PREPS PART 5: COOKING with out electricity

LilRose8 · May 10, 2005

This is a fairly big subject , so let's keep it simple.

#1 How will you cook if you are bugging out ie: camping or on the run.

#2 How will you cook if there is no electricity, short term, long term.

PLEASE include how you will start a fire, both with dry tinder and WITHOUT.

For us, we will be using a coleman propane stove, a campfire, an hibachi or barbeque grill depending on the supplies on hand and the circumstances. I have a blast match as well as waterproof and regular matches, some lighters etc. Anyone out there proficient with a dutch oven? Any interesting stoves out there? I have had my eye on a Volcano. http://www.aaoobfoods.com/volcanostoves.htm#top....has anyone had experience with these?

I would really love to hear from you innovative folks out there that have unique and do-able ways of making meals on the run or in the wilds.
In later threads we can discuss canning and dehydrating, so let's keep this thread about bug out scenarios.

WalknTrot · May 10, 2005

I'm pretty much sticking with propane for the shorter term...have 500 gals for the house and a propane oven/stove in the kitchen with pilot that doesn't need electricity. Always have the one-burner camp stove in the truck with a couple bottles of fuel and the two burner with the camping gear. Lots of the small bottles in storage. I have a couple of the big BBQ type tanks for the grill that are kept full and a tree available so they can be hooked to the small stoves and lanterns. Long term? I have a lot of practice cooking over a campfire or on a woodstove.

Starting fires? Well....there's lots of stuff around that will help in starting a fire, but just in case...my favorite thing to stash everywhere (vehicles, bags, tackle boxes, kitchen boxes, pockets, etc. ) are little plastic bottles stuffed with vaseline soaked cottonballs.

night driver · May 10, 2005

I kinda like bottles of Hand Sanitizer.....

Aardaerimus · May 10, 2005

Lars posted an amusement thread

the other day about a "Solar Death Ray" "toy" created by some guy who wanted to burn stuff with the sun.

While it was immensly amusing, it put my mind to thought on this very issue: Solar Cooking. The device seemed to produce a huge amount of heat via dozens of reflective plates pointing to a center focal point. There's no reason why you couldn't place a black-bottom pot there and beam one or more of these fun lil things right at it for some unbelievable heating power.

Of course there are the typical cardboard box and foil contraptions which, while slower, are very effective and still as cool as anything that cooks on raw solar power.

Maybe someone could post a link to Lars "Solar Death Ray" thread. While amusing it may be worth looking in to.

Edit: Here ya go

http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?t=149647&highlight=solar+death

Angel Lady · May 10, 2005

Hi LilRose, great thread once again.

We have a grill and a coleman stove, also some charcoal and charcoal starter if needed (and ofcourse matches). We also have a one burner propane stove handy. If need be we can cook over an open fire.

bluefire · May 10, 2005

To add to the good ideas above, making one of the solar cookers shown in the link below is on our list to do soon. Guess they aren't to helpful for those areas that don't get much sun, but for us (we live in the Southwest), I think it'd be a very good thing to have. Here's the link:

http://www.solarcooking.org/plans.htm#box-style

(PS -- LilRose, I'm sorry if you felt to compelled to change your av to something else because I was using it, too. If you like this one better, I'll go look for another one.)

Tundra Gypsy · May 10, 2005

We have propane, so I'd cook on the stove until that ran out. We heat our house with a woodburning stove. Since we have an orchard and surrounded with lots of oaks trees; so we would be well supplied with wood too.

If worse came to worse; we'd cook excusively off the stove in the livingroom. I do have a dutch oven; and a couple of cast iron pots for cooking over a campfire or a woodstove. And, I have enough matches to supply everyone in the neighborhood too.

Renegade · May 10, 2005

Check out the parbolics...
http://solarcooking.org/plans.htm

As far as not having dry tinder, if there are woods around you can make that. Long term, if you run out of lighters, and finally use up a few magnesium sticks, then you can always break out the magnifing glass.....

Roxann · May 10, 2005

I have a sterno stove plus sterno, a two burner propane camp stove, a barbeque
grill with charcoal and a fireplace with wood. I am just getting into fireplace cooking. :usfl:

Renegade · May 10, 2005

West · May 10, 2005

Here is a old but restorable lamp stove at E-bay.....

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=82&item=6177195119&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW
Thay work for me. I have paid more than $40 for one. And there is a tin oven that attaches to the top for bakeing, if you can find one.

