# No power, which foods still edible



## peanutshere

There has been power outages in several areas with recent storm.

I have friends with electric stove who will be without power for several days.
This means
1. Freezer and fridge storage is shot.
2. _Nothing really to cook with._

So now I am re-evaluating my preparedness.

I presume canned beans are good and canned fish, peanut butter and crackers as well. Powdered eggs and milk ok too.

I was wondering about dried rice, lentils, and beans. 
Are these _edible_ with just soaking in water or *MUST* they be cooked? 
Talking basics if forced to eat as such. Certain friends will just visit family for awhile.


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## Redneck

Maybe you should read up on rocket stoves. You can buy them or make them yourself.


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## Mad Trapper

peanutshere said:


> There has been power outages in several areas with recent storm.
> 
> I have friends with electric stove who will be without power for several days.
> This means
> 1. Freezer and fridge storage is shot.
> 2. _Nothing really to cook with._
> 
> So now I am re-evaluating my preparedness.
> 
> I presume canned beans are good and canned fish, peanut butter and crackers as well. Powdered eggs and milk ok too.
> 
> I was wondering about dried rice, lentils, and beans.
> Are these _edible_ with just soaking in water or *MUST* they be cooked?
> Talking basics if forced to eat as such. Certain friends will just visit family for awhile.


Nice introduction! HELP!!!! :vs_cry: :crying: We like polite people.

If you have freezer full with ice in spots not occupied with food it should be safe/frozen a few days.

Where are you? We don't know. I'd go gather some wood and start a fire in my grill. Cook steaks from the freezer before they go bad.

Dried rice/beans/lentils soak first, then boil. Got a dutch oven? Boil beans/rice/lentils there over the wood fire. Maybe get yourself a Coleman stove for next time?

Raw dried beans/rice/lentils, soaked and raw, would be better than nothing. Better soak them a few days first.


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## jimcosta

My understanding is* rice needs* a minimum 15 minutes of boiling *OR *10 minutes of boiling covered, then remove from heat and wrap covered pot in a towel and let it remain steeping for another 5 - 10 minutes.
Be certain not to rinse the rice before cooking as it will lose the sprayed on nutrients.

My understanding is *dried beans* must be boiled between 60 and 90 minutes for newer ones and longer for years old (harder) ones.
(Bean cooking times can be reduced if you use a pressure cooker (non-Electric) by placing a piece of flat metal directly under it over the flame source.
Pressure can be controlled by sliding more (or less) over the heat source.)

Anything canned is already* fully cooked*. Therefore, fuel wise, canned beans are much better than dried beans.

Also See this link I posted today on *cheap Homemade Rocket Stoves*: https://www.prepperforums.net/forum/survival-food-procurement/122551-survival-cooking-open-flame-how.html

Best of luck to your friends.

P.S. The rocket stoves remain cool on their bottoms and can be used on a table. If skiddish place dirt on a board under the stoves. 
Consider using near an open window or fireplace chimney.


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## StratMaster

peanutshere said:


> There has been power outages in several areas with recent storm.
> 
> I have friends with electric stove who will be without power for several days.
> This means
> 1. Freezer and fridge storage is shot.
> 2. _Nothing really to cook with._
> 
> So now I am re-evaluating my preparedness.
> 
> I presume canned beans are good and canned fish, peanut butter and crackers as well. Powdered eggs and milk ok too.
> 
> I was wondering about dried rice, lentils, and beans.
> Are these _edible_ with just soaking in water or *MUST* they be cooked?
> Talking basics if forced to eat as such. Certain friends will just visit family for awhile.


I store propane as a prep, as well as having a propane stove to use if necessary. Solves a lot of problems. Back in the day, I used to stop at garage sales and pick up old Coleman 2 burner camp stoves for like $5 apiece... I have maybe half a dozen of those too. Along with your 40# bottles of propane , I like to have several dozen of the 3# Coleman tanks as well. These can be handed out to relatives and friends if need be, and everyone's cooking again.


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## SGG

******* said:


> Maybe you should read up on rocket stoves. You can buy them or make them yourself.


Badass


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## Back Pack Hack

Nothing like a minor event to show one what holes they have in their preps.


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## Robie

peanutshere said:


> There has been power outages in several areas with recent storm.
> 
> I have friends with electric stove who will be without power for several days.
> This means
> 1. Freezer and fridge storage is shot.
> 2. _Nothing really to cook with._
> 
> So now I am re-evaluating my preparedness.
> 
> I presume canned beans are good and canned fish, peanut butter and crackers as well. Powdered eggs and milk ok too.
> 
> I was wondering about dried rice, lentils, and beans.
> Are these _edible_ with just soaking in water or *MUST* they be cooked?
> Talking basics if forced to eat as such. Certain friends will just visit family for awhile.


