box Cooker– Most popular to build and use. Lid of a box reflects light onto food under glass. It can cook and bake large quantities of food, (See directions for many kinds of solar cooking.org/plans/default.htm)

Alcohol Stove (also used as heat source/recommended in  February meeting.): Small, compact, easy to make, inexpensive ($3.25), 3 hours of cooking (add 1 c. alcohol). It is made from a new quart size paint can with lid, a roll of toilet paper and 70% rubbing alcohol. In addition a 12 oz chicken chunk type can with holes/vents (sets on top of can to allow air) Just light and use as stove. Smoother flame with lid. Stores 5+ years. Will warm food, not enough heat to boil usually.

 Rocket Stove:  (rocketstoves.org – 19 minute step-by-step video)

Made from a 5 gallon metal can, stove pipe and a soup can: this stove will cook a full meal with just a handful of twigs. It makes very high heat (regulate heat by amount of fuel). Great for bringing food to a quick boil. Can is filled with insulating material (ashes, vermiculite). It burns so hot there is very little smoke. It is amazing! Outside cooking only. Will make pots black.

Volcano Stove:  Needs charcoal or other fuel, but very good heat source.

Fireless Cookers  (also: Haybox / Wonder Box/ Victory Oven)                                                                                                                                Fireless cookers have been in use for hundreds of years. They are essentially like using a crock pot with no electricity. The secret in is the insulation. You just bring your meal to a boil in a pot, cover with tight-fitting lid, turn down heat and simmer on medium for several minutes, never more than 15 minutes, then quickly put in cooker, cover with topper and leave for 4 times the usual cooking time. That’s it! No stirring or burning. Food can be left up to 8 hours and still be hot and delicious. It is perfect for foods that start out with lots of liquid: soups, stews, rice, and more. Because of losing less steam during cooking you will need to add less liquid to the recipe. Also great for making yogurt (Just put a pot of warm water next to it.) You can even bake bread in the Wonderbox.  I used two 46 ounce juice cans to bake the bread inside the pot of boiling water. (Call Linda Hufstetler, 497-9729 for recipes and times)  For safety, food must stay above 140º, if it drops below that, remove, reheat, replace. Any container may be used: cardboard/wooden box, ice chest or even just pot wrapped in towels surrounded by Mylar blanket. There must be 3-4 inches (1-2 in ice chest) of insulation surrounding pot. Insulation materials may include: hay, shredded newspaper, towels, blankets, pillows, Styrofoam pellets.               

Cardboard box Oven (Emergency Food in a Nutshell) photos of oven on familyark.org  or check with Linda Hufstetler (801-719-6693)  for directions to make a more permanent oven. Made from a foil lined cardboard box, an inexpensive way to bake in an emergency. It uses about half the charcoal that a Dutch oven uses and gives the same results as baking in at regular oven. It bakes bread (2-3 loaves at a time), rolls, muffins, casseroles, cookies and cakes, anything you would bake in an oven. For 350º use 10-13 coals (evenly distributed)=charcoal burn time 35 minutes. If longer baking time required add ½ the original coals every 30 minutes. Baking once a day for 1 hour, at 350º will use 15 charcoals.  For one year= 24 (15-pound bags) $60.  Use Kingsford brand (longer more even burn time) =17 coals per pound. Keep dry, and out of the air, stores indefinitely. Will lose heating ability if exposed to air just in the bag it comes in.  Other Things Needed: wire rack, small baking sheet, 4-pop cans or bricks, newspaper, matches and charcoal chimney, piece of foil, pot holders, charcoal tongs, oven thermometer.

FUEL FACTS

Sourcs: Simply Prepared, Emergency Food in a Nutshell, Lamplighter Farms”

CANDLES:       ¾” diameter x 4” burns about 2:20 hours

                              7/8” diameter x 4” burns about 5 hours.

                              2” x 9” burns about 75 hours

               Store candles in a cool area. Store at least 3 candles per day

CANNED HEAT: Stores easily and can be used indoors. A 7-ounce can burns about 1-1/2 hours. It will evaporate over long periods of time, especially if stored in warm environment.