Found this surfing the net just lately, interesting...

http://www.marinestove.com/manual.htm

RC · May 11, 2005

I wouldn't count on this for your prep plans, but on a thread here a while back, I have to admit a DGI came up with a good idea for cooking.

This was a thread about some unprepared friends of the poster who were dealing with the aftermath of a hurricane. They had a can of soup, but nothing to cook it on.

They put it in their car parked (or perhaps stuck) in the hot sun, closed the doors, and turned the car into a big solar cooker. Again, I wouldn't plan on this for your cooking needs, but you have to admit it showed some ingenuity!

In addition to our combination transportation/solar cooker, we have a propane stove, charcoal grill, sterno, and the ability to cook over a wood fire. Also, since evacuation for a number of scenarios might be to someplace like a motel with plenty of electricity, we do have a small electric hotpot in our car survival kit. With some creativity, you can cook quite a bit using it.

CarolynA · May 11, 2005

Go to http://www.solarovens.net/ and scroll down toward the bottom of the page. The $16.95 solar cooker is the one I use. I can get it to 350 degrees by adding a black pot on a trivit inside a plastic oven bag. Look at that huge commercial solar oven at the bottom :shkr:

It's huge!

Hey, you know those old gigantic satellite dishes? With enough aluminum foil a person could make a heck of a parabolic cooker out of one of those!

vulcan · May 11, 2005

When canned C rations were issued,you heat the can by putting the can into the carton it came in and setting fire to it. Open the can partway first to allow steam to escape. Works fine with civilian beanie & weenies too.

Christian for Israel · May 11, 2005

i have a coleman dual fuel stove that burns gasoline for all my non-electric cooking needs. it's small enough to go in a pack and burns a long time on just a little bit of fuel. as long as there's gas around, i'm set.

One 10,500 BTU burner Smaller size is easy to store and pack Powered by 1.1 pints of Coleman Fuel or unleaded gas 1.75 hours burn time on high, 6.5 hours on low Boils a quart of water in 4 minutes 6.44 x 7.25 x 7

they also have a lantern that uses gas:

Coleman Model 2000 Dual Fuel Lantern
Battery-operated, electronic ignition system eliminates the headache of fumbling with matches. Easy-to-attach tubular mantle provides 20% brighter light. Burns white gas and unleaded gasoline. Self-lubricating pump indicates when correct operating pressure is reached. Guard cage protects globe. Large skid-resistant base. 15"H x 7"L x 7-3/4"W. Fuel capacity: 2 pints. Burn time: 14 hours on low, 7 hours on high. Requires one AA battery (included).

as for fire starting, i have several ways, including a magnesium fire starter on my keychain. for tender i use dryer lint (i've been collecting it for a couple years...i have enough to start about 10,000 fires, lol).

Christian for Israel · May 11, 2005

for solar cooking, this looks pretty good (it's along the same lines as the heliostat lars posted):

Our 900X reflectors are so mirror-like (photo at left), with only a 1” diameter hot spot that radiant temperatures are hot enough to burn a hole completely through our thick Blackflex aluminum foil in about a minute! In the photo on the right, the 900X reflector is seen on the right half, looking through the hole on the backside of the Blackflex. We recorded a 1345°F (that’s 735°C) temperature at the hot spot. Aluminum melts at 1220°F.

Because of the extreme and sharp focused heat it’s nearly impractical for cooking food, but our 900X scientific parabolic heat generator is now being used for other purposes, such as solar thermal electric generation, scientific and medical uses, and classroom demonstrations. We've now getting excellent test results from a Colorado company that has generated both electricity and hot water with the 900X integrated into their prototype solar thermal electric generator.

And we're now testing a dual 900X that doubles the heat!
http://home.att.net/~cleardomesolar/parabolic.html

Michiana MaJo · May 11, 2005

Solar oven small propane camp stove, hibachi, grill and a Pyramid stove with oven....a really neat item, no longer available. Lots of Dutch Oven equipt. for outdoor grilling. Lots of charcoal briquets and matches.

Synap · May 11, 2005

Both of these articles are excellent. Includes info on rock alternatives to flint Also includes best way to make ready-to-go tinder for a 'tinder box'.

Art II. Making Fire with Flint & Steel. By J. Gottfred
Being a 'how to' on all aspects of producing a fire in the eighteenth century manner by using flint and steel, by a gentleman who has done it successfully.
http://www.northwestjournal.ca/I1.htm

Art. XI. Tips for Fast Fires with Flint & Steel, by J. Gottfred.
http://www.northwestjournal.ca/IX3945.htm

See also both articles together and member replies.
http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?t=132254

BugoutBear · May 11, 2005

Bugout Scenario:
One of the things I have is a "neck knife" with 2 waterproof match holders -- 1 has matches and the other has cotton balls with bees wax. Also attached to the knife sheath is a magnesium fire starter (a compass with a thermometer and a small LED light), and a length of hemp string. I secured them to the sheath with black tape, which is the color of the sheath.