Too late for re-evaluation.

You are going to die.

Sorry, couldn't help myself.


----------



## TexDanm

Howdy and boy do I have a lot to tell you. Cooked food is important because many foods left uncooked are almost impossible to digest. Beans and Rice fall in this area. Frozen food are fine as long as the temperatures that they are stored at stays below 40 degrees Farinheight. Even if they thaw it doesn't matter as long as they are cool. Bacteria don't grow when the temperatures are below 40. I worked in restaurants for many years and in the foodservice industry before that. One reason that cheap restaurant food often seems to lack the robust flavor of home cooking or that of the better restaurants is that their food is often thawed and refrozen several times at least partially thawed. the taste suffers and there will be a slight reduction in the nutritional value but it is nonetheless "safe" to eat.

If the power in off leave your freezer closed and it will be fine for several days at least. You HAVE to leave it closed though. Chest type freezers are better than uprights when the power goes off because cold air is heavier than warm air and so you can gently open one and not lose all of your cold air. In Grocery stores you have open top freezer bins but upright ones have to have doors.

Canned foods are generally cooked and can be eaten as is right out of the can but generally taste better if warmed up and cooked a little bit. Tunafish is eatable right out of the can as are sardines and most other canned meats like ham and beef. Dry rice and beans are the best for the dollar survival foods if you don't want to spend a huge amount of money. They will keep for YEARS AN YEARS and when cooked and served together offer a complete protean. I also like cans of ham that I can add to the beans and rice for flavor.

It doesn't matter how much food that you have or have access to if you don't have a way to cook it. You also need can openers. I carry a P-38 on all of my keyrings. When it comes to the NECESSITIES I use the rule of three. One is none, two is some and three MIGHT be enough. I went WAY past three when it comes to ways to cook. For short term lights out type things I like a propane camping stove and have them in sizes from tiny to three burners. I also like to BBQ and have a big propane grill with a burner on the side. That is what I usually use when the power is out.

For more SERIOUS survival preparations You need to go with wood-burning stoves as much as possible. Any fuel that you have to buy is going to disappear FAST and then is not replaceable. For cooking in a pot, the rocket stove is the BEST. It burns almost completely and one generating it releases almost no smoke. It burns it! I have several but by far the one that I like best is an Eco zoom. The all-metal ones get HOT and will burn you is you touch them. Also, they are losing a lot of the heat. An Eco zoom is lined and insulated and you can cook a meal with a small handful of sticks. It is slightly bulkier than the metal rocket stoves but is usually slightly lighter. Another thing worth having is a large meat smoker. Mine will smoke 150 pounds of meat and has grates and sausage racks. It has a big firebox on the side that can also be used as a grill. If you kill a dear during the summer you need to be ready to smoke it immediately unless you are feeding 50 people.

This is the one that I have and have been super happy with it.

https://ecozoom.com/collections/rocket-stoves

Learn how to cook outdoors. It is fun and my WIFE LOVES it when I cook outside. I use the rocket stove for crawfish boils and it has no problem beinging 10 gallons of water to a rolling boil. this is also something to think about when the water from the taps stops flowing. I cook breakfast on it and make a lot of things that you can cook on high heat. It gets a little tedious trying to simmer things on a low heat. its a ROCKET STOVE and not a slow cooker.

When you are cooking for survival with limited resources do not cook meat on a grill over a fire. the fat melts and is lost and that is a huge part of your calories and nutrition. Sear it in a pot and then turn it into a soup, a stew or smother it. That way you get all of the value from it. If you are bugging in I recommend that you gather up a set of cast iron cookware. You can get it cheap at a lot of places used and then recondition it and season it yourself. I am using a skillet that belonged to my great grandmother. It is well over a hundred years old and is BETTER than the day it was first bought. As they season they become better and better. Nearly all of my cast iron has come down the line to me and is all in perfect condition. I even have a little three-legged pot that my Great-Great-Great had with him at Gettysburg. It still works fine though the legs are not as long as they once were.

If you are going to bug out you will have to go for lighter weight stuff until you settle in a place. I know that aluminum is lighter but personally i think that stainless steel is worth the weight difference.

For lights out, you might consider things like canned spaghetti and meatballs, beef stew, canned soups... Crackers keep pretty well and go with these pretty good. All that you need is a one-burner propane stove and you can feed yourself and family. I've had one like this for several decades with no problems.

https://boatersemporium.com/products/coleman-perfectflow-1-burner-propane-stove-2000020950


----------



## SOCOM42

peanutshere said:


> There has been power outages in several areas with recent storm.
> 
> I have friends with electric stove who will be without power for several days.
> This means
> 1. Freezer and fridge storage is shot.
> 2. _Nothing really to cook with._
> 
> So now I am re-evaluating my preparedness.
> 
> I presume canned beans are good and canned fish, peanut butter and crackers as well. Powdered eggs and milk ok too.
> 
> I was wondering about dried rice, lentils, and beans.
> Are these _edible_ with just soaking in water or *MUST* they be cooked?
> Talking basics if forced to eat as such. Certain friends will just visit family for awhile.


