The day is coming when you’re going to have to cook without electricity.
You might as well face it because it’s inevitable. We all know our country’s electrical grids are fragile and vulnerable. If extreme weather or a massive solar flare doesn’t fry one or more of our three grids, a physical or cyber-attack from one of our enemies will.
How are you going to cook food for yourself and your family after the grid goes down?
This is no longer a hypothetical question. It’s a question we need to answer now before it happens. Because right now many of us don’t know how to answer it.
Stores won’t have pre-cooked meals
Some folks believe they won’t need to cook if the grid goes down. They think they’ll be able to survive on granola bars and the water they’ve stockpiled.
They forget how quickly they get tired of eating the same thing over and over again. And they forget that nearly everything they eat now is cooked, either at a factory or in their kitchens.
Like frozen foods, breakfast cereals, spaghetti sauce, lunch meat, bread, dry-roasted peanuts, some canned goods, etc.
But once those pre-cooked meals are no longer available due to food supply chains being disrupted and store shelves emptying, forget about it.
4 ways to cook without power
Here are four ways to cook without electricity. And when we’re finished with these four, I’ll let you in on a secret regarding which one is the best.
- Wood fire. You knew this one was coming. It’s the oldest strategy for cooking in human history. You can do it over an open fire, in a fireplace, in a wood-burning stove or several other options. They all involve wood.
- Barbeque grill. This is a summertime favorite for many people. It doesn’t have to be a backyard picnic or some special event. Some folks frequently cook on the grill just to avoid heating up the house too much.
- Solar oven. This is similar to cooking in a crockpot, and it can take a while. But it’s a great way to use the sun’s energy. Sunlight converts to heat when it strikes a black surface inside the oven, with reflectors helping out.
- Dutch oven. They rarely make them like they used to, but the original Dutch ovens were designed with cast iron and had feet to hold them level in the coals. The lid had a lip so that coals could be piled on top as well.
Here’s a better way to do it
Any of those four methods for cooking without electricity will work, although each has its drawbacks. As promised, here’s my secret regarding which one of them is the best. Ready? None of the above.
But there is one way to cook without electricity that will work better than all of them. It’s called the BioLite Campstove 2.
Let me explain why this product is your best bet for cooking without electricity. It produces a smokeless fire that can cook meals and boil water in just minutes while turning its heat into usable electricity.
It’s a lightweight “rocket stove” that you’ll consider your “portable kitchen.” You’ll never run out of fuel because it burns sticks, twigs and leaves.
You can also boil water for purification and charge your cellphone with it. It can even keep you warm if you need it for that purpose.
What’s really amazing about this stove is that it does all those things I just mentioned but weighs only two pounds. Yet it’s sturdy and very easy to use.
Here are some of the BioLite Campstove 2’s features. (You can get more details at the link below).
- On-Board Battery. This lithium-ion battery charges devices with or without a live fire.
- Smart LED Dashboard. This multi-colored dashboard lets you see the strength of your fire, the fan level and the available power to charge your gadgets.
- USB Charge-Out. The energy created in your fire generates up to three watts of continuous power. Extra power is stored in the battery.
- Internal Fan Jets. Air is circulated for improved combustion and efficiency by four fan speed settings.
- Lightweight Aluminum Legs. These legs fold up for increased portability.
- Honeycomb Heat Mesh. This serves as a protective barrier from the inner burn chamber.
You can find out more how this stove can cook your food and power your electronics right here.