Food How to Conceal the smell of food cooking?
- Thread starter nomifyle
- Start date
naturallysweet
Has No Life - Lives on TB
I have never smelt any neighbor cooking, unless I was in their house.
I think that alot of people will be cooking out doors on their BBQ's, while the propane holds out, or the charcoal, and it will send cooking smells out and about. If you've got hungry people wandering around looking for something to eat and you're cooking up what's in your freezer or fridge, then they'll find you.
Never really thought about as we are wayyy for out from anyone and wayyy off the beaten path...good question.
Never really thought about as we are wayyy for out from anyone and wayyy off the beaten path...good question.
SouthernBreeze
Has No Life - Lives on TB
We're very rural with houses spread pretty far apart in our little community. I've lived in this location for over 30 yrs., and have never smelled anyone else's cooking odors wafting in the breeze. I might if they are grilling or cooking outside, though, depending on the wind direction.
I don't plan to cook outdoors.
I don't plan to cook outdoors.
packyderms_wife
Neither here nor there.
I have a thread on this topic in Granny's Kitchen... just sayin.
packyderms_wife
Neither here nor there.
A link to Granny's Kitchen.
www.timebomb2000.com
Granny's Kitchen
Share your favorite recipes and cooking tips. Anything related to FOOD.
modernbeat
Dallas, TX
There are two things you have to prep for. The smell of the fire (if not using a stove) and the smell of the food.
For the food, you want to restrict the steam. Cooking inside foil pouches or inside boil bags or sous vide.
For a cooking fire, you want to make a small hardwood fire with wood that does not make much smoke or have much resin. Use a small fire and for better concealment put it in a hole in the ground.
For the food, you want to restrict the steam. Cooking inside foil pouches or inside boil bags or sous vide.
For a cooking fire, you want to make a small hardwood fire with wood that does not make much smoke or have much resin. Use a small fire and for better concealment put it in a hole in the ground.
Thunderbird
Veteran Member
As hunger increases the sense of smell, as well other senses, get sharper.
Yeah, *briefly* heating soups, stews or maybe rice or grain based dishes to boiling, then covering and immediately stashing in a haybox cooker, is probably the least likely to spread appetizing odors.
For those in suburbia, this has to be seriously taken into account in your prepping... probably consider concentrating on canned goods that can be eaten cold if necessary (or just warmed up), or freeze dried "just add boiling water" camping type foods... expensive, but maybe worth it (or at least a few days worth so you can lay low at critical times). Also, although long term storage might be a problem, stuff like a high quality granola, jerky, or even a modern version on pemmican coukd be priceless. Odorless, tasty, concentrated calories and nutrients. Vacuum sealed nuts, and dried fruits like raisins, dates, apricots, prunes, are excellent sources of concentrated calories (don't overdo the prunes!) And they keep a LONG time... I recently opened a bag of pitted prunes from 1999 (got lost behind the lamp oil in my spice cupboard)... they were *maybe* slightly stickier than absolutely fresh, but flavor, texture, etc were fine. No, er... after effects, either!
And, for shorter term, make sure you stay stocked on peanut butter, crackers and hard cheeses...
Summerthyme
For those in suburbia, this has to be seriously taken into account in your prepping... probably consider concentrating on canned goods that can be eaten cold if necessary (or just warmed up), or freeze dried "just add boiling water" camping type foods... expensive, but maybe worth it (or at least a few days worth so you can lay low at critical times). Also, although long term storage might be a problem, stuff like a high quality granola, jerky, or even a modern version on pemmican coukd be priceless. Odorless, tasty, concentrated calories and nutrients. Vacuum sealed nuts, and dried fruits like raisins, dates, apricots, prunes, are excellent sources of concentrated calories (don't overdo the prunes!) And they keep a LONG time... I recently opened a bag of pitted prunes from 1999 (got lost behind the lamp oil in my spice cupboard)... they were *maybe* slightly stickier than absolutely fresh, but flavor, texture, etc were fine. No, er... after effects, either!
And, for shorter term, make sure you stay stocked on peanut butter, crackers and hard cheeses...
Summerthyme
naturallysweet
Has No Life - Lives on TB
If you are cooking dinner outside because your electricity is out . Then we are at a shorter term or transition phrase.
shorts term means no one's starving yet. Local restaurants might have generators.
Long term means your entire freezer is going to defrost within days without a generator. At that point I'd just be handing out packages of steam to anyone who wants one. While trying to preserve some with canning and smoking.
Long term with beans and rice is different. That's heating boiling water on a fire and doesn't carry much of a smell.
shorts term means no one's starving yet. Local restaurants might have generators.
Long term means your entire freezer is going to defrost within days without a generator. At that point I'd just be handing out packages of steam to anyone who wants one. While trying to preserve some with canning and smoking.
