Cooking Food When The Power Disappears
This is my next article in my series of the importance of having adequate food and water reserves for any emergency situation. The reason for these articles is to prepare average families and individuals in case of any unforseen event that may compromise normal daily conveniences. In most cases you and your family will be safer in your house. Even with the loss of utilities, shelter is paramount. And having sufficient amounts of food and water is just as important.
This article deals with the problem of cooking food, boiling water for purification and for preparing your dehydrated meals. When the electricity doesn't work and the gas is off, it can be an obstacle.
The first thing you must do, if you haven't already is to put yourself in a conservation mindset. Always use whatever fuel you have in the most efficient way possible. Only boil enough water you need. Plan meals ahead of time in order to consolodate as much food preparation as possible. There several cooking fuel options out there. Here are few Ideas:
Stock up an 'strike anywhere' matches and store in an airtight container. You can never have enough matches in emergency situations.
Stock up on sterno cans and couple of sterno ovens. They are very light weight and readily available. Long term storage is not advisable though due to sterno evaporating over time. Check them every 6 months or so to see if they need to be replaced.
Wood is a logical option for emergency cooking fuel. Hardwoods are preffered because they burn slower and maintain good coals. Always use seasoned cast iron pots and pans when heating with wood or charcoal. You should buy a set and season the set in your oven. Then put them in a box and store.
Charcoal is the cheapest fuel per BTU and is easily stored. $50 should get you and your family enough charcoal to last a year, if used efficiently. Torn, damaged and partial bags can be purchased for alot less money. So keep a look out. Use kerosene instead of charcoal lighter fluid. It's much less expensive and easy to store.
If you need to bake bread or just need an alternative to grilling you can easily construct a cardboard 'oven box'. Find a sturdy box like a banana crate or something similair. Cover inside and out with foil, shiny side out. Place the box on it's side on top of something that can handle the heat like a grill. Don't set on a plastic or wooden table. Find some bricks, or something else that won't catch on fire and position them in the box in order to support a cookie sheet to sit a couple of inches above the briquettes. A single burning briquette will give off 40 degrees of heat. So, if you have some biscuits that need to cook at 400 degrees you would put ten burning briquettes between the bricks and place the cookie sheet over the briquettes, resting on the bricks. Place whatever needs to be cooked on the cookie sheet. Cover a flat piece of cardboard with foil and place over the opening. Make sure you leave decent size crack for air to get in. Charcoal loves oxygen. Cook like you would in a kkconventional oven. This is the most efficient method to conserve charcoal fuel.
About the Author
Michael Hayes is an consultant specializing in urban and suburban preparedness. For more information visit his blog
He is also an internet training consultant specializing in online marketing and lead generation. To learn more about our proven internet marketing techniques.
Make Money Giving Away Free Food
45 Stonegate Court, 46385 Hillside Ranch on CulDeSac in VALPO
[simpleaffiliate source="amazon" results="5"]wood burning brick oven plans[/simpleaffiliate]
[simpleaffiliate source="clickbank" results="3"]wood burning brick oven plans[/simpleaffiliate]
No comments:
Post a Comment