A hot meal will certainly help to bring down the stress level in an emergency scenario. However, if there is an emergency, you are likely to be without power, which means you won’t be able to cook a hot meal.
A survival stove may be the answer. These stoves are made for hiking, camping, or emergency use and come in a variety of shapes and burn several different fuels. We’re talking ‘survival aids’ here; that means equipment that will make your life simpler.
Your choice will depend on how easily available the fuel is to you at home and in your locality. The right decision may be to buy more than one stove; especially if you like to hike with friends or family members. That way there’s always something for everyone, no matter what preferences they have when it comes to food. My personal preference is a good ol’ fashion hamburger, so I can cook that on about any stove!
The important thing here is that unless you plan ahead, there won’t be any power outlets on hand either at home or while trekking through the countryside.
An emergency camp stove is easy to use and pretty safe, even in adverse weather conditions. They also give you the benefit of cooking different kinds of food without having to worry about running out of fuel at some point.
Probably the best-known type of emergency camp stove is the liquid-fuel stove, which uses fuel such as white gasoline, kerosene, or diesel in a pressurized container. These stoves are not very efficient because the heat escapes before the food has had time to cook well. If you can’t get gasoline, kerosene burns better than diesel fuel.
Propane camping stoves are becoming popular since they do not require priming like liquid-fuel stoves – just turn the knob and burners ignite. It is easy to control the size of your flame with these types of camping stoves. Unfortunately, propane does not burn as hot as other fuels so cooking times take longer than over an open fire.
Sterno or stearic acid stoves are very simple, lightweight alcohol stoves that are easy to use. They give off almost no heat beyond the flame itself, but they are safe to carry on airplanes. To operate one of these stoves you need a flat surface and something to protect it from the heat of the stove (a rock works well).
Another type of survival cooker is made for backpackers who eat dehydrated food that only needs to be rehydrated. These stoves resemble a bottle with jets that controls the flame, and they are very easy to use. They work well for people who want hot water or soup but can’t afford too much weight in their packs.
Survival cooking stoves such as these can really come in handy especially when the SHTF (and we all know that’s going to be sooner rather than later). They are usually portable and run on various types of fuel such as wood, alcohol, kerosene, or butane. These kinds of stoves can be used to cook meals, boil water and even generate heat.
Survival cooking stoves are only effective if you know how to use them. Practice on your family camping trips before you depend on one of these stoves for an emergency food source. Most of all, learn how to cook on an open fire – it will help you out more times than not!
