Summer Fun - Solar Powered Pizza Box Oven

This is a super simple solar powered oven made from a pizza box. This is a great activity for kids on summer vacation and fun to take camping. This picture is of some mini pizzas we made using Sandwich Thins, pizza sauce, and shredded cheese. These pizzas took about 30-40 minutes in our solar-powered oven.

Clean pizza box, any size

Aluminum foil

Plastic wrap

Black construction paper

Scissors or Exacto knife

Tape

Glue

Ruler

1. First, leaving a one-inch gap from the edge of the pizza box, cut three sides of a square from the top of the lid. Leave the inside edge intact, but score the line from the inside of the box using scissors or exacto knife. This will create a flap.

2. Next, line inside surfaces of the bottom of the pizza box, and inside of flap, with aluminum foil. Glue,if necessary.

3. Tape a black piece of construction paper to the bottom of the box. Do not glue because this paper may need to be changed after use.

4. Finally, with flap open, cover hole in top of the box with plastic wrap and tape in place, making sure that air cannot get through.

So far, I haven't experimented with higher-risk foods like cookie dough (because of the eggs), but our pizzas came out well, I think. First, I made the pizzas, then put them in the box on the construction paper. Then, I closed the box top and opened the flap. The flap had to be propped open so that it reflects light on the food in the box. A piece of string taped from the flap to the back of the box may help keep it open. The cooking time for these pizzas was about 40 minutes. Happy cooking! Feel free to post comments with recipes and suggestions! Thanks!