What the hell rock have you and your friends been hiding under?????

You cannot be that ignorant as not to know the preparation of these basic items, read the F'N labels.

People with electric stoves are, politely, fools, without a non electric backup. No charcoal grill?

Get yourself some canned spam and a forkl it will keep you going.

You speak of preparedness, do you even know what it means other than having a case of TP and a bottle of PERRIE?

I think you must be a troll with this claimed level of ignorance.

We had a storm hit here Wed. put our power out for 11 hours,

the only inconvenience was starting the genset to cool the freezers.

We have also been without power for two weeks at a time, no problem there either.

I have a gas fired kitchen stove that requires no electric to run, just a spark lighter to light.

My wall heaters require none, also built in piezo.

At this ignorance level, not to worry you will all be dead in two weeks.

What are you going to do with powdered milk and eggs, eat them dry with a spoon?

still need something to cook the eggs with, perhaps a nice bowl of Escargot to go with them?

I cook rice and beans everyday of the week, sorry no filet mignon or t-bone, we bring rice to a boil ,

then simmer till done, wait, you have nothing to cook with!

I threw out the electric stove 55 years ago, installed 3 gensets a gas stove and two oil burners,

two propane wall heater, and a wood stove.

Always have 5 cord of wood on hand for the stove, no firepit in the yard either.

I live in new england and it gets cold as hell here, you keep you upwardly mobile fancy hardware an suffer with it.

Climb into your Mercedes and move to the Hamptons.

The price of a pair of Jimmy Choos would get a real nice gas stove.
.


----------



## Mad Trapper

TexDanm said:


> Howdy and boy do I have a lot to tell you. Cooked food is important because many foods left uncooked are almost impossible to digest. Beans and Rice fall in this area. Frozen food are fine as long as the temperatures that they are stored at stays below 40 degrees Farinheight. Even if they thaw it doesn't matter as long as they are cool. Bacteria don't grow when the temperatures are below 40. I worked in restaurants for many years and in the foodservice industry before that. One reason that cheap restaurant food often seems to lack the robust flavor of home cooking or that of the better restaurants is that their food is often thawed and refrozen several times at least partially thawed. the taste suffers and there will be a slight reduction in the nutritional value but it is nonetheless "safe" to eat.
> 
> If the power in off leave your freezer closed and it will be fine for several days at least. You HAVE to leave it closed though. Chest type freezers are better than uprights when the power goes off because cold air is heavier than warm air and so you can gently open one and not lose all of your cold air. In Grocery stores you have open top freezer bins but upright ones have to have doors.
> 
> Canned foods are generally cooked and can be eaten as is right out of the can but generally taste better if warmed up and cooked a little bit. Tunafish is eatable right out of the can as are sardines and most other canned meats like ham and beef. Dry rice and beans are the best for the dollar survival foods if you don't want to spend a huge amount of money. They will keep for YEARS AN YEARS and when cooked and served together offer a complete protean. I also like cans of ham that I can add to the beans and rice for flavor.
> 
> It doesn't matter how much food that you have or have access to if you don't have a way to cook it. You also need can openers. I carry a P-38 on all of my keyrings. When it comes to the NECESSITIES I use the rule of three. One is none, two is some and three MIGHT be enough. I went WAY past three when it comes to ways to cook. For short term lights out type things I like a propane camping stove and have them in sizes from tiny to three burners. I also like to BBQ and have a big propane grill with a burner on the side. That is what I usually use when the power is out.
> 
> For more SERIOUS survival preparations You need to go with wood-burning stoves as much as possible. Any fuel that you have to buy is going to disappear FAST and then is not replaceable. For cooking in a pot, the rocket stove is the BEST. It burns almost completely and one generating it releases almost no smoke. It burns it! I have several but by far the one that I like best is an Eco zoom. The all-metal ones get HOT and will burn you is you touch them. Also, they are losing a lot of the heat. An Eco zoom is lined and insulated and you can cook a meal with a small handful of sticks. It is slightly bulkier than the metal rocket stoves but is usually slightly lighter. Another thing worth having is a large meat smoker. Mine will smoke 150 pounds of meat and has grates and sausage racks. It has a big firebox on the side that can also be used as a grill. If you kill a dear during the summer you need to be ready to smoke it immediately unless you are feeding 50 people.
> 
> This is the one that I have and have been super happy with it.
> 
> https://ecozoom.com/collections/rocket-stoves
> 
> Learn how to cook outdoors. It is fun and my WIFE LOVES it when I cook outside. I use the rocket stove for crawfish boils and it has no problem beinging 10 gallons of water to a rolling boil. this is also something to think about when the water from the taps stops flowing. I cook breakfast on it and make a lot of things that you can cook on high heat. It gets a little tedious trying to simmer things on a low heat. its a ROCKET STOVE and not a slow cooker.
> 
> When you are cooking for survival with limited resources do not cook meat on a grill over a fire. the fat melts and is lost and that is a huge part of your calories and nutrition. Sear it in a pot and then turn it into a soup, a stew or smother it. That way you get all of the value from it. If you are bugging in I recommend that you gather up a set of cast iron cookware. You can get it cheap at a lot of places used and then recondition it and season it yourself. I am using a skillet that belonged to my great grandmother. It is well over a hundred years old and is BETTER than the day it was first bought. As they season they become better and better. Nearly all of my cast iron has come down the line to me and is all in perfect condition. I even have a little three-legged pot that my Great-Great-Great had with him at Gettysburg. It still works fine though the legs are not as long as they once were.
> 
> If you are going to bug out you will have to go for lighter weight stuff until you settle in a place. I know that aluminum is lighter but personally i think that stainless steel is worth the weight difference.
> 
> For lights out, you might consider things like canned spaghetti and meatballs, beef stew, canned soups... Crackers keep pretty well and go with these pretty good. All that you need is a one-burner propane stove and you can feed yourself and family. I've had one like this for several decades with no problems.
> 
> https://boatersemporium.com/products/coleman-perfectflow-1-burner-propane-stove-2000020950