I wear it when I go hiking -- even and especially on day hikes in the event I get lost. It wears easily under my jacket or even my shirt, and it provides me with the ability to start a fire even in wet/winter conditions. I actually had the opportunity to field test it in the pouring rain when I got lost on a hike and spent the night in the woods. . .I added the small LED light after that experience.

Beyond that, I have your standard propane camping stove, some "camp cooker" stoves w/fuel bars, sterno stoves, MRE heaters, etc. And I have cast iron for cooking over open fire.

BugoutBear
Here's the pictures. The hemlock branch is an example of using the string and cotton to make a fire. . .

O2BNOK · May 11, 2005

I had to chuckle on reading this by RC:

They put it in their car parked (or perhaps stuck) in the hot sun, closed the doors, and turned the car into a big solar cooker. Again, I wouldn't plan on this for your cooking needs, but you have to admit it showed some ingenuity!

Twenty years ago I drove big trucks cross country. We were stuck waiting for a load in a small town somewhere. There was a cafe in the little town, but it closed at I think two o clock. So we were stuck here, and it was getting late and I was hungry and my spouse was hungry so we struck off for the little grocery store. I bought a couple of small cans of chili and some crackers and when we got back to the spot we parked, I had the spouse open up the hood as I opened a vent hole in the chili cans and placed them on the manifold. It took a bit, but we did get a good hot meal before going to bed.

xoxo

closet squirrel · May 11, 2005

As long as the propane lasts I have a regular kitchen of camping equipment - 2 burner stove, grill/griddle top cooker, and the best invention ever - a drip coffeepot you set on the stove burner.

I made a solar cooker a while back and have that stashed away, along with a bunch of over cooking bags. Cast iron dutch oven too. I have tons of experience cooking on a camp fire, but worry in certain situations about fire attracting unwanted dinner guests!

LilRose8 · May 11, 2005

bluefire said:
(PS -- LilRose, I'm sorry if you felt to compelled to change your av to something else because I was using it, too. If you like this one better, I'll go look for another one.)

Oh Bluefire, don't you worry your head at all about my avatar....I have always been a bit off the wall, so the new one suits me fine.

It just took me a while to figure out how to do it, with Dennins' help. More than likely I will change it again next year.

LilRose8 · May 11, 2005

closet squirrel said:
I made a solar cooker a while back and have that stashed away, along with a bunch of over cooking bags.

How do you use the oven cooking bags? In the solar cooker? For how long etc......

CarolynA · May 11, 2005

LilRose, to use the oven bags you put the pan you are using (preferably black) inside the bag, blow some air into the bag, & then seal the bag with a twisty-tie. The bag creates an oven, trapping the hot air inside. Try placing the pan on top of a trivit (or a couple of rocks) inside the bag for extra air flow under the pan. I also put an oven thermometer in the bag so I can check the temp. Watch the temp & move the solar oven a bit from time to time to catch the most sun. WEAR SUNGLASSES! You don't want to fry your eyes!

I can get my cardboard oven up to 350 degrees on a hot day. Rice, potatoes, etc are really easy in the solar oven. Cheddar cheese bisquits are great too!

Think of the solar oven as a crock pot & you will do fine with it.

BV141 · May 11, 2005

Global Sun Oven (solar....) good for 9 month in California.

Coleman camping stove + 80 lbs of propane (3 x 20 lb tanks + 20 x 1 lb
propane containers + 1 connector adater for 20 lb tank to Coleman stove
and latern.)

Fireplace use is a huge marker of "occupied home" if things get really bad.

Safecastle · May 11, 2005

Now, it's not my intention to be too opportunistic in terms of referencing products I'm selling, but you folks ought to be aware ...

Mountain House (freeze dried, long-term storage and camping foods) has come out with a 5-use flameless heating kit (retails for $11-12) for their food pouches. These things use a chemical reaction to heat their meal pouches in about 20 minutes.

So, if you're really looking for storability and portability in your food preps and powerless/inconspicuous food heating, it's difficult to beat what Mountain House has to offer.

TerriHaute · May 11, 2005

We have an assortment of cooking methods as part of our preps. We have a small truck-bed camper with a propane stovetop. We keep 4 grill-sized propane tanks filled to fuel it and the grill. We also have a small one-burner propane camping stove, with a bunch of small cannisters of propane. We use a woodburning stove in the family room that has a flat top that could be used for cooking.

