Preparing Food Without Power

Preparing Food Without Power

During an emergency, cooking and eating habits change to fit the situation. You may not have a refrigerator or a stove, and your water supply may be limited. In addition, health risks from contaminated or spoiled food may increase. When preparing food, consider the following:

Cooking time needed for a particular food. For example, ground beef needs to reach 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Do not eat if it's still pink inside. Whole poultry should be cooked to 180 degrees Fahrenheit for doneness. If there is limited fuel for cooking, choose food which cooks quickly, or serve no-cook food.

Amount of food to prepare. Prepare only the amount of food you need for one meal. When left at room temperature, milk, meat, soups, pasta, legumes and vegetables provide excellent conditions for food poisoning.

Cooking methods available. These include:

Fireplace. You can grill food or wrap it in foil and cook it in the fireplace. Fuels for cooking include: wood, tightly rolled newspapers, and logs made of pressed wood particles. Never use charcoal as fuel for indoor fires; the carbon monoxide from the burning charcoal is very dangerous. Be sure the flue is open.
Camp stove. Use only outside the house. Propane and butane fires are difficult to extinguish and could easily get out of hand. A dry chemical extinguisher puts out gasoline or oil fires, but not butane or propane fires. There is little you can do to put out a propane or butane fire except shut off the gas. Learn where the shut-off valve is before lighting a camp stove.
Charcoal grill. You can use charcoal to cook meats and vegetables in foil and prepare one-pot meals during. Do your charcoal cooking outside. Inadequate ventilation makes indoor cooking with charcoal dangerous.
Gas Grills. Use grills at least 10 feet away from any building.
Fondue pot or chafing dish. You can use these pieces of equipment inside as long as the fuel heating them is approved for indoor use.

No-Cook Food Suggestions
You can also prepare peanut butter sandwiches, crackers with canned meats and fish, chips, fresh fruit in the peel and unopened cans of fruit or pudding. Discard extra canned food that has been opened. Also, discard leftovers, or place in a cooler with ice for no more than 24 hours.

Links:
Keeping Foods Safe

Title:	Preparing Food Without Power	Number:	643
Script writer:	J. Clezem, W. Daniels Burgess and A. Mason	Source:	CFS 119, Keeping Foods Safe During Emergencies, Purdue University, 1994; U of MN Dept of Food Science & Nutrition
Date:	2006	Reviewer:	Roselyn Biermaier, REE, Food Science

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