What’s for emergency dinner?
January 2, 2022 1:58 PM Subscribe
I’m building my emergency kit and don’t know what to put in food-wise. What MREs, rations, non-perishables, etc. do you have in storage? Have you tasted them and lived to tell?
I’m building a kit based on this graphic.
What food, specifically, do you have in your kit? Are you using normal, grocery store food and being mindful of expiration dates? Or did you buy some military grade MREs? If so, which ones and do they taste good? (I know, in an emergency I can’t be picky, but I’d like to not want to vomit.)
What about pet food? We have a big dog to keep fed, too.
I’m building a kit based on this graphic.
What food, specifically, do you have in your kit? Are you using normal, grocery store food and being mindful of expiration dates? Or did you buy some military grade MREs? If so, which ones and do they taste good? (I know, in an emergency I can’t be picky, but I’d like to not want to vomit.)
What about pet food? We have a big dog to keep fed, too.
So I think of three days as a good start, but two weeks is better. Three days is fine for a brief event, but it could take a week or two for help to come in a large disaster.
Think of things that you can eat, that provide nutrition, with minimal cooking and fuss. I store granola bars, trail mix, canned beans, peanut butter, Chef Boyardee, soups, etc. I also have a little camp stove for cooking.
I do store some freeze-dried foods, such as fruits and powdered eggs, but I'm not keen on those pre-packed "survival kits" that say they are for three days for X number of people or whatever. If you review them closely, you'll find that the calorie content is often very low (sometimes as low as 600 calories/day per person) and they can be extremely salty.
posted by champers at 2:25 PM on January 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
Think of things that you can eat, that provide nutrition, with minimal cooking and fuss. I store granola bars, trail mix, canned beans, peanut butter, Chef Boyardee, soups, etc. I also have a little camp stove for cooking.
I do store some freeze-dried foods, such as fruits and powdered eggs, but I'm not keen on those pre-packed "survival kits" that say they are for three days for X number of people or whatever. If you review them closely, you'll find that the calorie content is often very low (sometimes as low as 600 calories/day per person) and they can be extremely salty.
posted by champers at 2:25 PM on January 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
I personally wouldn't bother with special hiking or prepper food. Regular canned goods and nonperishables from the store work well. And the stuff for hiking is super gross if you're not in the woods and starving.
Don't forget things like quick noodles, instant oatmeal, instant coffee, cocoa packets, powdered milk (I love cereal). We had a 3-day power outage here right before Christmas and I was able to get hot coffee every morning and hot tea in the afternoons, and it was such a boon for the spirit. I have a little trangia alcohol burner stove that can heat up a small amount of water quite quickly. It's easy to use and nice to have.
Chocolate is also nice to have.
posted by mochapickle at 2:27 PM on January 2, 2022 [5 favorites]
Don't forget things like quick noodles, instant oatmeal, instant coffee, cocoa packets, powdered milk (I love cereal). We had a 3-day power outage here right before Christmas and I was able to get hot coffee every morning and hot tea in the afternoons, and it was such a boon for the spirit. I have a little trangia alcohol burner stove that can heat up a small amount of water quite quickly. It's easy to use and nice to have.
Chocolate is also nice to have.
posted by mochapickle at 2:27 PM on January 2, 2022 [5 favorites]
To quote the good Sheperd Book: "The important thing is the spices. A man can live on packaged food from here ’til Judgment Day if he’s got enough rosemary."
Daal and rice can get you pretty far a; but they're not great without spices. Whatever you have on hand for food, I would recommend putting together a couple 'kits' of daal and spices that are packed up (vacuum if you can) and portioned out ready to cook. Add rice alongside, you have a complete protein that you can live off. I've thrown together a couple dozen little vacuum packed daal flavoring spice packets (both ground and whole. I know the ground spices won't hold forever, but they're not like super expensive spices, and I don't think i'm going to be picky in an emergency). We keep enough lentils and rice on hand to pretty much handle a couple weeks in an emergency.
This company sells RTE meals we found at our local asian market; I've used them camping before and we keep a small box of them with our camping supplies. They taste pretty good. They're better if you can add in some fresh component.
I would look into camping/backpacking blogs for recommendations on hiking food; they're going to give you a better look at good food without the tacticool/prepper/fundie vibe lots of survivalist resources use. Backpackers are looking for the same kind of stuff; shelf stable, light, small and compact.
posted by furnace.heart at 2:32 PM on January 2, 2022 [5 favorites]
Daal and rice can get you pretty far a; but they're not great without spices. Whatever you have on hand for food, I would recommend putting together a couple 'kits' of daal and spices that are packed up (vacuum if you can) and portioned out ready to cook. Add rice alongside, you have a complete protein that you can live off. I've thrown together a couple dozen little vacuum packed daal flavoring spice packets (both ground and whole. I know the ground spices won't hold forever, but they're not like super expensive spices, and I don't think i'm going to be picky in an emergency). We keep enough lentils and rice on hand to pretty much handle a couple weeks in an emergency.
