One of my favorite things about the pioneer days is their ability to accomplish so much without electricity. It's amazing when one looks at how they lived and what they did. Many of us would be hard pressed to make it a few days, let alone years, without our electricity and stores.
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Now, I'm not saying I don't appreciate my power and the use of said stores. As long as they're here, I plan on using them. However, I also believe in knowing how to do things without said benefits. I'm often an eclectic mix of old-fashioned and modern. You, too? See, I knew we'd be fast friends.
Cooking outdoors and living off grid, aka without power, is something I believe everyone should know how to do. While I don't cook every meal without electricity, I do have the confidence and knowledge that I am able to do so.
Just this afternoon as my father helped me shell beans to can we were talking about his growing up through the Depression years. He said, "I know what it was like and I'll always live thinking it could happen again and wanting to be prepared for it." As beans dropped into the bowl at our feet he said, "But you know something, hard times bring people together."
I believe he's right.
And I also believe he's right in wanting to be prepared.
We go without power every winter. Some times for a few hours, a few days, and once for a few weeks. I have a feeling most folks will experience a prolonged power outage in their lives a time or two. Or like us, a time or two every month or so... 🙂
When the power is out, there's nothing like still being able to serve your family a hot full course meal. Here's several ways to choose from to cook and bake (because trust me, living without baked goods is not really living) your food without power. I hope you learn how to do several of them well before you need to.
You'll need a few cooking tools to make use of your off-grid cooking. Actually, I use some of them indoors, too, but that's what makes them so versatile and awesome and why ya need to have them in your arsenal.
Here are my favorite and most reliable items to use in your off-grid outdoor cooking.
- Spider Dutch Oven- absolute must for cooking over an open fire. I actually own 3 in different sizes.
- Dutch Oven w/ Casserole Skillet- This is the coolest thing ever. The lid turned upside down becomes a skillet. You get two items in one. Can I get a high five?
- Dutch Oven Lid Lifter- Trust me, those Dutch ovens get hot. Cast iron retains heat (yeah, baby) and those burning coals are not something you want your fingers near. For less than $10 you'll save yourself a lot of hurting.
- Outdoor Percolator -- AKA coffee maker. Because a world without coffee isn't a place I want to be for very long. This little percolator will make coffee on almost every single way we have of off-grid cooking.
11 Ways to Cook Off-Grid without Power
1. Dutch oven cooking. I love cooking outdoors with my cast iron Dutch ovens. Let me say it again, I love cooking outdoors with my Dutch oven. It makes me feel like a bonafide pioneer woman, saves me money on my electricity bill, and I swear, food tastes better when cooked outside. Whatever the case, here's Dutch Oven Cooking Over an Open Fire with full on pictures and a round-up of some fun Dutch Oven Recipes and tips here.
2. Outdoor Camping Stove. This stove is the perfect starter stove. It's light weight, talking 3.9 ounces peeps, and great for boiling water or reheating food. Wanna know the best thing? It's under $10. Yes, for less than $10 you can have a stove to cook with outdoors.
3. Solar Cooking. Use the power of the sun to cook your meals. I love this one because all you need is a sun oven to cook a meal. Not having to worry about fuel, smoke, or heat makes this my new favorite way to cook outdoors.
I received an All American Sun Oven from Sun Oven (in exchange for my review) and it's seriously my favorite new toy. I didn't think a solar oven would work all the way up here in the Pacific Northwest and I was shocked when it heated up to 300 degrees in just twenty minutes. Not only does it save on electricity, but no heating up the house on hot days, and it can double as a dehydrator--> All American Sun Oven
4. Wonder Oven. Basically, you bring food up to temperature, pop it in a wonder oven, and it continues to cook without any fuel. You still have to have a way to bring food up to temp before putting it in, but these are easy to make at home. Think the off-grid slow cooker. Food cooks all day while you go play!
Not having to stand over a stove or feed a fire all day option, go here --> wonder oven and some great reviews to boot.
5. Outdoor fires and smoking. I love how this uses just a plain old outdoor fire and smoke to cook and preserve food. This is true pioneer fashion at its best. Did you know you can even smoke your own cheese at home? How to Smoke Cheese at Home
We've owned several smokers and this one is by far our favorite. We only have to load it with fuel once and it holds the temperature for over 12 hours without adding anymore. Our favorite smoker-- Weber Smoky Mountain
6. Cooking on top of a wood stove. We use our wood stove as our main and only heat source. I love being able to use our heat source for a second purpose and frequently cook on it even when the power is on. Here's my tutorial on how to cook on a wood stove.
7. How to cook on an open fire. This is the way many a pioneer cooked on their trip's west or on the frontier. And if all you have is a cast iron skillet, it will get the job done. This picture tutorial is great if you don't have any other supplies on hand. Did you know you can make a pumpkin pie in an open fire, without a skillet? This is one of the coolest recipes I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot, Pumpkin Pie "Pioneer Style".
8. Earth Oven. An earth oven is an oven made from clay, sand, water, straw and newspaper. I kind of love DIY and being able to make my own outdoor oven would be a priceless skill. Here's how to cook in an earth oven and make your own.
