Reviving a Lost Parabolic Solar Cooker! Smart Sized DIY! Ideal for Everyday Meals! Perfectly Powered

In this video I'll be bringing back a Lost Parabolic Dish Cooker. It was known as the Solar Sizzler. It was a fantastic little cooker. it was lightweight, compact and cooked like a traditional stove burner (all without the bulk and overkill of today’s larger dishes). Unfortunately, it hasn’t been sold for nearly 15 years. it, along with all other units like it - just vanished. so, I decided to recreate it as a DIY project to bring it back to life! That way, all of you can enjoy this style of parabolic cooking as well. I’ll show you how it works, how I’m building it, and how you can make your own. it's a very practical (and addictive) solar cooker (due to its size, ease of use and cooking speed). Note: the unit I constructed sticks to the original specs of the solar sizzler dish. it comes as close as possible to being an exact replica. The first half of the video (up to 9:24) shows the unit cooking several different things in the morning and evening with varying cloud cover, wind speeds and stand heights (all in mid-October 2025). the second half (9.24 to 19.24) shows the full builds for the dish AND the stand. A Few Features of the Cooker: 1.) Compact and Lightweight — 3.5" thick and only 6.8 lbs.! 2.) Only 3-feet wide, so it's easy to carry and store 3.) Mounts on a standard tripod (so tracking the sun is nearly effortless) 4.) It's 3-foot focal distance means no messy 'boil overs' onto the reflectors 5.) Cooks like a regular stove burner (medium to medium-high heat) 6.) Perfectly, powered for everyday meals 7.) Works fast, so no waiting around. instant heat. 8.) Fast, effective cooking even in partly cloudy conditions. 9.) Wind safe up to 20 mph. (I've used in it 15 mph wind with no issues). 10.) Easy to carry, set up, and store making it ideal for camping, off-grid life or anyone wanting efficient solar cooking 11.) great to have in emergencies too (power down, black outs etc.) Practical DIY construction with accessible, affordable materials. In comparison, most of today’s parabolic cookers are massive units — around 5 feet wide, weigh over 30 pounds, and blast out 1800 watts of heat. That’s way more power than you need for almost all cooking. that's like cooking every meal on the high heat setting of the largest burner on your kitchen stove. The intense heat they produce is hard to control and burns food easily. they're not practical for most people plus their large size makes them a pain to move around and to store. Parts list for the Dish: 22" x 28" heavyweight posterboard (Walmart) https://tinyurl.com/4vwjcpnn 12" x 12" mirror stickers 16 pack (amazon) https://tinyurl.com/5by996e5 Elmers 'glue all' or another strong 'white glue' (don't use 'school glue') liquid nails construction adhesive short piece of 1/2" copper pipe (or use a 1/2" copper pipe coupler) 1/4" plywood for the front and rear brace. Four 36" long 3/8" square wood dowels (Home Depot/Lowes) hardware: one 1/4" 3" long bolt. two 1.25" washers, wingnut the black plastic piece is the quick release mounting plate (comes with the tripod) tripods can be found on amazon. The five pack of 30" by 40" double wall cardboard is from amazon ($15 on sale). https://tinyurl.com/yrbn5xyp (this brand is currently full price). this or any suitable sized piece can be used. you can even just buy an extra-large moving box from Home Depot or Lowes. just press it flat and glue it. that would work well for the back. just found this on amazon. 40" x 40" sheets in a 5 pack. it's single wall cardboard but just glue 2 pieces together and you'll have a 40" x 40" 'double wall sheet. no need for the edge pieces I used. https://www.amazon.com/BOX-USA-BSP404... Parts list for the stand: 8" flowerpot ring https://www.amazon.com/Panacea-89055-... Frigidaire burner grate https://www.amazon.com/Supplying-Dema... Concrete form stakes https://www.homedepot.com/p/0-75-in-x... Nuts/bolts used to connect the stakes https://www.homedepot.com/p/8-32-x-2-... the 4 pack includes 4 bolts and 4 nuts. Tube Straps https://www.homedepot.com/p/Halex-3-4... they sell lots of different ones. check that it fits the stake. quikrete if desired. note that amazon sells the exact flowerpot ring and burner grate, but they make you pay for it. (meaning I've seen both items for way less on other smaller sites). like $2 to $7 each. just don't get it wet and you'll be set. make sure to be very careful when using and storing this parabolic dish. it is very powerful. store it in a way so that no sunlight will ever hit the mirror. Update: the 'Family Size' version of this unit!    • DIY "Family Size" Parabolic Cooker! Superc...   Update: and the "Mini Size" Version    • DIY Parabolic Solar Cooker - the "mini mod...