This company sells RTE meals we found at our local asian market; I've used them camping before and we keep a small box of them with our camping supplies. They taste pretty good. They're better if you can add in some fresh component.
I would look into camping/backpacking blogs for recommendations on hiking food; they're going to give you a better look at good food without the tacticool/prepper/fundie vibe lots of survivalist resources use. Backpackers are looking for the same kind of stuff; shelf stable, light, small and compact.
posted by furnace.heart at 2:32 PM on January 2, 2022 [5 favorites]
Depending on where you are and what emergency you're preparing for, you might want a supply of Hot Warmers for hands and feet. I have a friend who got some just in case Texas loses power again this winter.
posted by Constance Mirabella at 2:38 PM on January 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Constance Mirabella at 2:38 PM on January 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
So we do a fair amount of backpacking, and while some of the backpacking stuff is nasty, much of it is pretty palatable these days and keeps essentially forever - we keep about 7 days of freeze dried meals for the family on hand at all times - rotated in for backpacking trips. I like a few of the Mountain House brand meals (Beef Stroganoff, Chicken and Rice, and a few of the Good To Go Thai Curry meals. I suggest a variety of Freeze Dried and Canned meals and a mechanism to boil water.
Here is why I think having at least some Freeze dried meals is important - they tend to be calorie dense, incredibly portable by weight, keep forever, and only need hot water (and not even that really) to make edible. If you have to travel out of an emergency for a few days, you'll want the portability. We keep canned soups, beans, rice, lentils, cous-cous and a variety of meal spice packets to give us some options. Starbucks Via coffees and Liquid IV/etc for electrolytes.
We also have one of those ridiculous 5 gallon buckets of meals that is really only there in the direst of emergencies if we extend beyond about 2 weeks.
I suggest buying a couple water filters - I am partial to Sawyer Squeezes and keep several gallons of bottled water on hand.
I would say contrary to some folks to hate the freeze dried meals, they are really decent now, the biggest drawback is the cost.
It's easy to find reasonable reviews of the meals online now, my go to is outdoorgearlab.
posted by iamabot at 2:41 PM on January 2, 2022 [6 favorites]
Here is why I think having at least some Freeze dried meals is important - they tend to be calorie dense, incredibly portable by weight, keep forever, and only need hot water (and not even that really) to make edible. If you have to travel out of an emergency for a few days, you'll want the portability. We keep canned soups, beans, rice, lentils, cous-cous and a variety of meal spice packets to give us some options. Starbucks Via coffees and Liquid IV/etc for electrolytes.
We also have one of those ridiculous 5 gallon buckets of meals that is really only there in the direst of emergencies if we extend beyond about 2 weeks.
I suggest buying a couple water filters - I am partial to Sawyer Squeezes and keep several gallons of bottled water on hand.
I would say contrary to some folks to hate the freeze dried meals, they are really decent now, the biggest drawback is the cost.
It's easy to find reasonable reviews of the meals online now, my go to is outdoorgearlab.
posted by iamabot at 2:41 PM on January 2, 2022 [6 favorites]
I always keep a large bag of TVP, or textured vegetable protein, on hand. You can add dried vegetables and rice to it to make a complete meal.
posted by mezzanayne at 2:43 PM on January 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by mezzanayne at 2:43 PM on January 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
Back when they were telling us to keep duct tape and plastic wrap on hand I bought into the emergency prep hype* and bought a few cases of MREs on eBay. I think they were surplus from Hurricane Katrina. They're still there and god help me if I ever have to eat them. I think they're probably still edible but who knows how they'd taste.
I side with the others. Buy "normal" food that keeps well, stuff you'd eat anyway, like rice and beans, ramen, canned goods, and rotate it every now and then. Even the hiking meals, as others have said, somehow magically taste amazing out in the woods but if you eat them at home they taste like overly-salted shredded paper.
*not saying it's not good to be prepared, but post 9/11 and after the Anthrax scare there was a lot more unnecessary hype about it.
posted by bondcliff at 2:49 PM on January 2, 2022
I side with the others. Buy "normal" food that keeps well, stuff you'd eat anyway, like rice and beans, ramen, canned goods, and rotate it every now and then. Even the hiking meals, as others have said, somehow magically taste amazing out in the woods but if you eat them at home they taste like overly-salted shredded paper.
