How to Cook in an Emergency

If the power goes off for one or two weeks – How will you Cook? Read through this information and make a list of items your family is missing that would make it possible to feed your family during a longer power outage. Work the cost of these items into your budget and stock up on them a little at a time until you know you are ready.

Five Principles of Emergency Cooking:

1.       Cook Safely

2.       Do what is easy; use what you have

3.       Be efficient – use inexpensive methods and conserve fuel

4.       Make it interesting – add variety and “comfort foods”

5.       Practice your skills

Cook Safely

Choose cooking methods and fuels that are safe.  Never use charcoal indoors.  It depletes oxygen and gives off carbon monoxide, a deadly poison.  Be careful with volatile fuels such as white gas (Coleman fuel) that can spill, or evaporate and create an explosion hazard.  Always fuel white gas appliances in the out-of-doors, and away from buildings.  As always, be careful to avoid burns when dealing with hot appliances and utensils.

Do What is Easy

With no power, you can still do a lot of things to provide food.  Eat cold cereal and use up the milk in the fridge.  Eat everything else in your fridge before it goes bad.  Eat other items that don’t need cooking such as peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  Leave your freezer closed as much as possible, and power it with a generator if you can. Eat things that might go bad before they do so. Be sure you have a hand-crank can opener for when the power is off.  Use disposable aluminum baking trays, paper plates, plastic utensils, and paper towels to reduce water usage.  MREs are easy to prepare and provide lots of calories.  You can use your propane BBQ, especially if it has a side burner, to cook in the same manner as you normally do. You will need to make sure you have enough fuel on hand. If you have an indoor fireplace or an outdoor fire pit, try some Dutch oven cooking.

Be Efficient

Efficiency can make limited resources do a lot and last a long time.  This may not matter if you use a wood stove to heat your home and you have several cords of dry firewood available, you can cook food on top of your stove.  However, if you only have your propane BBQ and it has just a few inches of fuel in the bottom of the tank, making it last a week will take some creativity.  Search the internet for information on building a haybox cooker, icebox cooker, or apple box oven. These are all very simple and inexpensive to make and allow you to conserve fuel during an emergency.  Think about the most efficient way to cook. Create a plan and a list of a few simple recipes that you can cook with items that you always have on hand. By thinking through the steps and having a plan, you will significantly reduce the stress during an emergency.

Make it Interesting

Adding variety can make your meals much more interesting and homey, as well as more nutritious.  Having some comfort foods can help your family feel better and can relieve some of the stress of the emergency. Stock up on favorite snack foods, chocolate, granola bars, etc. Think about what your family enjoys that can be stored for at least 3 months and make sure you always keep some on hand.

Practice Your Skills

Set a goal to cook a few meals as you would if there was no power. It's like having monthly fire drills - the more you practice, the less you are afraid if it really does happen. Create a menu that would get your family through 2 weeks of meals you can cook without power using your choice of cooking sources. Determine which day you are going to try out cooking these meals and go for it. I'm sure you'll learn some tricks that will make it easier when the true emergency hits.

To Cook, You Need: Heat, Food and Water

Heat – What to Cook With

Eight Methods - It is best to choose and acquire at least two methods so then when the emergency happens you have a couple of options since everything has its disadvantages.

1.       Don’t cook at all (see “Do What is Easy” above).

2.       Flameless Heating / MRE Heater

        a. Advantages: Great for a few people for a few days due to ease of storage and use.

        b. Disadvantages: For larger groups and longer periods of time is expensive, bulky and boring.

3.       Primitive Stoves, Fuel Tablets, Stove in a Can, #10 Can, Sterno, “penny” alcohol stove

        a. Advantages: Inexpensive, easy to use, can cook things other than just an MRE.  Sterno and alcohol stoves can be used indoors.

        b. Disadvantages: Difficult to control flame size, limited cooking capacity.  Alcohol presents spill hazards and the flame is invisible.

4.       Camping or Backpacking Stoves – Coleman White Gas, Kerosene, Propane, Butane, Jetboil, etc.

        a.  Advantages: Portable, powerful, can adjust flame size on most, butane is safe to use indoors

        b.  Disadvantages: Must have the right fuel for them.