9. Tea-light ovens. Yes, you read that right. You can cook a meal using tea lights. And, you don't have to purchase those expensive ones, you can make your own for less than $40! Sometimes little things can have powerful impact... here's how to make and use a Tea Light Oven.
10. Volcano Stoves. Volcano stoves are the ultimate in versatility. You can use either wood or charcoal. It packs down to 5" and comes with a carry bag. The neat thing about this little stove is you can use it on multiple surfaces and it can be used to grill, bake, Dutch oven use, or open fire cooking. Because you know I'm all about multi-use tools!
For a 4 in 1 stove go here --> Volcano Stove
11. Propane and Grills. One thing most folks has is propane grill or camp stove. But not everyone realizes just how much and how many different things you can cook or do with them. You can use your outdoor grill for canning (hello no more hot kitchen in the summer), cooking meats, corn on the cob, and even baking. This is our favorite propane stove for both canning uses and cooking seafood. My husband loves crab but I hate the way it makes the house smell, so we only do our crab and seafood boils on this outdoors. Best part, the legs come off and it breaks down into a fairly compact bag for storing and traveling when not in use. We take it camping and use it for all of our cooking when the burn ban is on. Our favorite propane 2 burner stove --> Camp Chef Explorer Stove
And a bonus. 12. How to cook with a Solo Stove. The Solo Stove allows you to cook and boil water with only using twigs as fuel. You don't have to gather large amounts of cooking wood, purchase, or carry fuel with you. It only weighs 9 ounces so it's light for back packing, camping, or anytime you need to travel on foot. You can boil water in less than 10 minutes and not as much smoke as a regular fire. I love using Amazon because you can see from the reviews how well a product does in real life.
Click here to check out the --> Solo Stove.
Want my outdoor cooking series with video lessons and download guides? It's just one of many traditional skill sets and e-courses found inside the Pioneering Today Academy, click here for information on joining.
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nida
Excellent Work, This is a good and Informative post. In this post I truly got quality information. I am definitely looking more in this pos Really very useful and Informative information are provided here. Thank you so much for writing keep up like this. Thanks
Mary Sheehy
Great ideas. But what can you do when you live in an apartment and do not have access to outdoors? You link to tealight cooking is not working. Thanks for any information you can give me. God bless you. Mary
KAY
Tea Light oven link broken ... Not Found 404.0 Winters can sometimes be too harsh for outdoor cooking of any kind, but we have wood stove. However, there was that one year our firewood got wet and wouldn't light so just ate room temp food right out canning jars. Would be interested in more safe ways to cook indoors during a power outage "just in case"
Judy
I truly believe that you can cook anything over an open flame, be that your grill, a campfire or even a fireplace.
I think all my years of Girl Scouts paid off! Plus, don't you think everything tastes better cooked outside?
SkiptheBS
Another option is a Coleman gas stove, often found in good condition at flea markets. What most people do not know is that you can use regular or premium gasoline in these, although the flame will not be quite as hot and you will have to clean the burners more often. You can also use these handy little critters for outdoor water-bath canning if the day is not windy.
Forewarned76
I used my car to cook ribs once,
I wrapped them in foil and stuck them between the windshield and the bubble wrap sunshield
12 Things You Must Do Before Moving Off The Grid - My Homestead Life
[…] 11 Ways to Cook Off Grid by Melissa Norris […]
Kay
I just found this list and I just want to say a big Thank You for it. My power is about to get cut off due to lack of funds and I need alternative solutions. In time of desperation this was incredibly helpful, much appreciated and God bless.
Amy
Do you have instructions for the Tea Light Oven? That link no longer works.
Melissa Norris
Fixed!
Karen Coghlan
All great ways to cook without electricity... We have a sun oven but still have not learned to use it...
Heather Whipp
I loved your article on outdoor cooking, or rather cooking when the power goes off. I was born in the country in Queensland, Australia and we didn't have power to our house for years. So, we used other ways to cook food or boil water. Mainly, my mother used a large wood-burning Crown stove with a large hot water receptacle attached to the side. I love to see the 'modern' ways of cooking without electricity when camping out style is necessitated. I'm going to look seriously at having something on hand in case of an emergency. In southern Utah our power is rarely out. I can't remember any time in the past five years where I'd have needed to cook using something other than with electricity. We don't have any other power utility to our house. I'd prefer gas as I can regulate the source of power quicker. Keep up the good messages.
kim
I love your site.
Robert Vann
How about a cardboard box oven. It will bake anything from a pizza to a birthday cake to a chicken.
Melissa Norris
Robert,
I'm not familiar with those.
Ken
Your article on the Camp Chef Explorer Stove is correct. It is one of the best no frills propane camp stoves on the market. I have three and use them regularly. Years ago, I began recommending them to homesteaders who canned but did not want to heat up their kitchens in the summer. Camp Chef now also makes the Pioneer Stove. The only difference in them is the lack of a windscreen with the Pioneer, so it is a little cheaper.
