There are many ways to cook when the power is out, but most need to be used outdoors. So what do you do when you don’t have a wood burning stove or wood fireplace and it’s dark or raining, snowing, or blowing outside?
There are a few cooking methods that can be safely used in a ventilated indoor room. Two of the most practical and least expensive are canned heat (Sterno) and a tabletop butane stove. (Do not use these in a closed closet or small bathroom. There won’t be enough air movement and air exchange.)
Additional options include:
• Flameless cooking. The Baracook brand uses bags of quick lime to heat food in a pan inside a cooking box. It heats to 203o F and takes 5 to 10 minutes to reach optimum temperature. It can maintain the heat for 25-30 minutes and remain hot for an additional 20-30 minutes.
• MRE cooking bags. These have a 12 minute heating time and are one-use bags.
• Tea light ovens. The Titan brand uses 10 to 20 tea lights depending on the oven size. The candles will burn for 4 hours at 350o F.
Oh, and by the way, if you do have a wood burning fireplace, it would be a good idea to learn how to cook in it, too. This book can help –
As well as these web pages –
Wikihow and this web page. Look for more on YouTube.
Next week, I will discuss Canned Heat Stoves.