*not saying it's not good to be prepared, but post 9/11 and after the Anthrax scare there was a lot more unnecessary hype about it.
posted by bondcliff at 2:49 PM on January 2, 2022
A lot of the backpacker meals need a way to make hot water -- that means a gas stove of some kind and the requisite fuel. Likewise if you're storing other dry, uncooked goods (beans, rice, pasta, etc). These are good to have anyway, but if you're just starting to build a kit/supply and don't already have something like that, and are working under any kind of budget, probably skip anything that requires prep if you can.
posted by curious nu at 3:29 PM on January 2, 2022
posted by curious nu at 3:29 PM on January 2, 2022
Sometimes I snow in, or trees fall so I can't get out before someone comes to save me, so I am always ready for emergencies. And recently, we are having more power outages, so I can't rely as much on the freezer. For me, water is never a problem. During the draught season, I can get out in my car and buy all the water if I need it, but we haven't had a water shortage for decades. If there is a real emergency, the water in our streams is safe to drink if boiled and filtered.
So, the main principle of my pantry is that it needs to be in use at all times. I would not ever buy emergency packages. I have things that I will eat all the time, but that store well. Tins of beans and other pulses are obvious, I replace them every month, because I eat them every month. It would be better and cheaper to buy dry pulses, and I have several bags for a truly catastrophic situation, but my main staple is tinned and I love them, right now I have cannellini, black beans and ful medames, and so many chickpeas and lentils and corn, its a joke. I also have tins of tomatoes, of pineapple and lots of jams and marmalades, some of which are homemade. I also have lots of canned fish, but recently discovered to my dismay that I am not really good at eating them regularly, except for tuna and anchovies, so going forward I will stick to those. I have a few tins of paté. I think it is a good thing for if one has a meat craving, but I haven't been snowed in long enough yet. Tofu is in this category as well, I think.
And then I have a variety of noodles, Italian and Asian. Soba, ramen, rice-noodles, orzo, penne, spaghetti, linguine, fettuccine, alphabet, probably many more, it's pretty stacked in there. Different forms of rice, and quinoa, cous cous and bulgur too. And while I checked the noodle situation I was reminded to mention the generous amounts of coffee and tea, in different forms. And crisp bread.
Of course I have different flours, dry yeast, and a lot of different seeds, nuts, dried fruit and salt and sugar.
But what I really wanted to say is that I have at least half of my store cupboard filled with oils, vinegars, condiments, spices, dried herbs, dried mushrooms, dried seaweeds, miso, concentrated stock and honey and other stuff that make the basics enjoyable. Ful Medames seasoned with tahin, garlic and cumin is one of my favorite breakfasts, but it is also perfect food for when I am snowed in. And if the power goes off, I can make a flatbread over the fire to go with it.
During winter, I can have butter on the countertop, because my kitchen isn't heated, and for me that is the most vulnerable season. I mention this because I love butter in my polenta. For me it makes sense to have some herbs growing on the kitchen counter, because my problem is snowing in. If you are expecting hurricanes, I don't know how useful that will be.
I also always have vegetables that keep well, such as potatoes, onions, garlic, ginger, kale, leeks and beetroots (and other roots, I like parsnips and celeriac root).
As long as your fridge works, you should have citrus fruits, all you can get. But they don't keep well outside the fridge. Then maybe have some pasteurized juices.
Finally, I can live at least 14 days and probably a bit more from my pantry, and it is 120x60x60 cms. You don't need more than that. I actually have to purge mine now and then, because a human can only eat so many sesame seeds/almonds/raisins...
posted by mumimor at 3:30 PM on January 2, 2022 [4 favorites]
So, the main principle of my pantry is that it needs to be in use at all times. I would not ever buy emergency packages. I have things that I will eat all the time, but that store well. Tins of beans and other pulses are obvious, I replace them every month, because I eat them every month. It would be better and cheaper to buy dry pulses, and I have several bags for a truly catastrophic situation, but my main staple is tinned and I love them, right now I have cannellini, black beans and ful medames, and so many chickpeas and lentils and corn, its a joke. I also have tins of tomatoes, of pineapple and lots of jams and marmalades, some of which are homemade. I also have lots of canned fish, but recently discovered to my dismay that I am not really good at eating them regularly, except for tuna and anchovies, so going forward I will stick to those. I have a few tins of paté. I think it is a good thing for if one has a meat craving, but I haven't been snowed in long enough yet. Tofu is in this category as well, I think.
