I am looking to make a solar power hot dog cooker for a class project.I have pretty much decided on the tin-foil parabola design most website suggest, however I'd like to augment it with insulationLet me know what you think might work best, and why:The major idea I had was to enclose my cooking area by either black paper, saran wrap, or perhaps a glass containerThe idea is that the IR light would still hit the hotdog, but less air that was heated around it would escapeIf I use black paper though, I might absorb the energy before actually hitting the hot dogClearly using tin foil would reflect it back out against the original reflectors.Let me know what you think.Thanks!
Saran wrap could easily melt and is not very easy to maneuver to pull out the hot dogs when they are finishedthe black paper is a bad idea since it would block all of the radiant energy that you are hoping will reach the hot dogsI would go with the glass coverThere are glass covers that one puts over cheeses to keep them freshThey are not huge, but would be enough to do 4 - 5 hot dogsThat would be the most elegant solutionIf you cannot find one of them, you could glue 5 pieces together with silicon sealantThat should work tooSilicon sealant can handle quite high temperaturesThere are varieties in auto supply stores that can handle up to 600 degrees F, but you do not need anything near to that highYou could use small steel 'corners'to make it more stable Glue them to the glass with the same sealantyou could use them on the outside and inside of the glass, at, say, two per edge: so you'd need 16 of themWell, a fish tank would also work, if you can relocate the fish!
I had chocolate rasberry candy apples before,you can follow the recipe for regular candy apples and add chocolate flavoring.
