First, the local Girl Guides showed this one. Get one of those huge 4 Litre (1 gallon) Fruit Juice (for making fruit punch at parties) cans. Remove one end lid (INSIDE the join (strength/safety), not removing the whole end - there are 2 different types of can openers nowadays!). Now you need to make a few airholes near the base (when the closed end is uppermost, making your cooking plate!), or keep the base off the ground with a few sticks, etc. If you make any airholes near the top, be careful, as the more hot iar exhausted, the less heat retained. You WILL get a build up of soot inside.
You place a lighted candle inside.
This will cook pancakes! Seriously! Not too fast, but will cook them properly. Clean the lid, and use a sparing amount of oil - spray can if you want. If you use a spray can while the candle is lit, take care, you don't want a bomb!
Now there are other creative ways to use various cheap electrical appliances... later.