CHARCOAL: Use for outdoor cooking only. Stores indefinitely if kept dry and out of the air, otherwise will not burn well. Use good quality, like Kingsford, for easier lighting and better burn time. When used in a cardboard box oven, use 1 briquette for every 35-40 degrees, burns for 35 minutes. For Dutch oven cooking, use the oven size in inches plus 3 briquettes on top and the oven size in inches minus 3 briquettes on the bottom for 350-375 degrees. 1 hour per day baking in cardboard box oven = 24 – #15 lb bags charcoal for 1 year.

COOKING OIL: Emergency candles can be made from oil. Take a piece of string, lay one end in cooking oil and allow the other end to hang over the edge of jar. Light the dry end. Use 7-8 strings for more light. These are very smoky and should be used only when nothing else is available. (Best is olive oil).

FLASHLIGHTS: 2-battery flashlight with new batteries will work for 6 hours. Store in a cool area. Don’t store batteries in flashlights. Store extra batteries and bulbs. The best is rechargeable batteries, and a battery charger.  Also a solar battery charger is available.  Some headlamps last for up to 200 hours on 3-AAA batteries. Crank flashlight last about 30 minutes on 1 min. cranking. Okay light. Shake flashlights are good for short trips, but most are dim when lit.

GASOLINE: Only outdoor use. For use with generators, use a lot of fuel. Stores 1 year in tightly sealed container, longer with additive like Pri-G.  Keep in cool place. Limits on amounts to store.

KEROSENE: Only use outdoors. With 1” wick, a kerosene lantern will burn for 45 hours on 1 quart. Burning 5 hours each day the following amounts of kerosene would be used: @1 quart per week, 3 ½ qts. per month, 10 gallons per year.  It can be used indoors. Dangerous to store. Refuel and light outside to avoid smell. Only store high-quality 1K kerosene. Store outside/shed only in shade. Stores 1-2 years, longer with additive like Pri-D.

LAMP OIL: Petroleum based. For hurricane type lamps. Odorless/smoke free, 10 hours per ounce burn time or 640 hours/128 days for ½ gallon. Stores indefinitely in house or garage. Lamp oil should be ½” below top of neck and not less than 2” below while using. Wick should not be visible above the dome while burning. If it’s too high it will cause smoke. 2 gallons = 1 year per lamp. Store extra wicks and lamps if possible. (available at Walmart)

NEWSPAPER LOGS: Four logs burn approximately 1 hour and produce heat comparable to the same amount of wood on pound-per-pound basis. Check on internet, many sites for making newspaper logs, either soaking in water, or just rolling into logs.

PROPANE: Outdoor use only unless appliance has ODS (oxygen depletion sensor). Stores indefinitely. Store outdoors in shade in upright position. Propane containers must be recertified every 10 years. Small cylinder will burn about 2 ½ hours. Can be used for lanterns, stoves, and heaters.  Usual legal limit 5 – 5 gallon tanks. Small tanks $4+ each.

BUTANE:  I small canister burns 2-1/2 hours on high and 8 hours on low.   Can use inside in butane stove, if not used for long. If used for many hours, crack a window. Ideal for boiling food before cooking in Wonderbox. At 15 minutes per meal on high, 1 canister lasts 10 meals, so at 2 meals a day, would need 70 canisters for a year.  If that is your main source of cooking, would err on the long side, and get about 100 canisters.  Lasts at least 10 years or longer if kept cool. Also consider more if heating water for washing dishes, bathing, etc.

WHITE GAS: Costly and only outdoor use. 38 gallons = 5 hours a day, 2 mantel lantern; 91 gallons = 4 hours 2 burner stove per day.

WOOD: Stores many years. Hardwood burns longer. 2-6 cords for winter warmth/cooking.

http://rocketstoves.org/capturing_heat/pdf/capturing_heat.pdf
http://rocketstoves.org/
http://solarcooking.wikia.com/wiki/Rocket_stove
http://solarcooking.wikia.com/wiki/Heat-retention_cooking
http://solarcooking.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Compendium_of_solar_cooker_designs