Forty years ago this month, the August 1978 issue of Boys’ Life carried these plans for a solar oven. According to the magazine, the oven would reach 200 degrees, “hot enough to cook a meat loaf or bake breads in several hours.” The inner and outer boxes were insulated with fiberglass insulation and sealed air tight. The inside of the inner box was painted black with a “non-lead” paint. Four shiny aluminum panels could be used to direct heat into the oven.

A suggested improvement to increase efficiency was to use a double layer of glass with an air gap between the two panes.

If you would prefer to have someone else do the construction work, the solar oven shown at left is you can find  this solar oven Amazon which appears to have good reviews.