All good advice @TexDanm.

Most rocket stoves are sold out now but you can make one pretty easy. It won't be as durable or pretty but will work. The one @******* posted looks like beast! I might add a damper to it.

Going to be hard to find now but Coleman stoves are great for bug out or bug in. Need fuel, so a multi fuel one is best. You might be able to retrofit a multi fuel generator to a white gas model, but time is running out to do that. Get an extra fuel pump. A good companion is their lantern, but I'd save the fuel for cooking.

For backpacking or BO I have a MSR dragonfly. Light and will simmer or boil water fast. Will run white gas/unleaded or diesel/kero/jet fuel. Field serviceable and repair kit is tiny. 
Large and small fuel bottles. A 20 oz bottle of white gas/unleaded lasts me a week in the winter woods. Folds up to fit inside 2-L cook pot. Most of these are sold out right now.

https://www.msrgear.com/stoves/liquid-fuel-stoves/dragonfly/11774.html









Propane is more bulky and has less BTUs. Also gets to be useless when very cold. For bug in a good option though. If your stove at home is electric a counter top two burner propane stove is a great back up, but consider a big tank and long hose. I just found a commercial grade 4 burner on CL. That will be for canning outside in summer heat, but can double as a counter top too. I need to get a big tank.

Concerning freezers a full one stays colder. If you have empty space fill it with clean water in 1/2-gal/2-L jugs/bottles. The ice will stay a long time when power goes out, and is clean cold water when it melts. Winter time here, a freezer in an unheated building will use almost no energy and take a long time to defrost.

Since OP seems not prepared for cooking, how about drinking water when the tap goes dry?


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## Back Pack Hack

SOCOM42 said:


> What the hell rock have you and your friends been hiding under?????
> 
> You cannot be that ignorant as not to know the preparation of these basic items, read the F'N labels.
> 
> People with electric stoves are, politely, fools, without a non electric backup. No charcoal grill?
> 
> Get yourself some canned spam and a forkl it will keep you going.
> 
> You speak of preparedness, do you even know what it means other than having a case of TP and a bottle of PERRIE?
> 
> I think you must be a troll with this claimed level of ignorance.
> 
> We had a storm hit here Wed. put our power out for 11 hours,
> 
> the only inconvenience was starting the genset to cool the freezers.
> 
> We have also been without power for two weeks at a time, no problem there either.
> 
> I have a gas fired kitchen stove that requires no electric to run, just a spark lighter to light.
> 
> My wall heaters require none, also built in piezo.
> 
> At this ignorance level, not to worry you will all be dead in two weeks.
> 
> What are you going to do with powdered milk and eggs, eat them dry with a spoon?
> 
> still need something to cook the eggs with, perhaps a nice bowl of Escargot to go with them?
> 
> I cook rice and beans everyday of the week, sorry no filet mignon or t-bone, we bring rice to a boil ,
> 
> then simmer till done, wait, you have nothing to cook with!
> 
> I threw out the electric stove 55 years ago, installed 3 gensets a gas stove and two oil burners,
> 
> two propane wall heater, and a wood stove.
> 
> Always have 5 cord of wood on hand for the stove, no firepit in the yard either.
> 
> I live in new england and it gets cold as hell here, you keep you upwardly mobile fancy hardware an suffer with it.
> 
> Climb into your Mercedes and move to the Hamptons.
> 
> The price of a pair of Jimmy Choos would get a real nice gas stove.
> .