And then I have a variety of noodles, Italian and Asian. Soba, ramen, rice-noodles, orzo, penne, spaghetti, linguine, fettuccine, alphabet, probably many more, it's pretty stacked in there. Different forms of rice, and quinoa, cous cous and bulgur too. And while I checked the noodle situation I was reminded to mention the generous amounts of coffee and tea, in different forms. And crisp bread.
Of course I have different flours, dry yeast, and a lot of different seeds, nuts, dried fruit and salt and sugar.
But what I really wanted to say is that I have at least half of my store cupboard filled with oils, vinegars, condiments, spices, dried herbs, dried mushrooms, dried seaweeds, miso, concentrated stock and honey and other stuff that make the basics enjoyable. Ful Medames seasoned with tahin, garlic and cumin is one of my favorite breakfasts, but it is also perfect food for when I am snowed in. And if the power goes off, I can make a flatbread over the fire to go with it.
During winter, I can have butter on the countertop, because my kitchen isn't heated, and for me that is the most vulnerable season. I mention this because I love butter in my polenta. For me it makes sense to have some herbs growing on the kitchen counter, because my problem is snowing in. If you are expecting hurricanes, I don't know how useful that will be.
I also always have vegetables that keep well, such as potatoes, onions, garlic, ginger, kale, leeks and beetroots (and other roots, I like parsnips and celeriac root).
As long as your fridge works, you should have citrus fruits, all you can get. But they don't keep well outside the fridge. Then maybe have some pasteurized juices.
Finally, I can live at least 14 days and probably a bit more from my pantry, and it is 120x60x60 cms. You don't need more than that. I actually have to purge mine now and then, because a human can only eat so many sesame seeds/almonds/raisins...
posted by mumimor at 3:30 PM on January 2, 2022 [4 favorites]
Oh, I forgot: I have a big bag of dry dog food in the top of a tall cupboard. Usually my dog eats different forms of "wet" food, both canned and from the freezer. But if we snow in he gets the kibbles from the cupboard. And some carrots.
posted by mumimor at 3:36 PM on January 2, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by mumimor at 3:36 PM on January 2, 2022 [4 favorites]
Granola bars and ramen but also: dried prunes. The vacuum sealed ones. Because if you're eating dried food, you are going to want them.
posted by DarlingBri at 3:40 PM on January 2, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by DarlingBri at 3:40 PM on January 2, 2022 [6 favorites]
I think it might depend on how you picture using your kit.
If you intend on leaving by car and you are pretty secure about that, which I am relatively, then for me I just have a box of canned goods on the floor with the front door that I can grab that basically creates meals my family would eat. For us that means tuna, sardines, crackers/crispbread, peanut butter, dried fruit, and trail mix. If I have extra protein bars I store them in that area too, on a shelf, and it's not that far from the front door.
If we had to get out on foot quickly I'd grab the trail mix, fruit, and some of the tuna packages, maybe the peanut butter and crackers - I have a bag in there for that purpose. I have a few water bottles as well, and then a go bag that includes a couple of lifestraws and some purification tablets, along with toothbrushes etc. I have a small bag of cat food stored up high too. Our cat carriers are downstairs but I do keep two leashes around - not great but my space is my space.
I also have stored in my basement another box that is kind of like - a low-resource box. Near it, I have a bin with camping gear, and the box would work with that equipment, so canned beans and lentils and canned pickles to make salad with the beans and couscous and a smaller bottle of oil and a few spice packets and instant ramen and quick oats. It would take me maybe 10 minutes to liberate it but if we had a bit of time with an evacuation warning it would go quickly to throw that in the car with my camping bin. I picture that as kind of "we're at a weird shelter" kind of food. I have a few days' worth there, maybe more if my kids were not ravenous at the time. I'd probably grab any nuts we had around too.
The thing is, if you're at home when something happens and you would stay you'll probably start by using up whatever is around, eggs on the camp stove etc. (We went through an ice storm and learned this - and then we had a big summer outage where the whole neighbourhood, basically, started grilling up meat together. The first couple of days, depending on your power/temperature situation, are really about knowing what's going to go bad first and what's safe.)
I rotate food by stocking my kitchen from my boxes and restocking my boxes, if that makes sense. I have food security issues so I have a well-stocked house But I'm a bit of a nut about it. Actually, previewing, mumimor has summarized a lot about how my pantry works.
posted by warriorqueen at 3:41 PM on January 2, 2022 [2 favorites]
If you intend on leaving by car and you are pretty secure about that, which I am relatively, then for me I just have a box of canned goods on the floor with the front door that I can grab that basically creates meals my family would eat. For us that means tuna, sardines, crackers/crispbread, peanut butter, dried fruit, and trail mix. If I have extra protein bars I store them in that area too, on a shelf, and it's not that far from the front door.