5.       Wood Fire, Fireplace, Wood Stove, Kelly Kettle, Rocket Stove, Charcoal Briquettes and Dutch Oven

        a. Advantages: You can find fuel anywhere, heat output is easily controlled, can heat water and food separately.  Wood stove can heat your home.  Briquettes can be stored for years, Dutch oven cooking is delicious!

        b. Disadvantages: Need wood or other combustibles, wood fire can be smoky.  Charcoal must be used outdoors, can be difficult if raining.

6.       Volcano Multi-fuel Stove – Wood / Charcoal / Propane

        a. Advantages: Can use almost any fuel, heat output ranges from tiny to huge, can use propane to light wood fire.

        b. Disadvantages: Wood fire can be smoky; must have propane fuel if using propane fire ring.

7.       Propane Oven / Stove Combo or Propane BBQ

        a. Advantages:  Can bake or pan-fry or both.  Very easy to use, very easy to store fuel for, many BBQs have a side burner that you can use for cooking in a pan.

        b. Disadvantages: Must have propane to use; remember to fill the tank!

8.         Solar Oven

        a. Advantages: Can cook about anything that you would make in a regular oven

        b. Disadvantages: You need a cloudless day

Food – What to Cook

1.       MRE – the work is already done for you

2.       Prepared Fresh – more work, but more nutritious and delicious

3.       Dehydrated – you can purchase or dehydrate your own food and store it for everyday use or for emergencies

4.       Freeze Dried – somewhat expensive; good nutrition and flavor with ease-of-use – just add boiling water

5.       Canned – easy to store and can usually last several years

Water –you will need a minimum of 1-2 gallons of water per person per day.

For instructions on building and using different inexpensive stove options check out the following web address. 

http://www.byui.edu/Documents/community-connections/Handouts%202011/No%20Power%20Cookers%20Directions%202011%20-%20ALL.pdf

Source: http://emergencypreparednessexpo2012.blogspot.com/2011/12/cooking-in-emergency.html

Easy Recipes that can be Heated in Many Different Ways

Taco Soup
Serve with a dollop of sour cream and shredded cheese, if available, for a tasty meal.
2 (15 oz) cans kidney beans, rinsed		1–2 tsp taco seasoning
2 (15 oz) cans diced tomatoes		1 Ranch seasoning packet, optional
1 (15 oz) can corn, drained		¼ cup dry onions
1 lb hamburger
Combine all ingredients in a pan or crockpot. Add water depending on how much liquid you like. Heat through. You can use 3 cups precooked dry beans—kidney, pinto, or red beans work equally as well. The leftovers freeze very well.
Hobo Stew
Canned beef chunks are great in this stew.
1 can carrots		1 can green beans
1 can potatoes		1 can diced tomatoes
1 can green peas		½ lb hamburger, browned
1 can corn		1–2 tsp beef bouillon
Dump 1 can each of carrots, potatoes, peas, corn, green beans, and tomatoes in a pan. Do not drain. Add hamburger and bouillon and season as desired. We like this with a little oregano, basil, onion, and garlic added or you can use Italian style diced tomatoes. You really can use whatever combination of vegetables you like.
	Slick Rock Chicken
Over the years, I have come to realize that some of the pickiest kids will try something new if you can come up with a fun name for it. This helps to lighten the mood during an emergency as well.
3–4 chicken breasts		1 cup sour cream (plain yogurt)
1 can cream of mushroom soup		1 box chicken flavored stuffing mix
Mix stuffing according to package instructions. Combine soup and sour cream or plain yogurt. Place chicken in 9x13-inch pan or crockpot. Top with soup mixture and then with prepared stuffing. Cover with foil and bake at 350° F for 45 minutes or cook in crockpot on high for 3–4 hours. Sometimes I use cubed, precooked chicken or canned chicken in this recipe to speed things up. Then you only have to heat it through.

Recipe Source: All Things Provident by Tamara Price

Pasta Primavera

This is one of our family'e favorite pasta dishes. It is quick to throw together and easy to double the batch. I use fresh carrots if I have them. When using fresh carrots, you need to simmer the sauce until the carrots are tender instead of turning off the heat and allowing it to just sit and re-hydrate the veggies. I also trade up the noodles sometimes using spaghetti noodles and sometimes fettuccine. 

This dish freezes well so I always double it and put the extra in a freezer bag. To use the frozen pasta dish, just thaw and microwave in a covered, glass dish until heated through, stirring occasionally. It makes for a quick and easy dinner with garlic bread and lettuce salad served on the side.