Translation: "I hate greenhorns. Don't show up here until you have over 6 decades of prepping under your belt, then we'll talk."


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## stevekozak

Back Pack Hack said:


> Translation: "I hate greenhorns. Don't show up here until you have over 6 decades of prepping under your belt, then we'll talk."


Apparently he has decided he is one-half of the Official Prepper Forums Welcoming Committee....:vs_laugh:


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## Prepared One

Robie said:


> Too late for re-evaluation.
> 
> You are going to die.
> 
> Sorry, couldn't help myself.


:vs_lol:


----------



## Illini Warrior

no LP BBQ or charcoal grill? - usually someone in the housing complex has one for common use in an emergency - almost mandatory for US homeowners/renters to have one ....

subject that comes up in this regard is long term cooking - in a serious SHTF with associated grid down >>> don't want to be ringing the dinner bell when the grocery is empty & looted - just moving the grill into the garage won't do much for covert cooking ...


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## Robie

If my electricity was going to be out for a while and I had no way of heating or cooking food (I simply can't imagine that happening to me but, I digress)...I would be making dinner reservations...going to the grocery store for cooked rotisserie chicken, buying foods that will keep...cans of tuna, canned meats, bread, donuts, etc, etc. Butter will keep un-refrigerated for quite a while. I'd go to a fast food joint and steal little packets of mayonnaise. 

I certainly wouldn't miss any meals and would actually probably gain weight.


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## SOCOM42

Back Pack Hack said:


> Translation: "I hate greenhorns. Don't show up here until you have over 6 decades of prepping under your belt, then we'll talk."


NOT true.

When have you seen me not give solid advice, when needed???

IMHO this person is a troll, or mommy does all the cooking.

There is not one iota of prep referred to in the post

IF the person is prepping at any level, how hell can they not know the answers to the questions they ask.

Cook rice and beans???? my kid could do that at 11/12 years old.

Oh, Yeah, it is 5+ decades.:devil:


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## BamaDOC

SOCOM42 said:


> NOT true.
> 
> When have you seen me not give solid advice, when needed???
> 
> IMHO this person is a troll, or mommy does all the cooking.
> 
> There is not one iota of prep referred to in the post
> 
> IF the person is prepping at any level, how hell can they not know the answers to the questions they ask.
> 
> Cook rice and beans???? my kid could do that at 11/12 years old.
> 
> Oh, Yeah, it is 5+ decades.:devil:


socom.. I think they are just messing with you...
unfortunately teasing / sarcasm / ribbing doesnt translate as well in print as opposed to voice...
you do give solid advice ... I appreciate it as do others...
I also appreciate the humor mixed in too to many of the posters in this thread...
takes away some of the seriousness of what we try learn here..

picture the absolute worst case scenario... prepare for the absolute worst case scenario... have contingency plans ... have more contingency plans... 
try to take responsibility for our own destiny.... not rely on outside help... and try to leave as little to chance as possible...


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## Pobilly Duke

SOCOM42, you hold nothing back. Ha, ha! I admire your honesty!


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## Chiefster23

Homemade rocket stove


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## Back Pack Hack

SOCOM42 said:


> NOT true.
> 
> When have you seen me not give solid advice, when needed???
> 
> IMHO this person is a troll, or mommy does all the cooking.
> 
> There is not one iota of prep referred to in the post
> 
> IF the person is prepping at any level, how hell can they not know the answers to the questions they ask.
> 
> Cook rice and beans???? my kid could do that at 11/12 years old.
> 
> Oh, Yeah, it is 5+ decades.:devil:


So go back "5+" decades and look at yourself. Did you know everything back then? Would you have just as easily asked such a simple question, stupid as it was?

Fact is, we ALL were, and _still are_, ignorant.


