Survival cooking tools

[Lysander]

Right, so it's day 189 in the PAW and you've run out of canned beans to be a tough guy and eat. Thankfully, your pitiful first harvest is in. You've eeked by enough for subsistence through sheer stubbornness and ineptitude. Congratulations. Looks like you've got some millet, some beans, a bit of corn, and a few bushels of wheat.

How are you preparing your newly hand harvested foodstuffs?

Got a dutch oven?
Cast iron skillet?
Mechanical Mill/Grinder?
Cooking stove? Tripod for outdoor fires?
Gloves & mits?
What about a mechanical whisk?
How about a larger mortar and pestle?
Got home canning equipment to save what you can't eat?

Like everything else, having the proper basic tools will cut down prep time and open up a much wider variety of foods than just using spoons and forks. I know, this is no where near as cool as guns and MREs, but let's see what you have.

Honestly, I have a fully stocked kitchen with mechanical doubles of most appliances (thanks Grandma!).

[btcave]

Honestly, this is the area where I am severely lacking. I have doubles of a lot of kitchen wear in hopes of stocking a travel trailer, but non-electric food preparation items are virtually non-existent in my home.

Started gathering canning supplies last year, but a dehydrator would be of great value.

Here is how to make a solar dehydrator without any power source.

http://ecohearth.com/eco-zine/food-and-garden/650-building-a-solar-powered-food-dehydrator-.html

Solar cooker.

http://solarcooking.org/plans/

I live in Oregon, so these won't work so well for me but 4 months out of the year.

[Lysander]

Honestly, this is the area where I am severely lacking. I have doubles of a lot of kitchen wear in hopes of stocking a travel trailer, but non-electric food preparation items are virtually non-existent in my home.

Started gathering canning supplies last year, but a dehydrator would be of great value.

Here is how to make a solar dehydrator without any power source.

http://ecohearth.com/eco-zine/food-and-garden/650-building-a-solar-powered-food-dehydrator-.html

Solar cooker.

http://solarcooking.org/plans/


Dehydrators are great so long as you have a means of producing juice, and of repairing said means.

I'd learn other methods as well, blame my daddy the engineer for a firm belief in redundancy.

[Mark Ducati]

They had some kind of survival show on TV with a group of people last year... no voting off, no prize money at the end... just bragging rights.

I don't remember the name of the show, but they had to make it from point A to point B, then B to C and so on... if at any point they wanted to drop out, all they had to do was activate their emergency GPS and a helicopter would come get them.

The group was given backpacks and minimal survival tools like a knife, a few matches, cooking utensils... as people voluntarily dropped out, it became a tough decision making process as to what items/tools/etc they would divide up and carry... they were carrying almost 50-60lbs in equipment at the end.

These people would sometimes find a bonus item at each check point.... like one time, they got a 410 shot gun to shoot bigger game...

They ate mice, quail, small rodents, even a Porqupine.. (I think the episode I saw, they were out in the middle of New Zealand)...

But each time they got some meat and even grain (the bonus at the check stop), they always boiled it and made a stew.... water, protein, carbs... probably not the most pleasant thing to consume... but stew seemed the quick easy way to prepare all food items.

I've got a cast iron dutch oven that I can use in my electric oven, use it in my fire place, over an open fire pit out doors... but that's probably going to be a very sought after item in a PAW/SHTF type scenario...

Oven mits! Good Call! I've got some, but they don't last forever... I think I'll pick up a couple extra sets. On the camp fire, we've used those long metal wires that you would roast a hotdog/marshmallow on to pull it off the fire and onto the dirt... sort of like carrying a litter... I have also used wooden sticks...

[Lysander]

Common Misconceptiion #1: You are not always going to be living out of a backpack. This concept is laughable at best, as that way of life is almost totally unsustainable. Modern backpacking equipment is designed and developed around the notion that you will have access to modern backpacking supplies.

