You can help reduce suffering, by choosing plant based options instead of paying to exploit and kill other animals. 925 million humans (1 in 9) suffer from hunger, yet 80 billion animals enslaved in farms are given enough human edible food that could support 4 billion humans directly. -University of Minnesota Animal agriculture is the leading cause of deforestation, habitat destruction, water pollution, ocean dead zones and *species extinction* . -United Nations FAO The most comprehensive *meta-analysis* conducted to date with 119 countries, shows avoiding animal products is the *"SINGLE BIGGEST WAY"* to reduce our environmental impact. -Oxford University
If you are making a fire to keep warm, do all your cooking for the next day then. Boil water and fill thermos bottles with it. Make your soup or stew in a cast iron Dutch oven and keep it in the embers , or wrap in a blanket and store the whole thing in a lined cooler. Bake biscuits or a quick bread. The next day you will have hot water for oatmeal or coffee. The baked item can be split between breakfast and dinner. The soup or stew is two meals. Use all cast iron. Clean it up and start over the next evening.
Excellent comment and true. I bought a Dutch Oven 3 years ago and told my wife how practical it was for food preps, even put it in the barbecue while we still have propane to cook several days of meals. Thanks for your comment, hopefully others consider this method!
I remember seeing in the camping section at my local outdoors store a stainless steel soup container. A person could make extra soup ahead of time and store it in that.
Thermoses and 'coolers' are going to become like gold in a TEOTWAWKI situation, both for preserving cold stuff fresh and for keeping food/ water/ whatever hot after the fuel has run out or fire has died down. Apart from basic "72 hour" preps, I advise the investment in thermal food storage, and solid cast-iron cookwear.
Just to clarify-you don't have to heat water so soften pasta-I do it all the time. I put a hand full of pasta in my "cold" soup that I am taking to work and by lunch it's soft just heat and eat.
I've baked bread in the wild by using nesting metal bowls, one inverted over a smaller one (where the bread is) set into a large enough cast iron kettle with a spacer in the bottom (rocks) to keep from burning the bottom. The heat will rise up inside the inverted bowl and give a pretty uniform heat.
The water left over from steaming veggies can also be consumed as a drink or as a later additive for other meals. Water from steamed beets or broccoli are favorites in my home
Water left over from any veggies can be used in chook food or dog food or on the garden once cooled as well to increase nutrition or act as a plant fertiliser
I wanted to add that an instsnt pot can work as a makeshift thermal cooker. Just cook your food over a heat source in the steel inner pot. Then move it to the instant pot vessel and lock the lid. For good measure, you can further insulate it by wrapping the whole thing in blankets or a towel. I've experimented this with soups, stews and chilis.
Oh yes please more like this! I learned a couple things here like pasta cooking after the heat is taken away. It's those little nuggets of information that will make all the difference.
I have a recipe book entitled " The Prepper's Cookbook" by Tess Pennington. Has a lot of recipes using dehydrated ingredients and recipes for making things like condensed milk, rice milk etc. Combined with this video on the techniques on HOW to cook - I feel confident We won't starve!
some supplemental info based on these recommendations: the method for cooking pasta is also useful for cooking other things like steel cut oatmeal. the night before, get the water to boiling, add a pinch of salt, stir in your oatmeal for a minute, cut the heat, put the lid on it, and it'll be pretty much perfect when you wake up. Also regarding energy efficiency, for anything that does need to be consistently cooked for an extended period of time, such as a cut of muscle, boiling is the most energy efficient means to cook due to energy transfer between mediums, which is why there are so many old (in)famous dishes associated with it, especially from the UK...for good and bad
thanks! instead of doom and gloom posted by so many prepper channels this info is something i can actually personally use my hands for instead of just sitting and wringing them.
I love recipes like these, can we have more plz? I'm compiling a notebook that identifies forageable plants and foods, and recipes to use them in; also this can include the stocked food items in my prepper pantry. This came in really handy in just the past year, first with the tornado isolating us without power for over a week, then during the Xmas blizzard isolating us again for over a week without power. I use firewood as my fuel, inside in my wood stove, outside with my grill and camp oven.
Can cooker. Awesome find on here. Thank you. Never knew such a container existed until this video. All the more reason for us all to understand we never stop learning how to prep!
My pantry is stocked and I’m moving to bread ingredients specifically. Those few ingredients make bread, tortillas, muffins, rolls, biscuits, pancakes, and much more. I have a book of recipes that I’ve written down that only require minimal ingredients. After watching this video my next notebook will be filled with tricks on saving resources like he showed.
I have used palm fronds, wood, logs, bark, dry leaves, cardboard food boxes, charcoal, propane anything available. I was homeless in my 50's for 4 years, just 2 years ago. Definitely NOT easy but definitely doable!
