NON ELECTRIC COOKING AND KITCHEN EQUIPMENT

Without proper cooking and kitchen equipment, preparations of food becomes drudgery, wasting both time and energy, frustrating the family cook beyond his or her stamina. In hard times, if you haven t stocked up well in advance, you will be fortunate just to find the basic ingredients to use in cooking,. Forget fast food restaurants...your ration coupons won t go that far. Food preparation will require non electric techniques, and that means canning, drying of fruits and vegetables and smoking of meats.

In just a few minutes I gathered up a variety of canning knives, corers, peelers, etc, and filled a coffee table top with them. I have more, but this was a representative sample. Without those specialized tools, developed over centuries, preparing foods would be extremely difficult and time consuming.

[Left to right: canning tools; more canning tools; food chopper; grain and meat grinders; and Squeezo strainer.]

Of the first foods rationed in any emergency is flour. It is possible to store flour for months in a rodent safe container kept n a dry location. See #2 Food for more details. Ultimately, however, a grain mill may prove to be a lifesaver. The finest flour is obtained using a mill with stone burrs, but they are relatively fragile and expensive. Steel burr mills are inexpensive and very sturdy, and the flour they produce are certainly quite useable. In addition, steel burr mills can grind softer grains such as corn and beans which can clog the pores of stone burrs. The standard for hand cranked mills is the Corona, manufactured all over the world. Northern Tool has offered a Corona clone made in China for less than $20.00. Over twenty years ago I purchased a Corona made in Brazil for $60, so a hand cranked grain mill is less costly than a family meal for four at McDonalds, and its use can give you bread, the staff of life, forever.

For making sauce from apples, squash, fruits and berries, nothing beats a Victorio strainer. In any survival scenario, stored vitamins and minerals are extremely important. Fruits and vegetables are the source, of course. They must be stabilized and stored for out of season use. Drying has been used for centuries, canning was invented in the 19^th Century, and the reason that tools were designed was to make the work process easier and more precise.

The Victorio Strainer, also called a Squeezo strainer, is a marvel. Simply boil for 20 minutes apple quarters, 2 inch chunks of squash, rhubarb chunks, etc, then run them through the strainer with the proper screen installed. The peels and small seeds are ejected out the front, and pure, even pulp comes out the side, ready for canning. Berries need only a few minutes of simmering. There are three screens available for the Victorio: small holes for berries, medium sized holes for apples and most uses, and a screen with larger holes for squash.

To properly grind meat, a #2 Universal food chopper, or a meat grinder, are essential. Northern Tool offers inexpensive meat grinders, and food choppers may often be found at flea markets and antique stores for less than $10.00.

 

SOURCES OF SUPPLY:

Lehman s Non Electric Catalogue

Printed catalogue price: $5.00 each, but so valuable it could be the best $5.00 you ever spent.

Phone: 330-857-5757

Northern Tool & Equipment

Phone: 800-533-5545

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