----------



## BamaDOC

Mad Trapper said:


> All good advice @TexDanm.
> 
> Most rocket stoves are sold out now but you can make one pretty easy. It won't be as durable or pretty but will work. The one @******* posted looks like beast! I might add a damper to it.
> 
> Going to be hard to find now but Coleman stoves are great for bug out or bug in. Need fuel, so a multi fuel one is best. You might be able to retrofit a multi fuel generator to a white gas model, but time is running out to do that. Get an extra fuel pump. A good companion is their lantern, but I'd save the fuel for cooking.
> 
> For backpacking or BO I have a MSR dragonfly. Light and will simmer or boil water fast. Will run white gas/unleaded or diesel/kero/jet fuel. Field serviceable and repair kit is tiny.
> Large and small fuel bottles. A 20 oz bottle of white gas/unleaded lasts me a week in the winter woods. Folds up to fit inside 2-L cook pot. Most of these are sold out right now.
> 
> https://www.msrgear.com/stoves/liquid-fuel-stoves/dragonfly/11774.html
> 
> View attachment 107713
> 
> 
> Propane is more bulky and has less BTUs. Also gets to be useless when very cold. For bug in a good option though. If your stove at home is electric a counter top two burner propane stove is a great back up, but consider a big tank and long hose. I just found a commercial grade 4 burner on CL. That will be for canning outside in summer heat, but can double as a counter top too. I need to get a big tank.
> 
> Concerning freezers a full one stays colder. If you have empty space fill it with clean water in 1/2-gal/2-L jugs/bottles. The ice will stay a long time when power goes out, and is clean cold water when it melts. Winter time here, a freezer in an unheated building will use almost no energy and take a long time to defrost.
> 
> Since OP seems not prepared for cooking, how about drinking water when the tap goes dry?


Mad trapper... you are absolutely right...
the MSR Dragonfly stove is a beast... it will burn gasoline, kerosene.. and white gas! its great in all weather and temperature and can cook high, or low and still sip fuel, and is small enough to pack as a bug out stove.. plus you can still use it for backpacking!
the only downside with it is as you said the availability, the noise!! (jet fighter), and the Cost... I had one in the 90s... and sold it to a buddy .. but back then I think it was $90s... now its like $139

a slightly cheaper alternative is multifuel stoves from coleman..

https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Camp...ocphy=9012571&hvtargid=pla-103251160566&psc=1

they're not as sexy, they're not as light... and I don't think you can burn kerosene in them (but you can burn white gas, and unleaded gasoline) and they work fine and are pretty sturdy. but for half the price, that may be a lot easier to swallow for allota folks here who want to save the $70.. (BEER)

fyi.. I switched to a whisperlight stove which was just as great to use for camping.. and is still working 30 years later... mainly because it was so easy to find and use white gas.. and i found one on sale for cheap...


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## SOCOM42

Chiefster23 said:


> Homemade rocket stove


Nice job!


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## BamaDOC

Chiefster23 said:


> Homemade rocket stove


 @Chiefster23 did you do all of this? did you design cut, and weld all that metal?
If you did respect!!!

from what i see it looks like you even have a grate / ash pan in the wood feeding part.... smart... respect... makes it easier to clean out the ashes as your still cooking...
those heavy duty pot supports look like that thing can hold and support a man size bathtub if you need to!


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## Chiefster23

Full disclosure here. I designed it and cut/fit all the parts. I had a friend weld it. I used to weld a lot in my younger days but that was years ago. I wanted this stove to look good and function well so I called in the cavalry for the welding. Yes the lower horizontal tube has an upper and lower chamber. Feed the fuel in the upper chamber and the lower tube provides an unobstructed flow of air to the bottom of the burning fuel. Actually, I had originally planned to insulate the vertical tube to improve performance. I may still do that in the future.


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## SOCOM42

Back Pack Hack said:


> So go back "5+" decades and look at yourself. Did you know everything back then? Would you have just as easily asked such a simple question, stupid as it was?
> 
> Fact is, we ALL were, and _still are_, ignorant.


No I did not know everything, and still don't know everything, never will.

The difference here for me since you brought it up, is, I find out things on my own, I ask no one questions about anything.

The only exception to that is while I was in classes.

But I did know how to cook then and had for quite a while as a related item to this.

Learned a bit about and food storage in the army and what to use.

Today as a hobby, I am teaching myself hematology,

something I knew very little about, and I don't ask anyone questions about it.

I read, prep slides and evaluate,

I check my results against the annual lab results for myself, been spot on for two years now.

There are other parts to this learning curve including prepping microtome samples of tissue that I am doing.


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## SOCOM42

BamaDOC said:


> Mad trapper... you are absolutely right...
> the MSR Dragonfly stove is a beast... it will burn gasoline, kerosene.. and white gas! its great in all weather and temperature and can cook high, or low and still sip fuel, and is small enough to pack as a bug out stove.. plus you can still use it for backpacking!
> the only downside with it is as you said the availability, the noise!! (jet fighter), and the Cost... I had one in the 90s... and sold it to a buddy .. but back then I think it was $90s... now its like $139
> 
> a slightly cheaper alternative is multifuel stoves from coleman..
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Camp...ocphy=9012571&hvtargid=pla-103251160566&psc=1
> 
> they're not as sexy, they're not as light... and I don't think you can burn kerosene in them (but you can burn white gas, and unleaded gasoline) and they work fine and are pretty sturdy. but for half the price, that may be a lot easier to swallow for allota folks here who want to save the $70.. (BEER)
> 
> fyi.. I switched to a whisperlight stove which was just as great to use for camping.. and is still working 30 years later... mainly because it was so easy to find and use white gas.. and i found one on sale for cheap...


