Cooking with no electricity

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Many people choose to live off-grid, but still others may be forced to live days without electricity in the case of an emergency solar storm or other weather problems. Sure, we can all opt to live on canned food for the rest of our days, but perhaps a much better and reasonable solution is to simply learn how to cook without depending on electricity. If our forefathers could do it, why couldn’t we?
Cooking without electricity isn’t hard to get used to be any means, and the same way that you’ve become completely dependent on electricity for everything, it’s also possible to make-do without it. Here are some of the ways that you can cook a warm meal without plugging into electricity:
1. We are now learning to harness the power of the sun in order to prepare warm home cooked meals. Ultimately, if you live in an extremely hot climate, you can just leave your meal out in the sunshine and wait for it to cook. Of course, this isn’t always a feasible option, so a much more interesting alternative is something called a solar oven.
These are ovens that are meant to be placed outside and they will harness the power of the sun in order to cook your meal. In less than half an hour, you can have a fully prepared meal that could’ve cost you more money had you used your home’s electricity.
2. Prepare an outdoor fire to cook your meal. Yes, it may seem old fashioned, but it worked for pioneers, so it can ultimately work for you. Some homeowners naturally have fire pits in their backyards to help them cook and it’s also possible to purchase a smoker if you would like to smoke your meat. In any case, this is probably the least expensive option when it comes to preparing a meal, and it can make a big difference in how your meat actually tastes.
3. Wood burning stoves can be the perfect compromise between honing the pioneer spirit and simply harnessing the comforts of your own home. You will of course need to have a wood burning stove, but it can also double as the perfect winter heat source when the weather gets cold. By using cast iron skillets and utensils, you can prepare the perfect meal using your stove, wood, and fire.
4. You can make an earth oven outside, but it will require some DIY chops and time on your part. These types of ovens are usually made from straw, newspaper, sand, clay and water, but they can work just as well as their store bought counterparts.
5. Did you know that you can use those cute little tealights in order to cook a meal? You will need to redesign your small toaster oven and remove the electrical plug associated with it. There are a number of tutorials online how you can do this. Afterwards, you insert the pan, and under it, you place several lit tealights in order to help you cook your meal. This is extremely energy efficient and you can make it happen for less than 50 dollars.
6. Volcano stoves or grills are able to be used on a wide number of surfaces, and they’re very easy to take with you pretty much anywhere you go. The stove itself runs on either wood or charcoal, so that’s entirely up to you. It packs a large punch, but also comes with a cute carrying case so you can keep it safe when it’s not in use. Though it may look like something that you would take camping with you, it can work well for off-grid living.
7. Propane grills are something that most homeowners generally have outside in the yard, so it’s an investment that you can make the most of without spending a great deal of money. There are a lot of ways that you can use your grill in order to prepare meals, and some savvy homeowners have even used it for their canning needs. You can cook seafood, grill meat, or even hotdog buns, you just need to know a bit about your grill and how it works.
8. Feeling a bit more creative? You can create your own Dutch oven with a bit of effort on your part and relive the pioneer days once again. Dutch ovens are a lot of fun for the entire family, and they can make you feel like you’re truly living off-grid.
That concludes eight different ways that you can cook a meal without electricity! Who knew that meanwhile we depend on electricity so much, there are better possibilities out there? There’s only so much that your run-of-the-mill oven can do, and oftentimes, adding that extra smoky flavor to your food isn’t one of them!