If we had to get out on foot quickly I'd grab the trail mix, fruit, and some of the tuna packages, maybe the peanut butter and crackers - I have a bag in there for that purpose. I have a few water bottles as well, and then a go bag that includes a couple of lifestraws and some purification tablets, along with toothbrushes etc. I have a small bag of cat food stored up high too. Our cat carriers are downstairs but I do keep two leashes around - not great but my space is my space.
I also have stored in my basement another box that is kind of like - a low-resource box. Near it, I have a bin with camping gear, and the box would work with that equipment, so canned beans and lentils and canned pickles to make salad with the beans and couscous and a smaller bottle of oil and a few spice packets and instant ramen and quick oats. It would take me maybe 10 minutes to liberate it but if we had a bit of time with an evacuation warning it would go quickly to throw that in the car with my camping bin. I picture that as kind of "we're at a weird shelter" kind of food. I have a few days' worth there, maybe more if my kids were not ravenous at the time. I'd probably grab any nuts we had around too.
The thing is, if you're at home when something happens and you would stay you'll probably start by using up whatever is around, eggs on the camp stove etc. (We went through an ice storm and learned this - and then we had a big summer outage where the whole neighbourhood, basically, started grilling up meat together. The first couple of days, depending on your power/temperature situation, are really about knowing what's going to go bad first and what's safe.)
I rotate food by stocking my kitchen from my boxes and restocking my boxes, if that makes sense. I have food security issues so I have a well-stocked house But I'm a bit of a nut about it. Actually, previewing, mumimor has summarized a lot about how my pantry works.
posted by warriorqueen at 3:41 PM on January 2, 2022 [2 favorites]
Variety helps maintain sanity if you're planning for more than a few days. Depends where you live, but these days there's a ton of selection in the world of canned goods. For example, there's cans of tuna, but there's also cans of tuna cooked with grains/legumes/vegetables/spices/pasta/etc. Lots of good canned soups, legumes, and even some vegetables that haven't been boiled to death. I'd get things you wouldn't actually mind eating in general, so that when expiration dates get near you can just replace with new stuff and happily eat the old stuff instead of throwing it away.
Seconding having things on hand that don't need any extra heat or water to prepare.
Where there's a choice between a canned good with a pull tab and one without, I'd go for the pull tab.
posted by trig at 3:41 PM on January 2, 2022
Seconding having things on hand that don't need any extra heat or water to prepare.
Where there's a choice between a canned good with a pull tab and one without, I'd go for the pull tab.
posted by trig at 3:41 PM on January 2, 2022
Under the two great themes of "stock shelf-stable stuff that are tasty enough you'd use anyway" and "don't forget spices and fun flavors":
Check out the wonderful world of dried or pickled products at your Asian grocer. I use: dried bean curd roll, dried gluten sponge, pork sung, dried wood ear mushroom, dried salted greens, pickled radish packets (lots of similar mixes here), pickled cowpeas in chili oil, dried kombu, nori, sliced dried kelp. Plus ofc various noodles and rices. This stuff can make delicious meals or complement lots of other stuff, lasts forever and add welcome variety.
posted by SaltySalticid at 4:10 PM on January 2, 2022 [5 favorites]
Check out the wonderful world of dried or pickled products at your Asian grocer. I use: dried bean curd roll, dried gluten sponge, pork sung, dried wood ear mushroom, dried salted greens, pickled radish packets (lots of similar mixes here), pickled cowpeas in chili oil, dried kombu, nori, sliced dried kelp. Plus ofc various noodles and rices. This stuff can make delicious meals or complement lots of other stuff, lasts forever and add welcome variety.
posted by SaltySalticid at 4:10 PM on January 2, 2022 [5 favorites]
Do you have a 1st aid kit?
Canned goods. Soups, beans, fruits, any veg you like canned, like beets, which are good with a little vinegar. Rice and beans can be stored in popcorn tins; they show up at Goodwill this time of year. Storage places have mice and rats; plan accordingly. Read Dee Extrovert's legendary comment, the best prep advice you can get. I prep for storms because I've been without power a number of times, and now live out of town in an area where I can be cut off for a couple days by fallen trees. And I always had Epidemic Flu in my mind, so soups are on hand because they're easy to warm up, and if I'm sick, soup is the usual. Same with canned fruit; easy, and something I'd eat when I'm not feeling great. Also tea, lemonade mix, and some emergency bourbon or brandy.
