[Image: 09.jpg --Photo description: This is a picture of
the funnel sitting tilted at an angle between two stands.
The funnel has no hole at the bottom; where there should
be a hole is solid and shiny like the rest of the funnel.
A crossbeam connects the two stands, above the funnel.
Hanging by string from the crossbeam so that it rests near
the shiny bottom of the funnel is a black canning jar,
surrounded by a clear plastic bag. The bag appears to be
blown up, full of air, and not touching the jar.]
I have personally used the Solar Funnel Cooker to cook lunches
over many weeks. My favorite foods to cook are potatoes (cut
into logs or slices) and carrot slices. Vegetables cook slowly
in their own juices and taste delicious. I also make rice,
melted cheese sandwiches, and even bread in the Solar Funnel
Cooker. I usually put the food out around 11:30 and let it cook
until 12:45 or 1 pm, just to be sure that it has time to cook.
I've never had any food burn in this cooker.
I have also cooked food in the mountains, at an altitude of
around 8,300 feet. If anything, the food cooked faster there--the
sunlight filters through less atmosphere at high altitudes.
I find that people are surprised that the sun alone can
actually cook food. And they are further pleasantly surprised
at the rich flavors in the foods which cook slowly in the sun.
This inexpensive device does it!
Students at Brigham Young University have performed numerous
tests on the Solar Funnel Cooker along with other cookers.
We have consistently found much faster cooking using the Solar
Funnel Cooker. The efficiency/cost ratio is higher than any
other solar cooking device we have found to date. Mr. Hullinger
also performed studies of transmissivity, reflectivity and
absorptivity of alternate materials which could be used in the
Solar Funnel Cooker. While there are better materials (such as
solar-selective absorbers), our goal has been to keep the cost
of the Solar Cooker as low as possible, while maintaining safety
as a first priority.