Setting Up An Emergency Pantry, Part 3: Cooking Methods
Summer storm season is upon us. Whether it is hurricanes or tornadoes that threaten your area (or both), are you prepared to feed your family for an extended period without power?
The last major outage I experienced lasted almost a week, and after watching a freezer full of food spoil, we lived out of whatever canned food we had around. We couldn’t get new supplies at the grocery store. As a result of this experience, I put together an emergency food plan. In this series, I will cover how I implement my emergency pantry and cooking plan.
Methods of Cooking
Regardless of what you choose to cook, you will need some way to cook it. There are three variations on cooking methods that can be done by most people. Please remember that all three of these methods need to be done outside to prevent harmful fumes from hurting you and your family.
Camp Stove
The portable camp stove is a good way to cook food. Running on bottled propane or liquid fuel, it provides a one- or two- burner stove that you can use standard kitchen pots on. Remember: always use a camp stove outside
The Grill
For long-term power outages, charcoal grills are hard to supply fuel for. However, propane grills or grills hooked to a gas line are very useful and reliable. After the last major storm, we had our grill hooked to our natural gas line. We may not have had power for a week, but we still had our gas!
Firepit or Campfire
Most municipalities prohibit open burning, but if you are lucky enough to live in an area that doesn’t, you can use a fire for cooking. In order to not destroy your kitchen implements, though, only use stainless steel or cast iron pots on the fire, and wipe the outside with dishwashing liquid to make cleanup easier.
Ensure Your Fuel
No matter what method you choose, make sure you have an adequate fuel supply, be it gas cannisters, propane or wood. Fuel is at a premium during an emergency, and you cannot be guaranteed that there will be any in stores.
Photo by lu_lu
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