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Preppers

If the electricity supply is affected...

36 replies

PerverseConverse · 26/01/2019 16:11

What's the best option for cooking?

Will gas be affected? I have a gas hob (and central heating) but electric oven.

I'm trying to imagine a scenario with no gas or electricity and drawing a blank on how to feed my family.

OP posts:
TooTrueToBeGood · 27/01/2019 21:17

I guess it comes down to how likely you think power outages might be, how long you think they might last, what you've already got at your disposal and how much you're prepared to spend.

I've got several small camping stoves, like the pocket rocket. They are great for backpacking but not really a good solution for cooking for a family for days or possibly weeks. Aside from anything else, you'd need a lot of disposable gas canisters. If all you're wanting to do is boil the odd pot of water or heat an occassional tin of food they'd do but that's about their realistic limit.

I also have a gas bbq but they're inefficient, especially for heating pots and pans. However, the gas bbq runs off a large refillable gas cylinder and will use any gas eventually. So I've now got 3 cylinders of gas and a 2-ring + grill gas stove that can run off them (like this: www.amazon.co.uk/Campingaz-Folding-Double-Burner-Stove/dp/B00UALXY6Q/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=2+burner+camping+stove)&tag=mumsnetforum-21&ie=UTF8&qid=1548621553&sr=8-3.

Lighting - i don't like candles. They give out very little light and are a serious fire risk. So I've got enough headlights for everyone in the household and several led lanterns for area lighting. To ensure a supply of power, I've got about 40 rechargeable batteries, a battery charger that works off 5v usb, a few usb powerbanks and a solar panel that can top up the powerbanks. Sounds a lot but most of it I bought and use for other purposes anyway.

PootlesBobbleHat · 27/01/2019 21:34

Solar powered caravan. Just hoping for sunshine not an Icelandic ash storm. Cos that would be handy timing.

Werve1 · 27/01/2019 22:58

I have a thing about candles and tealights and have stacks, it comes from having lived in a very rural area where we had regular powercuts. We also have a petrol run generator, I have today suggested to my dad that he could make sure that there is a jerry can of fuel for it just in case! He is as bad as me, and he has a thing for buying bbq's of different kinds, they are great for cooking on, you can use them to boil pans of water, We also have one of the old fashioned whistle kettles ( i think it was my grans)
Has anyone seen the flower pot heaters? I made one a few years back to try it out. but they should only be used if not left unattended.
One thing that really does worry me is if the power is off when its cold outside is the tropical fish tank! I think I would place a couple of hot water bottles against the glass and wrap with blankets.

bellinisurge · 28/01/2019 05:34

@Werve1 I have the option of flower pot heater thing but I am not sure I'd get much warmth out of it. I have other options instead. And, again, fear of naked flame even under a pot.

Hedgehogblues · 28/01/2019 05:58

We have two charcoal barbecues. I presume you could heat up stuff in saucepans with them? And use wood for burning when the charcoal ran out?

TooTrueToBeGood · 28/01/2019 10:09

We have two charcoal barbecues. I presume you could heat up stuff in saucepans with them? And use wood for burning when the charcoal ran out?

At a push yes of course. How much charcoal and wood do you think you're going to need though? Do you really want to do all your cooking outside, regardless of the weather? Are you happy to wait 20 minutes for your BBQ to get up to temperature just to boil a kettle of water for your morning coffee?

Honestly, if you think power outages are a risk worth prepping for, there are far better options than charcoal BBQs.

Hullabalooo · 30/01/2019 15:48

Can someone recommend a good head torch to buy?

bellinisurge · 30/01/2019 15:55

Currently using one made by Omeril on a regular basis. No scientific reason. I tend to go for second cheapest on Amazon with best reviews. I think this was in a daily deal thing.

bellinisurge · 10/02/2019 11:44

Just received my second Dutch oven that fits in my rectangular multifuel stove. About the size of a bread loaf and should be good for having a small indoor oven. I have a Dutch oven for outdoors or our regular oven. Made delicious Texas chilli in it.

BiddyPop · 11/02/2019 13:48

We have a gas BBQ that has proven itself in snow already (our mad neighbours and ourselves, 5 households, drag them out if the green is covered in snow for a BBQ and hot wine while supervising the various DCs and just catching up and being sociable). We cook all sorts on the BBQ anyway over the flames, on skewers, in tin foil packs etc.

I have a Kelly kettle too - just find a few sticks or pine cones in the garden/on the green/in the local park/buy kindling sticks and that works well for hot water and for cooking (I tend to use camping type pots as they don't need so much heat to work).

And a 1 ring gas camping stove - we keep that and the gas cannisters at home while the rest of the camping gear goes to a storage unit for winter, just in case.

All these 3 need to be done outdoors - but as long as you have decent clothing (suitable warm and/or waterproof), then that is ok. And depending on what you are doing, you don't need to be there the whole time (a slow BBQ joint and maybe a larger pot of water to make best use of the heat could work away fine for ages just being checked periodically). Hot water is enough to make lots of things work in an emergency (cuppa soups, couscous, easicook noodles, microwavable rice/pasta packets, fresh pasta, frozen petits pois peas (especially if you let them thaw first), smash, ....).

In terms of cooking indoors.
I don't think the gas hob would work without electricity (there;s a safety mechanism in it - but I could be wrong). I know the electric oven does work without gas, as we've had the gas off before and I could still oven cook dinner.

Microwave if the gas was off, and electric kettle is useful too.

If I had to get really creative, I would probably look at putting tea lights on the gas hob (leaving gas turned off) and a camping pot or an oven tray over that on the hob support bars as a slow fry-type option. I used to have a thing to keep dishes warm on the table using tealights that could work to at least heat things, but I gave that away a few years ago as we never used it - but dishes would start to bubble and boil on that!
Or maybe putting some tinfoil wrapped food, like potatoes to bake, into the wood burning stove. It's a closed stove, but backed into the fireplace, so we can't put a kettle or pot on top (MIL has one that you can do that, in her kitchen, which works ok for stew-type meals and to heat a large old-fashioned kettle).

And I know we've "cooked" marshmallows in a HM solar oven before, so the sunny south facing windowsill could be put to some practical use, if the sunshine cooperated and we were home in daylight.

It's possible to do. It needs thinking about. Food may need to be cut much smaller than usual to cook faster (well, cook using less heat energy than usual), and certain things may not be possible.

I do that thing with the headtorch and a full plastic container of water as a lantern in our tent when camping. DH was amazed when we had a power cut and I did it at home.

We also have plenty of candles and tealights (and safe containers to have them lighting), as both of us grew up with regular power cuts in the 70s/80s in rural areas. Usually just used for ambiance, but I never let the stocks run down so that we don't have emergency supplies.

Jins · 11/02/2019 13:56

Another one with a caravan and a solar panel. We’ve got loads of bottled gas as well.

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