COOKING WITHOUT POWER
Could there be a time when you would have to find a way to heat your food without power or gas? Just ask many who lost power in the Winter of 2007. There is something about a warm meal that does more than just warm the tummy. A warm meal can make a difficult situation seem bearable. How do we cook if the power and the gas are down? Here are some options. Bar-B-Que The outdoors Bar-B-Que. Make sure you have a supply of charcoal or an extra propane cylinder on hand. Without fuel they just do not work, unless you are looking for a nice planter for your geraniums! Dutch oven Many of us can remember the days of Cast Iron cookware. It is making a great comeback today because of the health hazards associated with non-stick cookware. On the top of the list in Cast Iron is the Dutch Oven. They come in many sizes and accompanied with a bag of charcoal can be used to make a full meal including dessert and beverage. Do not buy the cheap stuff as it contains aluminum. The best brand is Lodge and is American made. A good cookbook written especially for Dutch Oven cooking is a must. Our favorite is "Lovin' Dutch Ovens: A Cook Book for the Dutch Oven Enthusiast" It is available at amazon.com Let there be fire Of course you can always build a small fire in the backyard and cook over it. Back to the Cast Iron cookware again. You need some heavy-duty pots and pans for this. On the fourth day, God created a cooking source. Time permitting, in our seminars we will teach a hands on class on how to make a solar oven. It is amazing how hot one of these can get, even on a moderately cold day. They just take a bit more time than what you may be used to in our microwave society, but since the power is out and the computer will not work, what else is there to do? There are many good resources for cooking with solar on the web. Just do a web search. Here are a couple of good resources I have found for cooking with solar. Sunshine to Dollars Hoods Woods Cave Cooking #2 Bon appetite!