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HOME SEPTEMBER 2017 4 Fo r m o re i n fo r m a t i o n , c o n t a c t B e t h Wa l s h a t 414 . 3 3 3 . 5 8 5 3 o r v i s i t w w w. Fox L a k e Vi l l a g e . c o m Speculative Homes Under Construction Now 42 N EW LOTS AVAI LABLE NOW $5,000 Discount for Addition #2 Lots Reserved Prior to 10/31/17 • 23-acre water feature • Fully improved homesites with city sewer and city water • Homesites from $89,900 and speculative home/lot packages from $399,900 • Waterfront homesites available Enjoy the best of all worlds in this community as you discover the beauty of nature, as well as the conveniences that the City of Waukesha provides. The Kathryn Ranch $426,500 2916 Makou Trail, Waukesha ★ Open House on Sat. & Sun. from 12-4 ★ Exceptional design prevails in this new 3BR/2BA ranch home available now with immediate occupancy. Open concept great room/kitchen with painted cabinetry and huge island. Partially exposed basement with 9' poured walls and large windows. MLS#1498576 252362003 K i t c h e n s | B a t h s | D e n s | C a b i n s | O f f i c e s | R e c R o o m s Work With Experienced Design Professionals "We Specialize in Cabinetry" 1005 Richards Road, Hartland | 262.367.9439 www.kitchencreators.com Cabinetry For Every Room, Every Budget! WE OFFER: NORCRAFT CABINETRY MID CONTINENT CABINETRY OMEGA CABINETRY DYNASTY CABINETRY WOODLAND CABINETRY 256979002 We Beat All Big Box Stores and all Competitors | Visit Our Showroom By Appointment Make an appointment today and learn about the new trends and cabinet specials. Dear Jim: I want a solar cooker to help keep my kitchen cooler and save energy. It would also help in case of a power outage or emergency. Can I make one that really works or should I buy one? — Rhonda G. Dear Rhonda: It is wise to try to do some of your baking and cooking outdoors in a solar cooker oven during the summer. Bak- ing and cooking use a lot of energy. During the winter, cooking does help heat your home. During the summer though, cooking results in a double energy cost because your air conditioner must run longer to remove cooking's extra heat and humidity. Solar cookers really do work. Many fami- lies in the world use solar cookers exclu- sively. Once you get used to cooking and baking in one, it is almost as easy to use as the oven in a kitchen range. In addition to cutting your utility bills, using one will pro- tect the environment for your children by reducing greenhouse gases. Solar cookers allow you to prepare food when there is a power outage even if it is not a bright sunny day. Also, they can get hot enough to sterilize foods and drinking water. This can be useful when flooding or some other event may pollute the public drinking water source. Insert a meat ther- mometer through the side to make sure it gets to a safe temperature. You can purchase a good-quality, easy-to- use solar cooker in about the $150 to $300 range. Many of them are designed to col- lapse for easy storage. This makes them ideal for camping or other outdoor activi- ties when electricity is not readily avail- able. Some inexpensive, super lightweight ones are made of reflective film which you inflate to create the proper shape for solar cooking. For the most convenience, consider get- ting a hybrid type of solar cooker. These cookers can bake bread, boil water and roast meats solely with the heat from the sun. They also include backup electric heating elements if electricity is available or for very cloudy days. It takes me about 50 percent longer to steam rice in my solar cooker than on my kitchen range. Most solar cookers include some type of collapsible or folding reflectors to direct more of the sun's rays on the cooking pot or baking oven. One powerful model uses a parabolic reflector (similar to a spotlight) to concentrate the sun's heat. Another uses flat folding shiny panels. Still another uses shiny inflatable reflectors to increase heat gain. If you are energetic and want to involve your children a learning project, build a solar cooker-oven yourself. The simplest ones consist of a large cardboard box with a smaller box inside of it. Crumpled-up newspapers can be used for insulation between the two. Place a clear plastic cover over the open top. For more solar heat, cover three pieces of cardboard with aluminum foil to function as reflectors. One reflector tilted up steeply For a cooler kitchen and energy savings, consider turning to a solar cooker JAMES DULLEY Sun BD Corp. The Tulsi-Hybrid top cover is a mirror and side-mirrored panels are added to reflect more heat into the oven when it is opened. See DULLEY/Page 5

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