free fuel

According to our favorite source of never faulty information, Wikipedia, a hotdog is defined as such: a smooth-textured sausage of minced beef or pork usually smoked; often served on a bread roll.

That makes it sound even better than it actually even is! I thought it was impossible.

Anyway, getting to the point, hot dogs are pretty easy to cook. You can cook them in the microwave (my favorite!), the oven, on the stove, and even on the grill. However, cooking hot dogs has become even better! With this innovative technique you can say goodbye to that pesky electric bill or the ridiculous cost of propane or coal. Say hello to: solar cooker.

I was first introduced to this strikingly technological device at Dr. W. J. Creel Elementary school. I wouldn’t say that it was quite as advanced as the one that I am planning to reveal to you tonight, but never the less it was impressive at the time.

The need for another source of energy has been mounting exponentially in the past decade with the oil crisis at large. However, the severity of the situation has been acknowledged by countless individuals starting even farther back than the past 10 years. In 1973 Nobel Prize winner George Porter asserted that, “I have no doubt that we will be successful in harnessing the sun's energy…If sunbeams were weapons of war, we would have had solar energy centuries ago.” It appears that we HAVE harnessed it now, regardless of how archaic this technology may seem to some. In essence, it’s really just a do-it-yourself box.

While solar cooking can be time consuming, it has a few decided benefits. It’s very difficult to burn food when using a solar cooker, and food cooked in this way tends to retain its moisture as well. On top of that it’s exceptionally safe and it doesn’t heat up the kitchen. Well...I mean it isn’t exactly used in the kitchen so that would explain that advantage.

While explaining the process can be very lengthy, the general idea is quite simple. There are a few sites that explain the creation in detail, and would be more informative than if I tried. Therefore, let me give you a couple of links.

http://www.i4at.org/surv/solarbox.htm I like this one because it makes the process pretty clear, as well as providing cheap alternatives and ways to make your solar cooker more efficient.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2083_make-solar-oven.html This one uses black construction paper instead of the black paint, which may be easier for some.

According to Solar Cookers International, using solar energy can be even more useful than what you may think.
Some groups gaining from solar cooking include:
-households
-health professionals
-businesses
-governments

Just take a look at this:

Many poverty-stricken families worldwide spend 25% or more of their income on cooking fuel. Sunlight — solar cooker "fuel" — is free and abundant. Money saved can be used for food, education, health care, etc.

Taking this information into consideration and helping to spread solar technology can be salubrious to families all over, whether they be in the United States or outside of it. The simple solar oven cooker requires only a very small investment of time and money as well as requiring little effort to produce fully cooked and safe food.

Hopefully there will be an effort to spread the knowledge to disadvantaged households. Also, I hope that you try this out in your spare time! It's pretty fun or at least I thought so when I was 8! :)