Ken
Melissa Norris
Thanks for the info on the cheaper model, Ken.
Tedd
In times of emergency and you have to evacuate always be ready with your survival kits, that also includes a charcoal that you can use for cooing if there is no gas.
Dennis Cox
Great information, thanks! Cool products that I didn't know were available, especially the little stove for under $8!
Melissa Norris
Dennis,
Glad you enjoyed it. My husband used the $8 stove for a week in the back country and it worked great!
cynthia
just wanted to say how very much i enjoyed your articles. the information you give is unreal. i have been searching a lot to learn differant ways of cooking outdoors, not only for myself but my family.i am also stuck on canning and have been since granma taught me when i was about 9 years old on her old wood stove,lol. just the memorys get me excited.i too live in the back woods of no-where. closest town is 20 miles away and thats just a stop in the road. i've thought many times about how i would do this and began searching for information. of all i found yours was the most interesting, most informative and almost self explanatory. thank you so much and i look foward to all your new articles , and i hope very soon.
Melissa Norris
Thanks so much, Cynthia. What wonderful memories your grandma created for you. Mine cooked on a wood stove, too!
Karen
Actually, "power" is a misnomer. I assume that you mean how to cook without electrical power/energy. In each of the examples that you listed there is a source of power. It doesn't matter if it's solar, wind, coal or wood fire. All are power sources that generate the energy necessary to cook the food. There is no cooking without a form of power that supplies energy to do the job. In fact, I just read an article today that claims we may soon be using mud to generate energy. (I have tons of that... literally!) If you want to look it up, just Google MudWatt.
Jonnie
Thank you for the info, and giveaway.
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Melissa
I grew up without electricity, and our stove was an old 1940's O'Keefe & Merritt that had been converted to propane. Also had a 1920's fridge that we also converted.
I would make toast under the woodstove, but other than that, I have very little skill with cooking without some kind of central utility. I would love to increase my skills with open fire cooking and solar ovens.
Melissa Norris
I love the old stoves. The lines and character in them are amazing. Open fire cooking is one of our favorites. And I'll be doing some more posts/podcasts/and webinars on solar oven cooking so stay tuned for those! Do you still have the stove and fridge?
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Merry | Sunshine On My Shoulder
I have used many of these methods. The more ways that we can cook off the grid the better prepared we will be. There is no doubt that solar cooking is a great way to cook. But that depends on the sun shining, so we need other ways to cook at night or on cloudy days. These are all great. But coming full circle, using a solar cooker on days when the sun does shine will extend and conserve fuel, such as wood, butane, and even tea lights. Thanks for the great article.
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Melanie
Thank you for sharing your personal experience and resources. So valuable!
Melissa Norris
Melanie,
You're so welcome!
Denise E. Allen
I absolutely love your page, I am so happy I found you. GOD bless you.
Melissa Norris
Thanks, Denise! I'm glad you're here, too.
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sandra
I LOVED it when I had a woodstove. Learned how to cook on it. One year our power went out for 5 days. It came in quite handy.
Melissa Norris
I'm as never thankful for our woodstove as when the power is out. 🙂
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[…] 6. Cooking methods. How will you cook your food without power? We have a wood stove so we can heat things, but what about baking? A wood stove top or a burner will limit your food options. Consider investing in a Dutch oven to bake anything you would in a regular oven. (My tutorial on baking with a Dutch oven over an open fire) Being able to cook hot meals and sanitize water is important, here are 11 Ways to Cook Off-Grid Without Power. […]
Jonnie
Informative article. Thank you. I really enjoyed it. My preferred method of cooking is using very low temps, and coking it slowly. I currently use a crock pot for it, is it possible to do that with the methods here? I sure hope so. My great-grandmother cooked n a huge cast iron wood stove, until I was 19. The food tasted better on the wood stove. Now, I am a great-grandmother, who is trying to teach my grandkids, to cook from scratch. They go for the boxes, cans, and frozen foods too often. They can't seem to understand that those things are really opposite of healthy, and they think I getting senile, because I want to teach them to home can, dehydrate, etc...
Melissa Norris
Jonnie,
I use our slow cooker, too. I think the Wonder Oven acts as off-grid slow cooker from what I've read. You can also use the cast iron Dutch oven as a slow cooker with using less coals. In the winter, I use a Dutch oven on our wood-stove to let things simmer all day when I'm home. And I hope your grandkids will listen and learn from you, what an honor to have your skills passed down.
Carroll the Irishman
I'm ready to win. That would be different, new and something that never happens. No matter,...I only hope whoever wins needs it and will use it.
Carroll the Irishman
Thank you for this great information. You always share your knowledge and your inspiration and for that I'm grateful. God IS good. He IS my best friend and my Lord.
Leslie
Great article! I was going to tell you that Whole New Mom came up as Prepared Ninja on FB too. I already follow Whole New Mom so I had hoped to get some extra entries. 😉
tessa
Wonderful article! FYI, for the giveaway, when Whole New Mom came up to like, it was Prepared Ninja's fb page that came up. Maybe it was just my pc, but I thought I'd let you know!