Storing, preparing and cooking.

[Norma]

I am trying to pull together the different strands that I’ve seen on here, partly prompted by the forthcoming energy crisis, which I think will be accompanied by a water shortage, and partly because I am concerned long-term. My fridge freezer is 10 years old, I have a Sage slow fast cooker, which is an electric slow cooker and pressure cooker in one and my microwave is about 10 years old. I find that I’m using my microwave to cook more and more and I have a vegetable steamer for a microwave that steams veg in a fraction of the time it takes on a hob. I also have an extremely useful 10-year-old Remoska cooker that I bought from Lakeland. In connection with that, it occurs to me that equipment from yacht suppliers gives a good hint on how to do a lot in a small space. The way things are going I’m intending not to use my gas oven at all and my gas hob only rarely.

Although I’ve been thinking about getting a new fridge freezer ahead of what must be an eventual breakdown I’m also aware that with an energy crisis, fridge freezers are going to present a problem if energy supplies have prolonged outages. So from that point of view, I’m thinking that going back to tinned and dried goods is a good idea and I’ve noticed references on here to Mylar bags. I’m going to investigate those but I’m wondering if I should also get the proper sealer for them? I think I’d prefer to stock up now before everybody else gets the same bright idea.

I realise that an electric pressure cooker is a large outlay if you don’t have one already but it is amazing what they can cook very thoroughly in a very short amount of time. I’m thinking that rather than go for relying on a fridge freezer it might make more sense to store dried beans, lentils and so on with tins and dehydrated vegetables. I’d be interested for people’s thoughts on this And I’d love to know more about Mylar bags, in particular.

If anybody is interested in creating a modern equivalent of a hay box, I have a little experience of this. I made one last year, so not with hey, and when I was a child I stayed at a place where when was used every night.

[Frnc]

My oven, hob, extractor, boiler, radiators, etc are all 22 years old. I did think about getting new stuff but it costs a fortune and it all still works. My washing machine must be getting on a bit, maybe nearly 10 years old. I would rather save money new and buy something when it's definitely knackered.

[jennyjj01]

The way things are going I’m intending not to use my gas oven at all and my gas hob only rarely.

Although I’ve been thinking about getting a new fridge freezer ahead of what must be an eventual breakdown I’m also aware that with an energy crisis, fridge freezers are going to present a problem if energy supplies have prolonged outages. So from that point of view, I’m thinking that going back to tinned and dried goods is a good idea and I’ve noticed references on here to Mylar bags. I’m going to investigate those but I’m wondering if I should also get the proper sealer for them? I think I’d prefer to stock up now before everybody else gets the same bright idea....


If anybody is interested in creating a modern equivalent of a hay box, I have a little experience of this. I made one last year, so not with hey, and when I was a child I stayed at a place where when was used every night.

I totally concur about avoiding using the oven. It has to be the biggest single energy waster of the home, especially when we run it for 25 minutes just to heat up some fish fingers. Not using it does require a change in diet. Tinned food prices have soared this year and with a humble tin of peas costing 80p, then switching to frozen or dried can be a money saver. But Freezer space comes at it's own price, and it seems a bit wasted on veg. Storing dried pulses is a huge money saver. Kidney Beans, Peas, Chickpeas, lentils and broth mixes can be super cheap by the kilo or bigger bag. I decant or rebag a lot of mine into vacuum sealed bags, Not Mylar (too expensive) The bags come on a roll in different widths
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Videmaster-Sto ... 41&sr=8-41

and the vac sealer can be as little as £25 from lidl or aldi or maybe amazon
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bonsenkitchen- ... 1661634277
, Supplement that with a foodsaver jar adaptor and you can vac seal mason jars (currently cheap from home bargain.)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/NORK-Attachmen ... ref=sr_1_5
Once vac sealed in bag or jar, your dried pulses will last many years .....

But you do need to plan ahead when using dried pulses

I'm interested in the haybox idea

[jennyjj01]

My oven, hob, extractor, boiler, radiators, etc are all 22 years old. I did think about getting new stuff but it costs a fortune and it all still works. My washing machine must be getting on a bit, maybe nearly 10 years old. I would rather save money new and buy something when it's definitely knackered.

