Post-hurricane cooking

Filed in archive Around The Kitchen on October 19, 2005

Cooking without a stove or microwave at your disposal is easier than you might think. It just takes a little patience, some ingenuity and an open mind. I live in Florida and was without electricity for eight days after Hurricane Charley slammed into my area. My family and I had safely evacuated to the East Coast and before we returned home we went to a large chain grocery store to stock up on non-perishables. Assuming we would have to live on canned meat and potato chips for a few days, we were astonished to discover the myriad of food available that can produce meals that actually taste...good. With another hurricane making its way to Florida, I can only assume lots of people will be without power once again. Here's how we got by last year:

(All we had to work with were some pots, pans and utensils, a propane grill and a cooler that the American Red Cross restocked with ice.)

Breakfast: This was the easiest meal of all since there are so many products on the market geared toward people on the go who want portable food. There are lots of different types of granola, meal and cereal bars available but if your family insists on cereal and milk go ahead and use powdered milk mixed with water. When combined with other foods, powdered milk tastes okay (not great, but okay). Boil water on the grill for instant coffee and oatmeal. Powdered eggs mixed with water can be scrambled in a pan on the grill as well. Then, using tongs, hold a piece of bread over the grill's heat and you'll be surprised how nicely it toasts.

Lunch: Yes, there's always peanut butter but that's so boring. Several companies now make portable tuna meals, complete with mayo and relish packets, that require no refrigeration. Canned deviled ham on bread makes a tasty sandwich. Soups, stews and chili can all be easily heated in a pan on the grill. Combined with a jar of spaghetti sauce with noodles cooked in boiling water for a quick meal as well.

Dinner: Did you know you can actually buy pre-cooked ground beef that is vacuum sealed and does not require refrigeration? I didn't either until I saw it on the store shelf. Combine that or a can of tuna with Hamburger or Tuna Helper respectively and there's your entree (not very exciting but at least it's a hot dinner). You'll find several types of precooked, vacuum sealed meats in the store these days that taste fine reheated on the grill. There are also lots of pre-cooked side dishes like rice, couscous and even some pastas that can be heated right in a pan with no additional ingredients necessary. Even canned vegetables are yummy these days with several companies offering things like white corn in butter sauce or glazed baby carrots.

Now, I know all of this doesn't sound like fine dining but having tasty, hot food helps take the edge off being without electricity for several days. Have any readers had to go long stretches without power? What kinds of things did you cook?