WEEK 24
Preparing Food Postdisaster
While I’ve discussed the need to stockpile foods that require little or no preparation before consuming, during an extended emergency you’ll want to be able to cook. But if the utility services have been interrupted, your microwave and stove top may not be particularly useful.
A hot meal is comforting, and having the means to cook food opens up more possibilities for meals. And, as I discussed in the lesson on water filtration and purification, boiling water is one of the best ways to prevent the ingestion of bacteria and other harmful organisms.
There are several methods you can use to cook food when the power is off.
Grills: Whether propane or charcoal, grills need not be limited to just cooking meat. Of course, many propane grills today are equipped with side burners designed for use with pots and pans. But even without that feature, you can simply place your pot on the grill to heat it up. I was talking to a woman a couple of years back who had suffered through a severe ice storm, knocking out power for several days. She lamented that while her family had a charcoal grill, there weren’t any briquettes for it, so in her eyes it was worthless. I pointed out that she could have just used small pieces of firewood, a thought that had never occurred to her.
If you don’t already own a grill, consider investing in one. Charcoal ones in particular can be had fairly cheap if you shop around. You could also check out your local Freecycle group(s) as well as Craigslist to find used ones. Don’t forget to pick up long-handled utensils as well. Your fingers will thank you.
Decorative fire pits: These have become popular in the last few years. Usually made of metal, these portable fire pits can sit on your patio to keep you warm on chilly nights. They pretty much amount to portable campfires, and people have been cooking over an open flame for about as long as there have been people.
Campfires: If nothing else, you can cook over a small campfire in your backyard. Clear a spot away from your house and outbuildings and keep a stash of firewood nearby.
When using any sort of campfire setup, remember that the best way to cook is to use the coals, rather than a roaring fire. The coals give off a higher, steadier heat.
While you can use your normal pots and pans if that’s all you have, they aren’t designed for campfire cooking. Shop around for cast-iron cooking implements. To start, get a good-sized frying pan and a dutch oven. These two items will serve you well in preparing just about anything.
If you’re not familiar with cooking over an open flame or coals, it does take some practice. This isn’t something you’ll pick up overnight. Grilling is just as much an art form as it is a way to prepare a meal. These aren’t skills that you can learn from reading a few books. You need to get out there and practice.
Solar ovens: If you hit up Google for “DIY solar oven,” you’ll get umpteen thousand hits. They’re fairly simple to construct from common materials and work well during daylight hours. Again, there’s a learning curve for using these ovens. Don’t wait until they’re truly needed before you put one together and see how it works.
Camp stoves: These can be found in any decent sporting goods store. They’re little stove tops that usually use small gas cylinders for fuel, though there are a wide range of models and designs. These generally work very well and store in a small space. I see them fairly often at yard sales, usually from families who decided they didn’t like camping all that much.
Please remember, these methods of using any sort of open flame for cooking should NEVER be used inside the home. There’s a danger of fire as well as carbon monoxide poisoning.
WEEK 24 ASSIGNMENTS
TASKS
1. Select a couple of ways to cook food without using your normal kitchen appliances and begin acquiring the necessary items. Don’t overlook Freecycle and Craigslist to find decent used supplies.
2. If a charcoal grill is on your list, begin picking up bags of charcoal when it goes on sale. If you shop around, you should be able to find 14-pound bags for around $3 or $4, often sold in two-packs for about $6. If propane is more your style, make sure you have at least a couple filled tanks as backup.
3. Get outside this week and cook a meal outside. I mean the whole meal, not just the main course. Pretend the kitchen cooking appliances are off-limits. You may just learn you like the taste of this sort of meal better than anything that comes out of a microwave.
SAVINGS
Add $15 to your Prepper Savings Account.
TOTAL PREPPER SAVINGS ACCOUNT: 
WATER STORAGE
One gallon (or two 2-liter bottles) per person or a case of bottled water for the household.
TOTAL WATER STORAGE:
GROCERY LIST
3 cans vegetables, your choice.
2 cans fruit, your choice, but stick with those packed in water or juice, rather than syrup
2 cans meat (tuna, chicken, beef), your choice
2 cans soup, not condensed (they require water)
1 jar jelly or fruit preserves
1 box (12 packages) ramen noodles
1 sack cornmeal
1 lb pasta, your choice