Pasta Primavera
Everything can be done in the time it takes the pasta to cook for a quick dinner any night.
1 can cream of mushroom soup	¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¾ cup reconstituted powdered milk	½ tsp dried, minced garlic
¼ cup dehydrated carrots	⅛ tsp pepper
2 cups frozen broccoli florets	3 cups cooked spaghetti
Combine everything but the spaghetti in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and turn the heat off. Allow to sit for 15–20 minutes until vegetables are tender. Stir in pasta and heat through. Source: All Things Provident by Tamara Price

Freezer to Crockpot Cranberry Lemon Pork Roast

Freezer to Crockpot Cranberry Lemon Pork Roast

2-3 lb pork roast

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1-2 tsp minced garlic

1 16oz can whole berry cranberry sauce

1 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp cornstach (added later)

Place all ingredients into a gallon ziplock freezer bag except for the cornstarch. Label bag with instructions to add 2 Tbsp cornstarch just before cooking. Thaw before cooking. Dump everything into the crockpot. Mix cornstarch with a little cold water and add to crockpot. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours. Serve over rice.

Freezer to Crockpot Mexican Sweet Pork with Beans

It is difficult to photograph the filling in a tortilla - that said, this is so tasty! I cooked up a large pork roast and shredded it as the recipe below describes. I wanted to stretch it and use it for a few meals so I decided to throw some beans in the mix. I am so glad I did. The beans added a nice texture and everyone loved it. 

To prepare this for the freezer, place the pulled pork in a ziplock freezer bag. You need about 4 cups of pork. Add the salsa and brown sugar. Throw in 2 cans of kidney, pinto, or white beans, drained. (You could also cook dry beans and use them. You need about 3 cups.) Label and freeze. To eat, thaw and heat through in the crockpot or microwave. Wrap in a tortilla and add cheese and lettuce. (You can see some purple cabbage and a carrot in the photo because we just used a lettuce salad mix to make it easy.) This recipe was enough for two meals. You can choose to divide it into additional freezer bags before freezing or just know you'll have leftovers or enough to share with company.

Mexican Sweet Pork
This becomes a speedy dinner if you already have pulled pork cooked and frozen in the freezer.
1 pork picnic roast	1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup medium salsa	½ cup chicken broth, optional
Place pork roast in a crockpot and cook on low for 12–15 hours. I usually put the roast in just before going to bed. Test the pork by stabbing it with a fork and twisting. If the meat shreds easily, it is ready. Remove from the crockpot and place on a baking sheet. Using two forks, pull the pork apart and separate out all the visible fat and bone pieces. It pulls apart more easily when it is still warm. Combine 4 cups of the shredded pork with the salsa, and brown sugar. Add a small amount of pork juices or chicken broth if the mixture seems too dry. Return this all to the crockpot. Heat through and serve wrapped in tortillas or top a taco salad with it.

Using your Food Storage in the Freezer

Remember your freezer space is part of your food storage! It can be used to “save the day” when the schedule gets tight. It allows you to buy in quantity when the price is right on items like beef, poultry, veggies and fruits. Even your "daily bread" can be kept in the freezer to allow school lunches for weeks at a time.  Many great casseroles can be made several at one time and frozen for later use.

    A friend of mine taught me that the freezer is great for easy make-ahead meals. Meal portions can be frozen in ziplock bags allowing for quick and simple fixing. It also allows everyone in the family to help out following the easy instructions. If you haven’t tried freezer meals, now is a great time to spend a day or an afternoon putting some together. You'll be so grateful to have some pre-made casseroles or quick to fix homemade meals you can pull out in a pinch. I love to turn a rainy day into a freezer- meal- making day.

As you find produce or groceries on sale, think about the space you have to put some away for later.

 For instance:

                  - When chicken is on sale, buy a little extra and prep it before putting it straight in the freezer. Cut up portions and place in a ziplock bag  with the ingredients for your favorite recipe. When you pull it from the freezer, the chicken can go in the crock pot or be cooked on the stove with little to no effort.

         - Fry up a large amount of hamburger or ground turkey and portion it into ziplock bags to add to meals another time, cutting down prep time the night you serve it. You can even spice some of the meat for recipes like tacos.

           -   Place meat into the  marinade before you freeze it and as it thaws, the juices will combine.  Then cook it in the crockpot or on the grill - from freezer to done with very little work.

          - As  you rotate storage and find canned goods close to their best used dates, spend an afternoon putting together sauces or casseroles that can be placed in the freezer. 

