I have been on a quest and this is probably a good time to explain a few simple things for brain defunct Obama voters as God has storms teaching them a lesson climate change, as God is in charge of all things, even if He allows satan to inflict harm.
What this lesson is about is simple cooking when the electric goes off. First one needs a fire containment structure, outside, in gravel that will not catch the grass or neighbors on fire.
One can utilize concrete blocks to form a U shape.
I built a monstrous chimney thing, with oven and grill. It is lovely, but is far too big to be reasonable, so I have gone back to my keep it simple stupid lesson from Major Bodicker.
Amazing how old, bald headed beaver trappers in the professor ranks, whose brains are subject to freezing always have it right.
Charcoal is lovely, and I just built a ring out of aluminum metal to light my charcoal, with a pliers to lift it off as hot metal burns hands.
You can use rolled up newspapers too for fuel, and twigs. You do not need 500 pound oak blocks of wood. Little is usually better.
For a grate I use that metal X weave panels one sees in construction. I makes pretty patterns on steaks too. If cooking directly on the gate, I found an old square electric skillet cover which keeps the birds from pooping on my steaks, the snow from wetting them or cats from running off with them.
Also helps to keep those cats from licking on my grate after it cools.
I use cast iron as cast iron does not melt on fires. Amazing thing that is in people just do not quite figure out that microwave pans melt on fire and pretty plastic handles catch on fire.
I have a couple of "cowboy" pans I fixed up that were horridly rusty, but were of light stamped metal and deep. The key to this is light metal is a pisser on normal stoves as it heats too fast, but with limited fire, they heat up quick.
While not pancake quality as without practice they will burn, with enough hot oil, which too will catch on fire, it fries up meat and potatoes toot sweet.
Viscosity is the word in this as most people have no idea about cooking oils any more and far too many dipsticks on PBS cooking shows are yacking about fruit or vegetable oils without ever figuring out how much of a coating they really give.
There is a reason that lards were utilized beyond availability in the old days. Hog, coon, bear etc... lard has a better seasoning and coating effect than oil, canola or corn oil. Lard does contain some water which splatters, but it adheres to a better covering on metal so your valuable food does not stick.
People will probably have to be told that meat that is wet, as most meat is because it is injected with water as water is cheap and adds poundage, is what makes meat stick to a pan. Dry your meat if it is not fresh.
Butter makes a better bread baking coating, in starting out with a cold pan, so bread does not stick. I will not use nonstick pans as they will flake and above 500 degrees they start giving off poisonous gases. So understanding oil with viscosity, and how to use it, is fundamental.
I like corn oil for flavor, but never use it any longer as it is too "watery" to be of any good. Peanut tastes like peanut butter and olive has a fruity flavor. Canola just kind of sits there, and as most of that is all frankenfood poison, I will not eat what rabbits will not touch.
For the million dollar information which apparently my billionaire readers are too tight to hand over the green for in all the information given freely here, I will teach you how to build a little cooking fire.
Forget that stupid tipi Boy Scout design we all see pictures of. It is hell to try and build, and you are not needing a high flame to warm yourself, will not be using a reflector oven to bake bread as you do not have one, will spread sparks around the neighborhood burning it down and sending a beacon to have idiots to come over and see what you are doing.
I came upon by God's Inspiration a much more effect method in the log cabin design. Yes you just break your semi large sticks into pieces and make a log cabin without a roof.
Bigger sized logs can be laid on each side, which helps stop the wind and adds to the right draft. They also start on fire for extending cooking.
Inside this cabin structure of about 12 inches by 12 inches, one puts in tinder, The little cabin nurtures the young flames and in a few minutes you will have a lovely little bond to cook goodies on.
Feed it and in 15 minutes supper is cooked.
The nice part about snow covering everything, is it keeps things from starting on fire. If you need to be told to shovel down to the ground as snow melts, perhaps now is the time as snow melting puts out fires.
I have been hoarding matches as of late as they were cheap. I tried the large matches and they were horrid. The smaller wooden matches were superior, so I have boxes of them now each time I visit my supply center. I also store them in those holiday tins which are all over now and thrown away for under a dollar.
As someone who has the equipment to build fires by bow saws and sticks, I can tell you to simply buy matches when they are cheaply available, keep them dry and you will enjoy life a great deal better when the electricity goes dry.
That probably is enough information for urbanite minds to try to deal with, along with pot holders to keep your hands from being burned and covered pans to keep your food secure after it is cooked.
So with that, happy days.
agtG