Secondly; Boiling is great, but after a while it gets tiresome. It's also a great way to drain a lot of needed nutrients out of your food, unless you're drinking the water. Notice that staple stews the world over are designed to be consumed as a whole? There's a reason for this.

[El Laton Caliente]

Canning you need a HUGE volume of jars & lids to contain a season's supply of canned goods. My Gandmother would go through a gross or more a season. Wax paper or paraffin can substitute for the rubber ringed one use lids. The clamp lock with spare rubber gaskets are good too.

Next you need something to boil the jars in. A large canning pot preferably with a jar rack. Add tongs to handle the hot jars & lids.

Next you need the pots to par boil of prep the canned food

Finally you need additives, salt, vinegar, fruit fresh...

[El Laton Caliente]

Secondly; Boiling is great, but after a while it gets tiresome. It's also a great way to drain a lot of needed nutrients out of your food, unless you're drinking the water. Notice that staple stews the world over are designed to be consumed as a whole? There's a reason for this.

In canning the trick is to use the minimum water in food prep and pack the food in the water. Also a simple par boil is OK and keeps the nutrients in.

However boiling is absolutely necessary to kill microbes.

[Lysander]

In canning the trick is to use the minimum water in food prep and pack the food in the water. Also a simple par boil is OK and keeps the nutrients in.

However boiling is absolutely necessary to kill microbes.

I should hope that wherever you have settled down to survive you've already established a source of clean, or cleaning, water. Dutch ovens and cast iron cookware get a bit heavy after a while.

[Flinter]

I have a massive supply of campfire cooking supplies. Someday soon I'll set it all up get a pic for you guys. I use it all very often....I'm known as somewhat of a campfire chef!

Thank you reeancting hobby.

[HDR]

Common Misconceptiion #1: You are not always going to be living out of a backpack. This concept is laughable at best, as that way of life is almost totally unsustainable. Modern backpacking equipment is designed and developed around the notion that you will have access to modern backpacking supplies.

The classic nomadic Native American did it; however I don't see modern people doing it. It will take crops and animals to harvest to survive long term.




Canning you need a HUGE volume of jars & lids to contain a season's supply of canned goods. My Gandmother would go through a gross or more a season.

My grandmother did the same; I remember the shelves were filled in Fall.

[O.S.O.K.]

Well, its already been said but boiling or making a gruel will get you through and you are eating everything this way - no loss of nutrients.

We are very well prepared in this regard with many different options for preparing the food.

We know how to can but right now, have no jars, lids, etc. and of course that stuff eventually needs replacing too.

But smoking would be no problem.

I have enough hand tools to get most things accomplished in that regard too.

All in all, we're not too bad off here.

As in all things "survival" and "prep", my biggest concern is the utter lack of preparedness of most of the people in my community.

[btcave]

I'd learn other methods as well, blame my daddy the engineer for a firm belief in redundancy.

Absolutely.

[Goodman]

In canning the trick is to use the minimum water in food prep and pack the food in the water. Also a simple par boil is OK and keeps the nutrients in.

However boiling is absolutely necessary to kill microbes.

Boiling in an open pot may not be adequate for safe canning depending on your elevation. Be careful, consider pressure canning if you are going into it heavily.

[coppertales]

is a very handy item. Besides, it gives you a good heavy pot to cook in too. I have one in my camping kit, both travel trailers and a couple in the house. They get used almost daily, various ways, along with my cast iron ware. Buy Presto brand. They are the best out there.....I picked up all of ours at flea markets for under 10 bucks each....chris3

[ubersoldate]

Ive got a big ole cast iron skillet, and a cast iron cook pot for the house.

For camping, Ive got so much damn MSR backpacking gear it isnt even funny which is good if its just you and you have to pack light...

[Integratedj]

I keep a small rocket stove on hand that I made for Camping/backpacking, and am about to make a bigger one in the backyard for Home use. These things are amazing cookers. They use very little wood (Like small sticks) and are very clean burning and efficient. Look them up on Youtube. They are really easy to make.