Cooking Outdoors on the Gulf Coast

Four Methods for Indoor Powerless Cooking

I wrote an essay about cooking without power a while back, but I assumed that cooking outside wouldn't present any issues. Since I live on the Gulf Coast, checking on the grill outside even in the dead of winter is not a huge concern. A jacket is all you need.

But what if you live in the north and the outside temperature is so low that even a brief opening of the door causes a severe chill to sweep through the house? Following Hurricane Sandy, this note reached me:


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"We experienced a 20-hour power outage recently; the weather couldn't have been colder or the restoration of power couldn't have taken longer. Which cookers and heaters are safe to use indoors? I would like to know about staying warm during the winter and enjoying warm meals and beverages; I appreciate your assistance in this matter.

If you prefer to cook inside, these are your basic options.

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Ezoic 1. Hearth
Cooking a proper dinner requires more creativity than roasting marshmallows or cooking hot dogs over a fire. Try one of these techniques only after there are plenty of bright embers at the bottom of your fire.

Aluminum foil: Dredge some meat and vegetables in a small amount of vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper. Next, cover the food with aluminum foil, transfer it to the fire using tongs, and turn it frequently. You will enjoy a fantastic lunch in a short period. Just make sure you have a meat thermometer with you, and before you eat the meat, make sure it is at least 165°.
Skewers: When the meat and vegetables are cooked, place them on a long skewer and turn it slowly over the flames, not in them. It takes a little more patience for this.
Fireplace grate: Place one over the flames and cook almost anything in cast iron skillets. I also suggest getting a decent Dutch oven. These are excellent with chili, stew, or soup.
Of course, it makes sense to cook indoors without electricity using the fireplace. Now that we have cleared things up, let's discuss the options available to those without fireplaces.

2. Heat in a can
Caterers frequently use these flame canisters to keep food warm. They are simple to light, run on a gel-like fuel that doesn't leak, and a 7-ounce can lasts for several hours.


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I have a lot of cooking fuel and a Sterno stove. While it doesn't get quite as hot as a fireplace, it does get hot enough to cook dehydrated or freeze-dried items, make tea or chocolate, scramble some eggs, and reheat canned soup.

I highly recommend getting some canned heat if you haven't already, as this is the simplest and safest way to cook indoors.


3. Camp Stoves (Ezoic)
Regretfully, my Coleman two-burner propane stove is unsafe to use indoors. It wouldn't keep the cold out if you placed it next to an open window in a room with good ventilation. As long as you don't leave it on for an extended period of time, some claim that utilizing gas burners indoors isn't all that unsafe.


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For my part, I'd rather be safe than sorry. Make sure you have a carbon monoxide detector if you plan to use a gas stove indoors.

A butane stove is a preferable choice. Butane has the advantage of burning cleaner, making it somewhat safer to use indoors. But I would still use caution.

4. Your Vehicle
If you have enough petrol, it can be worthwhile to use your car to create heat and open your garage door for ventilation. Close the hood after wrapping a piece of food in aluminum foil multiple times and placing it on the engine, away from any moving parts.

Once more, use a thermometer to verify the interior temperature of your food before consuming it. Although cooking in this manner isn't ideal, it's a possibility if you have no other options. Even better, invest in a portable burner that you can use with the cigarette lighter in your vehicle.