I've also done some messing around with solar cooking and have modified one of the cardboard ovens on the solarcooking.org website to work for our purposes.

Finally, we have an assortment of cast iron dutch ovens and cookware (and a tripod) for use with an outdoor firepit.

I buy 3-packs of strike anywhere matches whenever I can find them, so we also have matches out the ying-yang for starting fires.

And then there's always the coke can/chocolate bar method..... Has anyone been able to make that work?

Terri in Indiana

old bear · May 11, 2005

We have a propane stove and 250 gallon tank for now, plus a wood cook stove and in winter we can cook on top of our wood heater.

Many many years ago I learned a neat trick.
We fixed a hook in the ceiling over the table in the kitched and attached a light chain with a small hook on the loose end and would hang a old fashioned coffee pot of preheated water a couple of inches above a kerosene lamp.
The heat from the lamp would keep the water hot for when somebody wanted a cup of tea or coco.
We used the lamp for sitting around and reading so nothing was wasted.
This will work with a coleman lamp also.

We have two single burner propane stoves and several of the old Coleman two burner stoves that run on unleaded gas.

We have a large dutch oven.
I learns another trick up in Alaska.
When cooking a stew, or beans,etc. place a couple of small pans of bread in the dutch oven at the same time.
When the stew , or beans, whatever are done you will have some of the best bread you ever tasted, and it was so little work making it.

If we have to bug out we will do as much cooking as we can using wood and the dutch oven and other cast iron pans, to save our other fuel for litterally a rainy day.
We buy strike anywhere matches a lot and must have several thousand stored away.
I think that if thing get really bad they might become good trade items.

I also learned how to make fire using flint and steel when I used to go to the black powder events.

I have used the solar ovens. They don't work much if it is cloudy.

You can secure food on a engine manifold and let it cook as you drive.
It takes a little practice and I have not done it in ages.

If you get meat don't forget smoking as a way to preserve it, plus give it some great taste.

prudentwatcher · May 11, 2005

sterno cans for warming canned goods
charcoal grill with 50 lbs charcoal and 3 big bottles of fluid
2 cords of wood and a camp grill
2-fuel coleman stove with 10 gal of fuel

lots of matches, lighters, magnesium firestarters

had a homemade solar oven, but the rats found it--have the instructions still

have an extra set of camping pots and pans and a full set of cast iron cookware, including dutch oven

Remember to practice--I made sure that I figured out how to make a pan of cornbread on top of the coleman stove

John H · May 11, 2005

Wood stove, propane camping stove, BBQ.

Don't forget, you can stretch fuel by bringing food to a hard boil for a few minutes and then dumping it into a vacuum thermos or a pot in a heavily insulated box, where it can stew until tender. Cut meat into 1/4" cubes or thin strips to make sure it gets thoroughly cooked to kill any baddies.

These days, wide-mouth stainless steel vacuum bottles in larger sizes are inexpensive. Chinese made of course.

John H

BugoutBear · May 11, 2005

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/ctd/...gid=&mscssid=5W5DRJCHU5HH9LGXJCH9G4M3PSCXB8HB

MRE Heater Case of 288 Originl Military Just Add Water
$39.97

Buy by the case and save $70! Original US Military meal heaters just add water and it boils your meal to a hot serving. We sell a case of 288 heaters, still wrapped in the military package. Non-returnable item, we will not accept any returns on this product.

notred · May 11, 2005

BBQ grills and I have 300 lbs of charcoal and a couple gallons of lighter fluid
Sterno and sterno stove
Solar oven
Large brick smoker that I can cook with good ol' fireplace logs
And I can put small pans on the edge of the fireplace insert

I would like a propane burner/stove too, but I spent too much money on charcoal :lol:

LilRose8 · May 11, 2005

John H said:
Wood stove, propane camping stove, BBQ.

Don't forget, you can stretch fuel by bringing food to a hard boil for a few minutes and then dumping it into a vacuum thermos or a pot in a heavily insulated box, where it can stew until tender. Cut meat into 1/4" cubes or thin strips to make sure it gets thoroughly cooked to kill any baddies.

These days, wide-mouth stainless steel vacuum bottles in larger sizes are inexpensive. Chinese made of course.