You just combined my two favorite kinds of channels--cooking and prepping! Thanks, friend! If you use 1 teaspoon of baking powder to one cup of dry beans, they are supposed to cook faster :) Have a great week
I like these kinds of videos. I want to learn the techniques more than the specific recipes. Like how to cook common prepper pantry foods with minimal fuel and water. For example, I didn’t think of keeping the pasta water for other uses. Or soaking beans before cooking.
@@Metalheaddoc For a lot of budget cooking and pantry cooking they will save the pasta water for more than one dish in a week to thicken things so it’s not necessarily just for one day I just like cooking with different sources. I think it’s fine
I made some instant meals using all freeze-dried or dehydrated ingredients (mostly Augason Farms) when making emergency kits for my family members. Several in the family are vegetarian or vegan, and I am celiac so needed the meals to be gluten free. This made things more difficult, but I was able to do quite a few meals that only required adding hot water. Because of the vegans, I used soy curls or tvp usually, but some black bean burger mix as well. Then I mostly used a powdered coconut milk rather than regular milk. It especially worked well when making strawberry oatmeal, and a Thai coconut soup mix. That one was really easy, coconut milk powder, vegan chicken bouillon, dried basil, mushrooms, onions, and some other veggies along with the fake chicken (real would be nicer but is also like 40 times as expensive), some true lime flavour, chili flakes, and instant rice. I also added some single serve soy sauce packets in the kits. Turns out surprisingly good, and you can heat water, put it in the mylar, and just walk off if need be, no attracting anybody with cooking smells, and no bulky thermal pot to carry. Life will be nicest if no bugging out is ever needed, but if it is, making your own mylar bag meals is possible even when you can't afford a freeze dryer. Get several people to go in on ingredients with you and it can be a lot cheaper...plus a #10 can of tomato powder goes a very long way and makes a LOT of soup/sauce so it can be nice to share if you just want to use some of it in portable meals.
For "grid down" food, as well as SHTF and every other scenario, there's a very easy alternative which people tend to ignore. IMHO there's no point messing about heating food. Just get a reputable meal replacement powder like Plenny Shake, Huel etc. Water, mix, drink, clean. Job done. Any powder easily lasts 7yrs+ if kept dark, cool & dry, and it's incredibly physically compact so no need for lots of storage space.
You dont have to wait until a disaster to make flour, but its important to know that once ground, the shelf life of any grains or beans is drastically reduced so always try to grind only what you need. Thanks for another awesome video!! Compliments to your cooking skills!!!
Great idea for simple delicious meals in an emergency! You can add a wool blanket or a sleeping bag or even towels to a cooler to use it for passive cooking in place of the wonder bag. I’d love to see more recipes for emergency situations.
Thanks for this! Those savory rice pancakes could be a lifesaver! If you cut off the bottom 2 inches of your green onion, scallion, or leek, it will easily regrow you another. Been doing this for years. Most pest free crop I know of, & elevates so many basic foods. I'm so hoping to get myself organized enough to start raising Quail. Luke most folks, I started with rice in my stockpile, so there's plenty of that. Prep On & Stay Safe, All!
I'd love to see a video on gathering and cooking safe wild plants. Such things like common sidewalk weeds and things that might be found in overgrown lots or even wooded areas. I feel if times get that tough, it would be a good thing to know. Love your videos!!
Your videos are always very well done and informative but I have to say, this is probably one of my favorites thus far. It’s something I haven’t seen on any other channels. This outside the box thinking by not tossing cooking water, how to cook pasta with out a constant boil and making flours with beans and rice is great information to know. I hope there are more like this in the future. Love! Love! Love!
Using a cozy is typical for a long distance hiker (Pacific Crest, Appalachian trail, etc). Heat up the meal (like a Knorr rice or pasta side) just to the boil then shut off the stove. Put the pot (or, as hikers often do, the ziplock bag) in an insulated pouch and let the residual heat carry it to being done. I have plenty of stock and bouillon powder to make soups with rice, canned chicken and whatever else I have.
Good info and recipes we'll have to try a couple of them. You showed your solar oven we use ours regularly one of the handiest cooking systems highly recommend getting one. I made a lazy susan base for it so we can easily track the sun plus it helps keep from spilling the cooking contents. Stay Safe & Good Luck
For those without a Wonderbag - you can line a cooler with towels, (bottom & sides) place the pot of food you brought to boiling, cover with the pot lid, cover with more towels and close the cooler lid... or look up how to make a haybox cooker from back in the day. They all work. 😊
Weve pick up and used older Colman camp stoves that run onbunleaded gas. It will be easier to fond than propane. Also has twice the energy value so it takes half the amount of fuel. As an added benefit, you can use older gas that may not work well in a vehicle.