Indian packet meals are delicious and easy, if you like Indian food. Ramen, oatmeal, nuts, dried fruit. I keep a couple weeks of canned goods and stuff around, and the basics, like cooking oil, flours, pastas. when my son was in the Army, we had MREs for dinner one night. They're a lot better than the WWII ones, I hear. Also, if you drink caffeine, keep some coffee stored, unopened, and rotate it out pretty often.
Camping supplies = get through an earthquake/ natural disaster supplies, to a large extent, and camping is fun and a good way to learn useful skills. I have headlamps and batteries, and an emergency radio that runs on batteries, solar, or crank. I have a small solar USB battery pack that has a built-in flashlight. I have a couple strings of battery-powered string lights; I take them camping and can read a book using a good set. I have flashlights in specific locations, and candles. Fire, even a candle flame, is atavistic; nothing is as comforting in a power outage in a storm than a candle or 2 (okay, plus the wood stove), so I recommend candles in jars or tins, and Matches and a Lighter and a Can Opener.
There is potable/ cleanable water near me, and I store a couple day's worth of drinking water. The Red Cross used to recommend washing 1 and 2 liter soda pop bottles to store water. I store some water in the fridge and freezer because a full fridge is more efficient.
There have been questions about earthquake prep. And check out ready.gov. Being prepared for stuff that might really happen means 1st responders don't have to take care of you for a couple days.
posted by theora55 at 4:36 PM on January 2, 2022 [3 favorites]
Canned goods. Soups, beans, fruits, any veg you like canned, like beets, which are good with a little vinegar. Rice and beans can be stored in popcorn tins; they show up at Goodwill this time of year. Storage places have mice and rats; plan accordingly. Read Dee Extrovert's legendary comment, the best prep advice you can get. I prep for storms because I've been without power a number of times, and now live out of town in an area where I can be cut off for a couple days by fallen trees. And I always had Epidemic Flu in my mind, so soups are on hand because they're easy to warm up, and if I'm sick, soup is the usual. Same with canned fruit; easy, and something I'd eat when I'm not feeling great. Also tea, lemonade mix, and some emergency bourbon or brandy.
Indian packet meals are delicious and easy, if you like Indian food. Ramen, oatmeal, nuts, dried fruit. I keep a couple weeks of canned goods and stuff around, and the basics, like cooking oil, flours, pastas. when my son was in the Army, we had MREs for dinner one night. They're a lot better than the WWII ones, I hear. Also, if you drink caffeine, keep some coffee stored, unopened, and rotate it out pretty often.
Camping supplies = get through an earthquake/ natural disaster supplies, to a large extent, and camping is fun and a good way to learn useful skills. I have headlamps and batteries, and an emergency radio that runs on batteries, solar, or crank. I have a small solar USB battery pack that has a built-in flashlight. I have a couple strings of battery-powered string lights; I take them camping and can read a book using a good set. I have flashlights in specific locations, and candles. Fire, even a candle flame, is atavistic; nothing is as comforting in a power outage in a storm than a candle or 2 (okay, plus the wood stove), so I recommend candles in jars or tins, and Matches and a Lighter and a Can Opener.
There is potable/ cleanable water near me, and I store a couple day's worth of drinking water. The Red Cross used to recommend washing 1 and 2 liter soda pop bottles to store water. I store some water in the fridge and freezer because a full fridge is more efficient.
There have been questions about earthquake prep. And check out ready.gov. Being prepared for stuff that might really happen means 1st responders don't have to take care of you for a couple days.
posted by theora55 at 4:36 PM on January 2, 2022 [3 favorites]
What type of emergency do you anticipate countering? My normal pantry along with the fact I do a lot of camping provides a lot of mitigation against different disasters.
In the case of supply chain disruptions or being unable to get to the store due to weather, I have a well stocked deep freeze that would be sufficient to eat for two+ weeks or so from. The only real annoyance would be running out of coffee or creamer. And I have a generator so I can ride out a day or two of power being out without having to worry about it going bad.
In the case that power failed and all of my refrigerated/frozen food was bad but I was staying put, I eat a lot of legume based meals so I've always got a bunch of canned and dried beans, lentils, etc. as well as various canned veggies. These could be prepared without power on a camp stove or my grill (note: never use either of those inside).
In the case that I had to GTFO in a car, I keep a stock of the instant boil in bag Indian meals that are shelf stable and have both a good amount of protein and calories that I'd pack along with a camp stove. Plus dried fruit, peanut butter, crackers, and some chocolate.