Plus one on the Coleman!

Have several stoves and fuel on hand, plus lanterns.


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## Back Pack Hack

SOCOM42 said:


> .....
> 
> The difference here for me since you brought it up, is, I find out things on my own, I ask no one questions about anything.
> 
> ......


So why is asking questions a taboo? Isn't that a way _others_ can learn? Learn, as opposed to being condemned?


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## paulag1955

Don't eat raw kidney beans unless you want a first-class case of gastroenteritis. They contain a toxin and must be cooked before consuming.


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## SOCOM42

Back Pack Hack said:


> So why is asking questions a taboo? Isn't that a way _others_ can learn? Learn, as opposed to being condemned?


No, nothing wrong with asking questions, I did not say it is taboo.

If I thought asking questions here was stupid, I would not give answers to them or even be here in the first place.

I think I have answered questions on far ranging subjects here that are important to survival.

If you don't think so and or others feel the same way, then I am wasting my time here trying to help.

Do you think I have been talking out of my ass on any subject I have responded to, just say so.

I don't have any side reason to post here,

like trying to promo my business as a gunsmith or to sell my products I make, not third party crap either.

I have guns come in from all over the country for work, @Denton knows what I do and how well known I am,

I turn down tons of work because of my age, and I don't want to work 50 hours a week anymore.

The thing I saw is that he/she or its group of neighbors could be that naive to those basic things, as said I think a troll.


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## Robie

Let's face it. There are going to be many people who drop in with either statements or questions that are just downright strange...to those of us who view ourselves as "prepared".

It's the nature of the beast.

Let's just hope the OP took the time to at least read through some of the tremendous information offered here to realize how pathetically unprepared he/she is for something as benign as a power outage.


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## charito

peanutshere said:


> There has been power outages in several areas with recent storm.
> 
> I have friends with electric stove who will be without power for several days.
> This means
> 1. Freezer and fridge storage is shot.
> 2. _Nothing really to cook with._
> 
> So now I am re-evaluating my preparedness.
> 
> I presume canned beans are good and canned fish, peanut butter and crackers as well. Powdered eggs and milk ok too.
> 
> I was wondering about dried rice, lentils, and beans.
> Are these _edible_ with just soaking in water or *MUST* they be cooked?
> Talking basics if forced to eat as such. Certain friends will just visit family for awhile.


Rolled oats!

So many different flaovorful recipes on-line on non-cooked oats. You just soak them overnight.

Have lots of ready to eat canned soups served with soda crackers/peanut butter.


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## Maine-Marine

jimcosta said:


> My understanding is* rice needs* a minimum 15 minutes of boiling *OR *10 minutes of boiling covered, then remove from heat and wrap covered pot in a towel and let it remain steeping for another 5 - 10 minutes.
> Be certain not to rinse the rice before cooking as it will lose the sprayed on nutrients.


I rinse my rice 3-4 times before cooking to get all the starch off. If you do not rinse it rice will clump together like congealed oatmeal and be all gummy and nasty.

Rinse it off and you will get nice fluffy rice that is wonderful to eat -you also wash away debris and frankly the amount of NUTRIENTS lost is minimal

https://www.bonappetit.com/story/rinse-your-rice


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## paulag1955

Maine-Marine said:


> I rinse my rice 3-4 times before cooking to get all the starch off. If you do not rinse it rice will clump together like congealed oatmeal and be all gummy and nasty.
> 
> Rinse it off and you will get nice fluffy rice that is wonderful to eat -you also wash away debris and frankly the amount of NUTRIENTS lost is minimal
> 
> https://www.bonappetit.com/story/rinse-your-rice


You can saute your rice in a bit of oil. When you first add it to the oil, it will immediately become translucent. Saute until it's opaque again, then add the water and cook. Or you can use a different type of rice. Jasmine rice, for example, will make a slightly sticky rice, but not a glutinous mess. Adding too much water and cooking the rice for too long can also result in a gluey mess.


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## SOCOM42

MM, when you do that you are loosing food value.

The Japs and ****** do not rinse their rice and neither do I.

I cook and eat rice every day here, it does not come out "mushy".

How would you eat rice with chopsticks if it was loose grains?

Loose, fluffy rice was created here in the 50s by ad agencies and grain processors,

They sold the idea of fluffy rice to the public, I remember the TV ads.

