Cooking Without Electricity

Self Sufficient Cooking Without Power

If the electricity is off for a long period of time, to be more self sufficient you will need a method to cook foods that require cooking. Instead of surviving on just cold stored food, a nice warm meal will enlighten the spirits for sure. In addition to cooking, you may want to heat water for cleaning and sanitizing.

Coleman Camp Stove

Be prepared. A great emergency stove to have on hand is a Coleman camp stove. I have had two of their dual burner liquid fuel stoves during the past 20 years and have been very happy with them as they are definitely built to last. They are compact, simple to assemble and use, and they store well. A must have, and perfect for your survival preps inventory.

Their are two basic varieties of Coleman camp stoves, one that uses liquid fuel such as this Coleman 2 Burner Dual Fuel Stove and the other uses propane fuel such as this Coleman Two-Burner Propane Stove.

I chose the liquid fuel model because it seems a bit more rugged, looks to hold larger pots, and I’ve grown up with the liquid fuel model from my childhood camping trips. I believe that liquid fuel is more practical when it comes to storage space versus the propane canisters. I believe that you will get far more cook time from a gallon can of white fuel versus an equivalent size can of propane fuel.

The camp stove liquid fuel requirement is a ‘white gas’ special Coleman blend which is orderless, has rust inhibitor in it, and is available  in one gallon cans at stores like Walmart and others. According to the Coleman documentation you can even use unleaded gasoline in their Dual Fuel model as a substitute for white gas. I have not tried this, but it would certainly be  the most economical fuel to use.

I have found that a one gallon can of Coleman fuel will provide quite a lot of cooking time, and is well worth stocking several, or more in your survival preps. The reported shelf life is apparently quite long. I’ve heard reports of no issues after 15 years, as long as the screw top is secured. I personally have some cans that are now 10 years old, and I have not experienced a problem last time I checked. Just remember to filter the fuel as it is poured into the tank, in case of sediment. Unleaded gasoline however will not last that long, and I recommend adding a stabilizer additive such as STA-BIL Fuel Stabilizer if it will be stored for 6 months or more.

Do not use the camp stove indoors because it consumes oxygen and produces carbon monoxide (like any combustion appliance).

There are other cooking alternatives that do not require electricity which will be saved for other posts, but I feel that this particular choice is a great minimum requirement which will serve you in nearly all survival emergencies, so long as you have fuel.

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