If you're addicted to caffeine, keep that in mind. I have some of the caffeinated mints that are easy to travel with. I don't get withdrawal headaches, despite drinking a lot of coffee on a day to day basis, but if you do, you don't want to be dealing with that during an emergency.
posted by Candleman at 4:59 PM on January 2, 2022 [3 favorites]
In the case of supply chain disruptions or being unable to get to the store due to weather, I have a well stocked deep freeze that would be sufficient to eat for two+ weeks or so from. The only real annoyance would be running out of coffee or creamer. And I have a generator so I can ride out a day or two of power being out without having to worry about it going bad.
In the case that power failed and all of my refrigerated/frozen food was bad but I was staying put, I eat a lot of legume based meals so I've always got a bunch of canned and dried beans, lentils, etc. as well as various canned veggies. These could be prepared without power on a camp stove or my grill (note: never use either of those inside).
In the case that I had to GTFO in a car, I keep a stock of the instant boil in bag Indian meals that are shelf stable and have both a good amount of protein and calories that I'd pack along with a camp stove. Plus dried fruit, peanut butter, crackers, and some chocolate.
If you're addicted to caffeine, keep that in mind. I have some of the caffeinated mints that are easy to travel with. I don't get withdrawal headaches, despite drinking a lot of coffee on a day to day basis, but if you do, you don't want to be dealing with that during an emergency.
posted by Candleman at 4:59 PM on January 2, 2022 [3 favorites]
Nthing other comments to store what you eat, and eat what you store. Also that your emergency food depends to some extent on what type(s) of emergency you expect to face.
Everyone should aim to keep two weeks' worth of food and water. A good portion of these should not require any refrigeration, or possibly even any heating.
Here are some everyday foods that keep for a while:
https://theprepared.com/homestead/guides/supermarket-food-list/
Beverages (canned, bottled, powdered)
Canned beans
Canned entrees
Canned fruit
Canned fish, poultry or meat
Canned vegetables (Note that tomatoes and tomato-based dishes tend not to keep as long as other options.)
Cereal
Crackers (Besides family-size boxes, you might also like the individual-serving size that combines crackers with cheese or peanut butter.)
Dried beans
Dried entrees (such as individual or family-size macaroni and cheese)
Dried fruit or fruit leather
Dried pasta
Oatmeal
Peanut butter or other nut butter
Soup (canned or dried)
Tuna (in pouches, cans or the boxes that pair the cans with crackers)
White rice
These items have limited shelf life:
Beef jerky
Brown rice
Brown sugar
Granola
Nuts
Whole wheat flour
It can be good to have morale items such as hard candy, popcorn, shelf-stable pudding, caffeine, soda, or alcohol.
The following is not from my experience, but from well-researched reviews. MREs aren't a top choice. If you want freeze-dried foods, two brands that are well reviewed are Emergency Essentials and Mountain House. "Lifeboat rations" are easily portable and require no preparation. Datrex and SOS are top brands.
posted by NotLost at 8:35 PM on January 2, 2022 [3 favorites]
Everyone should aim to keep two weeks' worth of food and water. A good portion of these should not require any refrigeration, or possibly even any heating.
Here are some everyday foods that keep for a while:
https://theprepared.com/homestead/guides/supermarket-food-list/
Beverages (canned, bottled, powdered)
Canned beans
Canned entrees
Canned fruit
Canned fish, poultry or meat
Canned vegetables (Note that tomatoes and tomato-based dishes tend not to keep as long as other options.)
Cereal
Crackers (Besides family-size boxes, you might also like the individual-serving size that combines crackers with cheese or peanut butter.)
Dried beans
Dried entrees (such as individual or family-size macaroni and cheese)
Dried fruit or fruit leather
Dried pasta
Oatmeal
Peanut butter or other nut butter
Soup (canned or dried)
Tuna (in pouches, cans or the boxes that pair the cans with crackers)
White rice
These items have limited shelf life:
Beef jerky
Brown rice
Brown sugar
Granola
Nuts
Whole wheat flour
It can be good to have morale items such as hard candy, popcorn, shelf-stable pudding, caffeine, soda, or alcohol.