If your washer is old, it was probably built to last 5 years or more. Once you replace it, you'll discover that new ones are designed to fall apart in 3 years or less and to not be economically repairable

[Vitamin c]

Hay box / no Hay

Sturdy box ,pad out bottom with old cloths /tea towels place pot in box cover with same .

My one is just old towels heaped over top works fine all your looking for is to keep Heat in

[GillyBee]

If you have a pressure cooker then dried bean/pulses become a lot more practical as they dont have to be soaked first although soaking cuts the cooking time time.
We keep both dried & tinned beans. The tinned ones are for quick and lazy meals or for camp/emergency cooking where I want to keep the gas usage to a minimum. Dried take less space and are cheaper and the pressure cooker solves the problem of tough old beans that never soften if they do get a bit old.
Our fridge freezer is aging. It is tricky to decide whether to replace it now, or wait until it fails. It is going to cost £30 a month to run this winter. I dont know if anyone will want to own one after next year...
The only manufacturer I know of that makes kitchen appliances that really last is Miele. Our washing machine is now 13 years old and still running beautifully. They guarantee parts availability for 20 years. The problem is that you have to pay 2-3 times the cost of a "normal" washing macchine to get one and I rarely if ever see any second hand.
I prefer the older style hob top pressure cookers as they work if the power is out. I don't own a slow cooker as I have a thermal cooker that does much the same job. It was originally bought for camping but we are now looking to use it a lot more at home. Before we had it we used to just use a Thermos flask or wrap saucepans in blankets.

[PreppingPingu]

The storing of frozen food could be an issue if we end up with regular power cuts, so while it's got its place, I want to build up my dehydrated and vac sealed supllies.

[PreppingPingu]

In regards to replacing old equipment, that is a bit of a quandary. While as someone rightly said new stuff isn't built to last and also the initial outlay is a lot. However there is the whole supply chain to think off. If China does make a move on Taiwan then there goes a huge chunk of the semi conductor market. So there goes a lot of replacement products... Also newer models tend to be more power efficient I'm led to believe.

[jansman]

The storing of frozen food could be an issue if we end up with regular power cuts, so while it's got its place, I want to build up my dehydrated and vac sealed supllies.

That’s our attitude too.

[tarmactatt]

If you have a pressure cooker then dried bean/pulses become a lot more practical as they dont have to be soaked first although soaking cuts the cooking time time.
We keep both dried & tinned beans. The tinned ones are for quick and lazy meals or for camp/emergency cooking where I want to keep the gas usage to a minimum. Dried take less space and are cheaper and the pressure cooker solves the problem of tough old beans that never soften if they do get a bit old.
Our fridge freezer is aging. It is tricky to decide whether to replace it now, or wait until it fails. It is going to cost £30 a month to run this winter. I dont know if anyone will want to own one after next year...
The only manufacturer I know of that makes kitchen appliances that really last is Miele. Our washing machine is now 13 years old and still running beautifully. They guarantee parts availability for 20 years. The problem is that you have to pay 2-3 times the cost of a "normal" washing macchine to get one and I rarely if ever see any second hand.
I prefer the older style hob top pressure cookers as they work if the power is out. I don't own a slow cooker as I have a thermal cooker that does much the same job. It was originally bought for camping but we are now looking to use it a lot more at home. Before we had it we used to just use a Thermos flask or wrap saucepans in blankets.

Heating element went on our 15 year old Miele washing machine. The house circuit breaker kept tripping as soon as the washing cycle got to the bit where it heats water. £120 for genuine replacement. Cheap, questionable ones on 'the bay' for £19, I eventually went with specialist spare parts retailer's version for £70 delivered. Fitted it within an hour and machine back up and running. £70 is a lot of money, but this is the first thing the machine has wanted in 15+ years of use!

What thermal cooker do you use? It's hard to find them outside of Amazon (which I try to avoid due to fake reviews).