Long term with beans and rice is different. That's heating boiling water on a fire and doesn't carry much of a smell.
skwentnaflyer
Veteran Member
Very true, and some smells do carry a long way. I sure wouldn’t cook with any spices.
nomifyle
TB Fanatic
They are expensive, but last year I got one that had been gently used (didn't look like it had been used at all) for a much lower price than the new ones. I've only used it once and it was for something cold for a pot luck and it was great.
God is good all the time
Judy
naturallysweet
Has No Life - Lives on TB
A thermos can be used as a thermos cooker. People pour boiling water and grains in them in the evening , and have hot cereal in the morning.
Old Gray Mare
TB Fanatic
Posted this on another thread.
Another option is to cover one smell with another less appealing one.
Amish neighbor used to burn garbage. The smell of burning plastic and some other man made materials might cover just about anything else.
The stench of old roadkill or a truly rotten egg? Fresh fertilizer?
I would stay away from Doe in heat/buck lure. You hunters know what I'm talking about. It may spread Chronic Wasting Disease.
Another option is to cover one smell with another less appealing one.
Amish neighbor used to burn garbage. The smell of burning plastic and some other man made materials might cover just about anything else.
The stench of old roadkill or a truly rotten egg? Fresh fertilizer?
I would stay away from Doe in heat/buck lure. You hunters know what I'm talking about. It may spread Chronic Wasting Disease.
Illini Warrior
Illini Warrior
SHTF time covert cooking doesn't get discussed near enough >>> damn serious part of OPSEC that can get you raided & possibly killed ...
after 1 1/2 - 2 weeks it'll start getting food serious without a truck re-supply into the locale - the human senses will get sharper & sharper along with the starvation - people will be able to smell a can of soup heating up ....
best thing you can do is keep your current kitchen as a visible con to any casual observers - but - set up a covert kitchen either upstairs or down in the basement - away from the ground level if possible ...
perfect stove set-up would be a camp stove under a DIY/temp hood - have a small computer "muffin fan" drawing a pull - shoot the exhaust out at roof level plus - use the chimney, plumbing soil pipe, attic ventilator, roof window, or possibly the furnace exhaust pipe ...
do the serious cooking at nite and more of a food warm up during the day ....
after 1 1/2 - 2 weeks it'll start getting food serious without a truck re-supply into the locale - the human senses will get sharper & sharper along with the starvation - people will be able to smell a can of soup heating up ....
best thing you can do is keep your current kitchen as a visible con to any casual observers - but - set up a covert kitchen either upstairs or down in the basement - away from the ground level if possible ...
perfect stove set-up would be a camp stove under a DIY/temp hood - have a small computer "muffin fan" drawing a pull - shoot the exhaust out at roof level plus - use the chimney, plumbing soil pipe, attic ventilator, roof window, or possibly the furnace exhaust pipe ...
do the serious cooking at nite and more of a food warm up during the day ....
China Connection
TB Fanatic
First off eat raw stuff.
Second use a thermos food container or a vacuum cooking pot.
Second use a thermos food container or a vacuum cooking pot.
Voortrekker
Veteran Member
Cooking at 02:00 will not conceal the smell of food to someone who is hungry. The senses get sharper when one is starving and anyone following the smell will determine that that house is just downwind of the smell. Chimney fail.
Collect the food for the meal. Cut it up in small pieces and place food in a sealable pot. For two quarts of food boil about one quart of water. Bring the water to a rolling boil and carefully pour the water onto the food until a certain level. Do not cover the food with boiling water. Close the lid and wait a few minutes.
Assemble the diners to a subterranean room or an upwind room in the house with all other windows closed. Do not have all of your people eat at once, that is a telltale by spies and casual observers. Eat in varied shifts while wearing eating smocks.
Collect the food for the meal. Cut it up in small pieces and place food in a sealable pot. For two quarts of food boil about one quart of water. Bring the water to a rolling boil and carefully pour the water onto the food until a certain level. Do not cover the food with boiling water. Close the lid and wait a few minutes.
Assemble the diners to a subterranean room or an upwind room in the house with all other windows closed. Do not have all of your people eat at once, that is a telltale by spies and casual observers. Eat in varied shifts while wearing eating smocks.
Illini Warrior
Illini Warrior
if you're in a "forest" of rooftops & chimneys - you'd be lucky to narrow down some warfing smell to a few square blocks - much less than a single home >> if you're an isolated home you're already a raid target - best to just mitigate as much as possible - I wouldn't be BBQing no matter where & when >> might as well ring a dinner bell .....
Voortrekker
Veteran Member
We used to locate the house with that smell of good cooking and spices to the house, not the neighborhood. More houses means more people to locate the source as opposed to rural with fewer people to chase the smell.