Most everything can freeze so try some of the family favorites. As one of my cook book proclaims…”Dinner’s in the Freezer!” What a great relief that can be for you or a neighbor in need.

Here are some recipes and ideas. Talk to your friends about what they put in the freezer for more helpful ideas.

Breakfast:  Make pancakes, muffins, waffles, French toast, or breakfast burritos ahead of time and freeze for morning time ease. Most recipes will freeze nicely.

Cookies! Freeze the dough in rolls to slice and bake later or make the cookies and freeze ready to eat! My kids love to make a BIG batch to put some away for later. We even bag the cookies in snack baggies to be quick to grab for cold lunches.

Fruit for smoothies - Always rewarding - especially when the produce came at a decent price or was picked by your own hands.

Meals: Any recipe your family likes can probably freeze. So when you make one lasagna double the batch and you've got one for another day. Soups can easily be doubled and leftovers  frozen. This works with most casseroles as well. With minimal planning, extra dinner can be made and frozen  for later use.

Here are some favorites!

Sweet n’ Sour Meatballs

2 lbs ground beef

Salt and pepper to taste

Onion salt and garlic powder to taste

1 Egg

Oatmeal or cooked quinoa (optional)

Mix and form into 1” balls. Place on cooking tray. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Drain, allow to cool and place in Ziplock bags. (Make a large batch while your hands are dirty. Pre-cooked meatballs can be used in many recipes.)

Sauce:

2 cans pineapple chunks, drained and reserve juice

2 Tbsp cornstarch

4 Tbsp vinegar

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp soy sauce

Green and red peppers

Carrot slices

Heat up juice and cornstarch. Add vinegar, brown sugar and soy sauce and bring to a boil while stirring. Mixture should be thick. Allow to cook and place in ziplock bag with pineapple chunks, green and red pepper and carrot slices. Label and freeze.

To prepare, thaw, pour sauce over meatballs and heat through in the microwave, on the stove, or in the crockpot. Serve over rice that can also be cooked in batches, portioned out  and frozen for quick heat up.

Stuffed Rolls

This one is a basic hot pockets recipe and any filling can be used. This is one of those recipes that makes plenty so you know there will be some for the freezer. We like these filling options:

1 - Hamburger browned and drained, mushrooms, onions, cabbage all diced and sauteed. Mix together with basil, oregano, salt and pepper.

2 - Diced ham, cheddar cheese and spaghetti sauce. Sometimes we use the leftover spaghetti dinner for the filling. Yum!

3 - Chicken, broccoli, rice, grated cheese, cream of chicken soup and sour cream mixture.

Make your favorite bread dough recipe or used frozen dough that has thawed. Roll out dough into a thin rectangle. Use pizza cutter to cut dough into squares or rectangles. Place desired filling into center of dough. Fold over corners to wrap up and squeeze the edges together. Place seam down on greased cookie tray and bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes until dough is golden brown. Rub top of rolls with butter when they come out. Cool completely before putting in ziplock bag and freezing. Heat up and enjoy!

Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Bag 1 , combine:

2 cups  cooked, diced chicken

3 cups tortilla chips, crushed

2 cups frozen corn Kernels

Bag 2, Combine:

8 oz pasteurized process cheese (Velveeta) cut into 1 inch cubes

1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies

2 Tbsp Taco seasoning

Seal Bag 2 and place into Bag 1; seal. Freeze.

Add contents of Bag 2 and 2 cans chicken broth  to 4 qt pan. Bring to simmer over medium heat; cook 12-14 minutes or until cheese is melted, stirring occasionally.

Add contents of Bag 1 to pan; simmer 4-6 minutes. Soup should thicken.

Serve soup with toppings such as shredded  cheese, diced tomatoes, fresh cilantro.

Dijon Chicken Noodle Toss

In bag 1, combine:

2 cups cooked, diced chicken

2 cups frozen peas

In bag 2, combine;

¼ lb. deli ham, diced

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 tsp Dijon Mustard

Seal bag 2, place in bag 1; seal. Freeze.

Cook 12 oz rotini pasta as directed and drain.

Meanwhile, place 1\2 cup water and contents of Bag 2 in skillet; cover. Bring to simmer, stirring occasionally.

Add 8 oz sour cream to skillet. Add contents of Bag 1 to skillet. Cover and cook 4-6 minutes.

Toss over cooked pasta . Serve with a sprinkle of parsley and Parmesan, if desired.