Cooking without power can be challenging. When there’s a power outage, preparing food to sustain you and your family during an emergency requires patience and imagination. Because unless you have a large supply of non-perishable food, cooking then becomes a burden and a huge concern when there’s no power.
Even when you do have some food that won’t spoil without power, if it’s an outage caused by cold weather, you’re going to want to have something warm to raise your body temperature.
⇒ A small portable gas stove is one option for making sure you’re fed in an emergency.
Most often used for camping, these little stoves can be hooked up to butane or propane sources and provide you with a nice steady flame for you to cook with.
⇒ A charcoal grill can also achieve the same results. So, if you have one you can use it outside. Do make sure you use this grill outside. Charcoal grills are not for indoor use. Of course, you’ll have to make sure you have a supply of charcoal.
Of course, even with a little stove or a charcoal grill, you’re going to need the appropriate cookware.
Therefore, you’ll need to invest in…
⇒ A cast iron pan. These can be used on any source of heat, whether it be a small butane flame, hot coals, or even a fireplace fire.
While grills have their metal grill that goes over the coals, they won’t be suitable for things like warming up food, such as soup. They’re more for suitable for cooking meats and other items that won’t fall between the grates on the grill.
A cast iron pan is durable and can easily hold enough food in it while cooking to feed multiple family members.
⇒ MREs (Meals Ready To Eat) are one of the most convenient options for staying fed without power during an emergency. Still, they don’t require cooking in the traditional sense.
They are often given to military forces to cook when they’re outside their base of operations. Yet, civilians can easily get MREs to buy.
What’s convenient about MREs is that they have a main course which you can heat with water that’s room temperature. You accomplish this by immersing the pouch that comes with each meal in the warm water.
After waiting for about 10 minutes, walla! Without any fire or electricity, you’ll have a warm meal. MREs also come with or two side dishes, as well as a powdered drink that can be added to water.
These convenient eats come in a variety of flavors, and even have vegetarian options. Keeping a small stock of these at home can come in very handy.