How Many Off-Grid Cooking Methods Do You Have?
When you buy, or otherwise acquire, preparedness supplies, do you practice with them or are you a prep hoarder? I think I’ve been guilty of both, especially with off-grid cooking methods.
Maybe you know what I mean. Preppers are notorious for wanting every new survival gadget that comes out. We’ve got no less than 10 ways to cook that aren’t tied to the power grid, yet when another new off-grid cooker comes out, we simply must have it to add to the stash in the storage room.
And there they sit, safe for when we need them, gathering dust and maybe spiders,
Do you ever try them out when they come in the mail or do we add them, still in the package, to the ‘cooking shelf’ in our bug-out trailer?
I can say that I have used each of my off-grid cooking methods several times. Some had a learning curve that I’ve mastered and with others, I’m still climbing that curve. Some are easier to clean and store than others. Fuels differ, conditions they can be used in differ, set-up, clean-up and storage instructions are not the same, but we need to learn how they work.
In a major crisis, when emotions are high and everything and everyone is confused is not the time to try and figure out how to put that HERC stove together!
My family’s off-grid cooking methods
For my family, my list of methods looks like this:
Solar oven
Rocket stove
Volcano Cooker with oven tent
Butane stove burner
Camp fire
Wonder oven
Sterno stove
Tent stove in-line oven
Coleman stove
BBQ grill (using charcoal or propane)
Dutch oven
Apple box oven
And, in a pinch I can run my microwave with my generator (It’s a small microwave)
First of all, how many different cooking methods do you have for when the power goes out? You really do need at least 2 of them, making sure those 2 do not rely on the same type of fuel. Are you familiar with how to use all of the different methods you have? Are your children? What if you, THE MASTER OF ALL THINGS PREP in your home are not around or are injured or ill? Who is going to do the cooking then?
Spring and Summer are a GREAT time to get out the different tools/toys you have for cooking meals off-grid and practice, practice, practice.
Pick one night per week and make it an adventure. Have a cook-out in the back yard. Learn all about that method and gather some recipes to try it out.