John H

I love this idea! I need to find some large thermos bottles and give this a try!
How long does it take to make a tender stew?

spinner · May 11, 2005

In this same vein is the haybox or fireless cooker. I have one and I love it. I lined it with packing peanuts and wool. It works great. I use my cast iron dutch oven or the crockery liner from my crock pot in it. It cooks beans to perfection.

spinner

ofuzzy1 · May 11, 2005

Visit my website on how to make a Rubbing Alcohol Soda Can Stove -- it takes about 5 minutes to make.
www.ofuzzy1.com

I have used a Frenzel Lens [8.5" x 11"], the flat lenses with very good results for starting fires.
Even the wallet size lens will start a fire on a good day. Some times you'll find them in the dollar stores.

Michiana MaJo · May 11, 2005

I forgot to add something else that I don't see anyone else listed......before Y2K, I was concerned about cooking in the house, during winter. Most other methods would not be safe, so I got a fairly good sized fondue pot, with fuel for it. That is a safe method for indoor cooking.

Crawlingtoy · May 11, 2005

O2BNOK said:
I had to chuckle on reading this by RC:

Twenty years ago I drove big trucks cross country. We were stuck waiting for a load in a small town somewhere. There was a cafe in the little town, but it closed at I think two o clock. So we were stuck here, and it was getting late and I was hungry and my spouse was hungry so we struck off for the little grocery store. I bought a couple of small cans of chili and some crackers and when we got back to the spot we parked, I had the spouse open up the hood as I opened a vent hole in the chili cans and placed them on the manifold. It took a bit, but we did get a good hot meal before going to bed.

xoxo

"Manifold Burrito's" have been the choice of many 4 wheel drive enthusiasts for years. Make a burrito at home, wrap it in aluminum foil well, then when you get about an hour to lunch time throw the burrito on the manifold and voila! Some people even built little boxes to put them in so they dont slide off.

Splicer205 · May 11, 2005

Another good thread, LilRose. At home or camping, cooking wouldn't be a problem at all. Since others have already discussed those, I'll choose the bugging out, or on the run.

If I was on the run, I'd want to consider my weight carefully. First would be what I consider the absolute necessities, and a camper stove, unles it was ultralight, wouldn't be among the priorities.

As someone mentioned, the freeze dried foods. Lightweight, good tasting, doesn't require a lot of water, and it's quick. Add a pill bottle filled with waterproof matches, strike anywhere matches, and some "fat lighter," (resin filled twigs). A small sqirt from a trial size squeeze tube of petroleum jelly will assure a nice start to a fire even in damp conditions.

Once again, if I was on the run, I wouldn't be thinking of a large fire, pots and pans, etc. but a metal cup to heat water to rehydrate my light weight freeze dried foods, or a cup of coffee, hot chocolate, etc. For ounces, as compared to pounds, you could still have a hot meal.

I'll post a link to a some make it yourself stoves. Some are as simple as a cat food can, a soda can, etc. Along with the instructions, it also discusses a lot of other important details. And with a good multitool and an eagle eye, you could probably find what you needed to make it while you were on the run. :eleph:

http://wings.interfree.it/

CarolynA · May 11, 2005

For those of us near Fresno, summertime cooking is not a problem. We can just cook on the pavement. Forget cooking on your engine's manifold - we can cook on our dashboards.

Mushroom · May 12, 2005

LilRose, I have a pair of Volcano stoves. They are very handy. I can make a pot of stew in a Dutch oven with just 20 briquettes. With that same number of coals I can make a pot roast with potatoes and carrots. Or a chicken stew. The heat is contained and can be regulated down so that your coals will last a couple of hours. I have the little one (Volcano Jr.) to make more coals if the big one needs more. I have a huge cowboy coffeepot to heat water while the coals get ready. We make a stick fire in it for the kids so they can roast marshmallows without danger of starting a fire when it is so hot and dry here in summer.

If it were an emergency situation, many different forms of fuel can be used in the Volcano, but charcoal makes the longest lasting fire. I do have several different sizes of Dutch ovens to use with my Volcanos or pit fires. I have a cast griddle as well as a cast pizza pan for stretching tortillas.

I have a gas grill, a 2 burner propane camp stove, an hibatchi, and a camp oven. I have been wanting my menfolk to build me a brick/earth oven out back so I can bake bread in it. If it gets bad, my neighbors can use it to bake beans or whatever in it if they bring some fuel with them. Of course, at the beginning of a crisis I will be using my camp stove as much as I can. After a while when things settle down I will use my solar ovens whenever it is appropriate. Even if I have to use it on the porch roof to keep poachers out. I have sterno stoves and fire grates in my BOB to go with my camp stove. I think we should be able to make food in just about any situation here.

Mushroom

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