If you like it that way, fine, I did too until I really started to learn about cooking about 55 years ago.

I helped out in my grandparents commercial kitchen when 8-14 years old,

ALL the rice was "sticky" and we went through plenty every night we were open,

that was in the late 40s and early 50s when I was there.

My job there was peeling and slicing potatoes for FF and cooking them, the clam steaming,

Bread mixing and parting as the major ones.

Here is a picture of my rice stores for the next years consumption, 275 pounds of it.


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## Redneck

SOCOM42 said:


> MM, when you do that you are loosing food value.
> 
> The Japs and ****** do not rinse their rice and neither do I.
> 
> I cook and eat rice every day here, it does not come out "mushy".
> 
> How would you eat rice with chopsticks if it was loose grains?
> 
> Loose, fluffy rice was created here in the 50s by ad agencies and grain processors,
> 
> They sold it to the public.
> 
> If you like it that way, fine, I did too until I started to learn about cooking about 55 years ago.


Agree 100%. Have you ever tried Bomba rice? I recently started using it for my shrimp/chorizo paella. Cool thing about Bomba is that it absorbs more liquid than other rice. With say Arborio rice you use 2 cups liquid per cup rice. With Bomba you use 3 cups liquid for that same cup of rice. Means it will bring in all that much more flavor into your rice... which is really critical in many dishes such as paella or risotto.

Speaking of paella, I highly recommend this broth. It tastes amazing of crab & seafood. Best tasting seafood broth I have ever had. Better than I can make myself.


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## SOCOM42

******* said:


> Agree 100%. Have you ever tried Bomba rice? I recently started using it for my shrimp/chorizo paella. Cool thing about Bomba is that it absorbs more liquid than other rice. With say Arborio rice you use 2 cups liquid per cup rice. With Bomba you use 3 cups liquid for that same cup of rice. Means it will bring in all that much more flavor into your rice... which is really critical in many dishes such as paella or risotto.
> 
> Speaking of paella, I highly recommend this broth. It tastes amazing of crab & seafood. Best tasting seafood broth I have ever had. Better than I can make myself.


Thanks, never seen either product around here in any of the markets I visit, might be in the big city ones that I do not go to.

At this point with the COVID you are lucky to find any rice on the shelf, have to be there at the right time to snag any.

It took just a week to sell 5 pallets of 25# and 50# bags at the club, I commented on that in another posting.

That picture of the rice stores has half of it bought in late 2019, prior to the virus.

Stored behind that rice and other stuff on the left is 800 pounds of long grain white rice prepped for long term,

along with 300 pounds of dried beans, also processed, all in 20MM cans.

At Wallyworld there are small bags of rice but never see the 20+# bags.


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## Redneck

SOCOM42 said:


> Thanks, never seen either product around here in any of the markets I visit, might be in the big city ones that I do not go to.


I initially got from Amazon. Now I get from a large international market in Memphis. The broth is worth the price you pay on Amazon. As @Slippy would say, I shit you not.


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## Mad Trapper

Vit C

Go to lawn, chew grass a long while, swallow juice, spit out cud, repeat........


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## PatBadger

Here is an interesting link to an interesting book on that topic. I am not trying to post spam, I think this has some great answers to that question:

https://3c974kldl0v-gn6awk2vkk0qe0.hop.clickbank.net/



peanutshere said:


> There has been power outages in several areas with recent storm.
> 
> I have friends with electric stove who will be without power for several days.
> This means
> 1. Freezer and fridge storage is shot.
> 2. _Nothing really to cook with._
> 
> So now I am re-evaluating my preparedness.
> 
> I presume canned beans are good and canned fish, peanut butter and crackers as well. Powdered eggs and milk ok too.
> 
> I was wondering about dried rice, lentils, and beans.
> Are these _edible_ with just soaking in water or *MUST* they be cooked?
> Talking basics if forced to eat as such. Certain friends will just visit family for awhile.


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## Real Old Man

they can buy a small butane powered stove for under $30 and get a pack of 4 butane canisters at a lot of oriental markets Like H-mart and I think walmart carries the canisters although they are a bit pricey there.


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## Robie

Real Old Man said:


> they can buy a small butane powered stove for under $30 and get a pack of 4 butane canisters at a lot of oriental markets Like H-mart and I think walmart carries the canisters although they are a bit pricey there.


I bought one for my sister some years ago along with a case of fuel. When the power went out, everyone in the apartment complex was at a loss...couldn't even make the morning coffee.

She became real popular real fast.


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## Real Old Man

We've used one for going on 40 years now. Back then I was over seas and also bought a space heater and lantern that both worked off the same cartridge. Made camping in my toyota van really comfortable even on cold winter nights


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