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Make a Solar Hot Dog Cooker

SAFETY FIRST: Ask an adult to help with tools you haven't used before.

If you curve some aluminum foil just right, you can cook hot dogs with the sun’s heat.

hotdog-640-1

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

  • Utility knife
  • Tape
  • Saw
  • Drill
  • Roofing nails
  • Glue
  • 2 sheets of corrugated cardboard, 7 1/2 inches by 30 inches
  • 2 2-by-2-by-12-inch connector boards
  • Piece of poster board large enough to cover the bottom of the cooker
  • 12-inch-wide aluminum foil
  • 2 1-by-1-by-13 1/2-inch wood uprights
  • Small wooden dowl, sharpened at one end

WHAT YOU’LL DO

Step 1. Using the utility knife, cut a curve from the two pieces of cardboard.

Step 2. Connect the curves together using the 12-inch connecting boards, glue and roofing nails.

Step 3. Bend the poster board over the curves, mark with a pencil and cut to size. Glue and tape in place.

Step 4. Spread glue evenly onto the poster board. Carefully glue down the aluminum foil. Make it as smooth as possible.

Step 5. Drill a hole in one upright, cut a notch on the other and glue in place.

Step 6. Aim the cooker at the sun, skewer your hot dogs, and get the rolls and mustard.

HOW IT WORKS

The sun reflects heat off the parabolic curve and concentrates it at a single point.


PHOTOS OF COMPLETED PROJECT

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50 Comments on Make a Solar Hot Dog Cooker

  1. Mr. Science // June 23, 2009 at 6:30 am // Reply

    I didn’t try this yet,but it is awsome!

  2. cubscoutguy // June 17, 2009 at 3:09 pm // Reply

    thats easy

  3. At my school we did practically the same thing except we used Pringles cans. THey work just the same and all you have to do is cut a hole in the can add plastic wrap and wait a while. 🙂

  4. thats cool

  5. this is the best idea I have ever heard

  6. This is a great idea. The solar cooker for a hot dog needs direct sunlight (no shade trees) and the outside temperature needs to be above 94 degrees Farenheit to cook the hotdog in about fifteen minutes or so ( usually with a Heat index of over 107 degrees Farenheit)– about the same temperature as cooking an egg on a cement sidewalk which does not have shade trees around. This is a great idea as a school science fair project. It’s a way to have a hot, cooked meal using absolutely no matches or charcoal.

  7. YEAH!!!!

  8. it dosent work not good directions sorry

  9. CamperCook53972 // April 23, 2009 at 9:05 am // Reply

    This is a great idea. The solar cooker for a hot dog needs direct sunlight (no shade trees) and the outside temperature needs to be above 94 degrees Farenheit to cook the hotdog in about fifteen minutes or so ( usually with a Heat index of over 107 degrees Farenheit)– about the same temperature as cooking an egg on a cement sidewalk which does not have shade trees around. This is a great idea as a school science fair project. It’s a way to have a hot, cooked meal using absolutely no matches or charcoal.

  10. this is cool

  11. Is that really work by using aluminiumfoil ?

  12. i was just wondering how long it will take to cook the hot dog and how to build it

  13. ERROR THIS MICROSOFT! // March 20, 2009 at 10:37 am // Reply

    Looks easy, but hard! I guess it will probably explode! 😯

  14. how long will it take?

  15. Mysterious stranger // March 13, 2009 at 3:38 pm // Reply

    This hot dog cooker is awesome I’m sooo using this for my project. Hope I get an A+.

  16. i made it got 2nd place

  17. this is the most awesome ,stinky project i every did

  18. hmp!!!! I WISH i had the materels!!-.-

  19. If you make the uprights and somehow the skuer bigger, you can cook other stuff. This is a great idea. Where did you get it at?

  20. sweet

  21. This idea is swell. I tried it at home with my fam. We all enjoyed the hotdogs.

  22. interesting

  23. bald man 201 // December 8, 2008 at 7:23 pm // Reply

    it makes me feel hungery

  24. zac of troop 700 // December 4, 2008 at 10:03 pm // Reply

    i luv hotdogs

  25. this cooker stinks

  26. neato

  27. hot coco master // November 28, 2008 at 4:11 pm // Reply

    it sounds like a cool idea!!!!!

  28. Solar green person // November 1, 2008 at 9:40 pm // Reply

    It is also very green

  29. i am going to use this for my project

  30. cool idea

  31. why didn’t someone tell me that before it would have saved me some time i love hot dogs

  32. This is kinda cool! I wish I could do that!

  33. My class does this on Fridays

  34. That also happened to me. Not a dream!

  35. And so I was dreaming I was being attack by a monster in the first place.

  36. This looks like an art project from my school!

  37. I did that in school!

  38. OK… now I’m hungry…

  39. that is cool my 8th grade class is do it in science it is alsome

  40. =) Hey i really think this is a great idea we are goin to do dis as a science fair project but one of our team member doent want 2

  41. hey this idea is craaaazzzzyyyy n i love it!!! hahahahaha xD

  42. AUSOME!!!!!!!!

  43. I wish I could use a knife.

  44. thats awesome how did you think of that!

  45. this works really good

  46. Not that cool

  47. my class is going to do this

  48. Wow….this would have been helpful!!! The dimensions were not included in the print instructions!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We made one but it was too small and took way too long to cook the hot dog!

  49. This is awesome– I will definitely use this.

    AJM

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