The following is not from my experience, but from well-researched reviews. MREs aren't a top choice. If you want freeze-dried foods, two brands that are well reviewed are Emergency Essentials and Mountain House. "Lifeboat rations" are easily portable and require no preparation. Datrex and SOS are top brands.
posted by NotLost at 8:35 PM on January 2, 2022 [3 favorites]
Agree with others that it's good to just keep your pantry stocked ahead a bit and rotate out. A few things: Costco sells a pretty good canned chicken that doesn't really even need to be heated up to taste good, your taste may vary of course. It's handy to throw in a soup if you're making one. If you're going to buy a cooking oil for storage or long term use get a more refined one that will last longer before it turns rancid. In addition to the MTP heat and eat pouch meals, Tasty Bites are available in most grocery stores (at least near me) and they also make heat and eat meals, you can pair those with shelf stable already cooked grains like Seeds of Change for something that can be thrown together and doesn't require a lot of thought or effort, if you're already stressed from a long power outage or fire or something it can be nice not to have to think about cooking a recipe. If you're going to store dry dals, lentils and rice and so on, first give them a good hard freeze in your freezer and then store them in gamma buckets with lids, they are fairly pest proof, easy to open and easy to tuck away for storage. We keep our everyday rice in one and refill as needed. You can also buy pet "vaults" with gamma lids that will hold a 40 pound bag of dog food, they're for sale on various pet store websites for instance. Put together a first aid kit and see to your water situation first if that would be a problem for you. You can go longer without food then you can water. If you have the space and want to store water, you can buy a gallon or two every time you go to the store, until you have the amount you need. FEMA says "Store at least one gallon per person, per day. Consider storing at least a two-week supply of water for each member of your family. If you are unable to store this quantity, store as much as you can. If supplies run low, never ration water." Don't forget to store water for your pets too.
Much depends on how long you think you'll need this for and whether you'll be able to shelter in your home or whether you'll be moving, as well as whether you'll have people around you to form a community or whether you're on your own.
Linked stores and items are not endorsements, just examples and some of the things I use that I know I could use in a situation where we had to make do ourselves for a few days/weeks.
posted by Rufous-headed Towhee heehee at 1:12 AM on January 3, 2022 [2 favorites]
Much depends on how long you think you'll need this for and whether you'll be able to shelter in your home or whether you'll be moving, as well as whether you'll have people around you to form a community or whether you're on your own.
Linked stores and items are not endorsements, just examples and some of the things I use that I know I could use in a situation where we had to make do ourselves for a few days/weeks.
posted by Rufous-headed Towhee heehee at 1:12 AM on January 3, 2022 [2 favorites]
As a person who has been through several hurricanes - what I always wanted was low effort comfort food.
Dried beans? There is not time while managing most disasters to be also slow cooking/soaking/rinsing beans. Rice? Takes a lot of water to cook, and either attention (gas cooking) or electricity (rice cooker)
Freeze dried food? Maybe that’s comforting for you. It was not for me.
Potato chips? Yes. Oatmeal cookies? Yes. One of these is a better health choice because there’s at least fiber involved. But both will get calories into you and make you a hero if you share with neighbors.
If there’s a dried fruit you like, have a big extra on hand and rotate through it. Don’t get prunes I’d you’re not eating prunes. Ditto with pouch meals. I keep a few extra Trader Joe’s lentil pouches on hand. I like them best over rice but they’re decent without rice. I don’t keep tuna on hand because it’s just an ok food.
This is a totally different strategy than hiking emergency food. For hiking emergencies I bring dog food and a tuna pouch or two. It’ll keep me alive if I need to eat it, and I am not going to be absent mindedly snacking on it because yum.
The disaster at home foods I want to be things that I would eat absent mindedly. Because that’s all the mind of have in the run up to or weeks after a hurricane.
posted by bilabial at 6:34 PM on January 3, 2022 [2 favorites]
Dried beans? There is not time while managing most disasters to be also slow cooking/soaking/rinsing beans. Rice? Takes a lot of water to cook, and either attention (gas cooking) or electricity (rice cooker)
Freeze dried food? Maybe that’s comforting for you. It was not for me.
Potato chips? Yes. Oatmeal cookies? Yes. One of these is a better health choice because there’s at least fiber involved. But both will get calories into you and make you a hero if you share with neighbors.
If there’s a dried fruit you like, have a big extra on hand and rotate through it. Don’t get prunes I’d you’re not eating prunes. Ditto with pouch meals. I keep a few extra Trader Joe’s lentil pouches on hand. I like them best over rice but they’re decent without rice. I don’t keep tuna on hand because it’s just an ok food.
This is a totally different strategy than hiking emergency food. For hiking emergencies I bring dog food and a tuna pouch or two. It’ll keep me alive if I need to eat it, and I am not going to be absent mindedly snacking on it because yum.
The disaster at home foods I want to be things that I would eat absent mindedly. Because that’s all the mind of have in the run up to or weeks after a hurricane.
posted by bilabial at 6:34 PM on January 3, 2022 [2 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Constance Mirabella at 2:15 PM on January 2, 2022 [22 favorites]