Great advice. Very necessary considering how much food and cooking sources will be needed when in a crisis. Thanks Kris. These tips are simple and wise. 🙏🏼
Thanks for more ideas. I have set myself up with more than a dozen ways to cook food without electricity. I have ready rice and ready pasta. I can add sauce and canned meat and canned vegetables to make ot heat and eat. I have a USB solar power bank that I can plug into different small kitchen appliances that are USB. I have a small USB lunch box that works like a toaster oven. I can mix a just add water muffin mix so I can bake a small pan of muffins. I can bake other things like just add water biscuits. I have a small pellet camping stove with a mess kit. I can heat up soup or fry Spam. I can add twigs from the yard to extend my cooking time. I have a small fast griddle. It can be used in the truck or on the solar USB. I can fry some things in minutes discreetly. I have a 6-1 rice cooker that also works on the USB solar power bank or in the truck. I made pouches of dehydrated foods so that I can add 2 cups of water and the contents of a pouch and push a button for a meal. I have a catering stove set up. I can make different casseroles. I have a fire pit with a metal cooking grate in the back of the property. I have foil sheets so I can make hobo packets. I have tea light candle cooking set up as well.
Also, I cook the rice, drain well. Then dehydrate it. Store it in vacuum sealed bags or jars. Add water to rehydrate ( or use the liquid from canned foods). No cooking required.
The keys to disaster cooking is to minimize... Minimize cooking time Minimize fuel use Minimize light/sound/smell Look at pack camping meals. My favorite is a "faked potato" from my college days. Boil water, add potato flakes, and any flavoring you have. (Usually use a butter flavor powder and fake bacon bits.) Quick, easy, and filling. I will also add ground/shredded jerky (finer the better. Carne Seca here in Texas). Hydrate before cooking if you can, boil with the water for the flakes. Gives seasoning with a bit of salt and protein. I keep jars of it vacuum canned to make it last longer and keep out anything to spoil it. I cook a lot in pressure cookers. The camping ones are interesting, but could be worth the weight/size. Makes some noise, but cuts time and fuel use way down. I cook chilli from soaked beans in 1 hour. That includes the time to brown the meat and veggies. A final word for my fellow carnivores... cook your meat. There is a reason it is called "well done." Any other level of cooking is just a rating of how likely you are to stay healthy. This doesn't mean you have to eat charcoal, but you need to learn to prepare it diffrently. Thinner cuts to "grill" Lower/slower for thicker cuts And health wise... Boiling is best. So said my SERE instructor, and I've never gotten sick camping by following what her taught. Rant over. Good vid Thanks
Don't wait until you *have* to cook like this!! This is a skill that everyone needs to work on and get the hang of before its actually needed in an emergency situation. I had to stop and go back a few times, because at the 1:55 mark, I swore I heard Kris say "stir the pasta with a few squirrels". 🐿🐿lol Now, that is some real prepper cooking!!
YES!!! Please more rec that are printable . I’m awaiting the arrival of the wonder bag I just ordered! This is one of my favorites of your most recent videos . Thank you for sharing.
Soak beans, drain before cooking, removes lectins. My mom boiled beans, then covered and buried in the sand all day. It cooked while we played on the beach. I have raised hugelkultur beds and have buried them in dirt. I add bean flour to biscuits and bread. I will try rice patties, sounds good with my endless supply of wild greens.
Kris, great video, and I would love more! I have always thought there weren't enough cooking videos using prepping ingredients. I will definitely try some of these. On my winter camping trip, I would almost always make some form of stew like this and leave it by the fire for the days I was there.
Orzo and Thin Spaghetti. I lived in the mountains and cooked over a camper gas stove. Pasta would NEVER cook thru. Put away pasta that is not normal thickness. There are also shelf stable cooked pastas now in pouches. Expensive but good for backpack go bags/first 24 hour emergency kits.
*clutches my Southern pearls* There are people who don’t salt the water? 😮. I can hear the voices of my ancestors gasping in unison. Salt is, well, everything!
@@salonofleaves there’s people who say that the salt doesn’t help. They’re simply incorrect. The dissolution of the salt in the water creates a chemical reaction that makes the water more predisposed to heating.
Thanks Chris, for all of the practical knowledge you share! I particularly liked this one. My go-to quick hot meal is a can of chunky sirloin burger soup over instant rice. Not much "cook" to it, but even though our hurricanes are in the summer, you feel pretty cold & exhausted after a long day of hurricane cleanup & repair. Warm, filling food puts the heart back into you! I always turn off the heat assoon as it boils, & put the pot in a blanket lined cooler. 10 minutes later, dinner.🙂 Wild greens, or sweet potato leaves can always be added to this to 'stretch' it.
This is so awesome! Thank you. I have a fair amount of food, but no real skills with cooking. The tidbit about the various waters/can juices will be very helpful and not something i would have thought of.
One of my favourite prepper foods in homemade noodles or pasta. If you have flour (we all have it in spades right?), eggs and water you can make noodles relatively easy even with minimal tools. Add a mashed potato and make gnocchi. This is making me think I should make a video on my channel on how to make this actually lol
