7 Non Electric Kitchen Appliances for Off-grid Living

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When electricity’s out, are you ready for the haul ahead? Man, they say, can live for days without food. Reality is, people get hungry and eating raw can be deadly, too. You will need a way to eat food and to do it safely, it must be prepared and cooked. While roasting, grilling or letting sun’s magical waves may sound like an easy way out, non electric kitchen appliances may actually deliver each and every family member’s needs.

There are quite a number of off-grid kitchen appliances and learning to use them may spell your survival when the inevitable happens. Here are some of them.

1. Cast Waffle Iron. Ditch the pancakes and go for waffles. This waffle-maker made from cast iron can be used in either stove top or open fire pit. Usually designed with an elongated handle, it allows you to make waffles without any hitch and even during times when electricity will be non-existent. Portable and durable, you can pack this up along with your instant waffle mix to make delicious snacks for everyone when camping or on on a bugout in the wild.

2. Pasta Machine. A staple in many Italian homes, this non electric pasta maker has been around the market for centuries. The Marcato brand, for once, is known for its convenient user-friendly machines that help cut pasta dough into unique and fun shaped pieces. From linguini to ravioli, spaghetti, lasagna, fettuccini and so on, a hand-cranked pasta cutter like this one can make life easier and simpler.

 

 

3. Manual Mixer or Blender. Love to make your own pancake batter? How about fluffy omelets or fruit and veggie smoothies? Having a manual mixer or blender in your own kitchen can spell a lot of difference when the lights went out and your fave electrical brand fails to deliver the concoction you need. Now, you can whip fresh cream or simply beat eggs for that fluffy veggie omelet. With a convenient pour spout, you can now also transfer home-made batter into your cast waffle iron.

4. Manual Meat Grinder. Can’t live without your sausages, bratwurst, meatballs or burgers? Then, by all means have a hand-crank manual meat grinder handy just in case. Even without electricity or when supermarkets close down, you can effortlessly turn chicken, pork, beef, or venison. This manual meat grinder below can also puree vegetables as well as mince garlic making preparation for soups, sauces and dips easier for you.

5. For the love of coffee. There are many ways to make a good cup of coffee when electricity is out. But when you want pure coffee goodness without the aftertaste, brewing a pot or a cup via a percolator or a French Press spells a lot of difference. Percolators can make great companion when on a bugout in the outdoors. For home-based non-electrical coffee-brewing, however,a French press like the one below from DivLor comes highly recommended by coffee connoisseurs.

6. Pot-in-Pot Mini-Fridge. Some food easily rot when not kept in the fridge. Fret-not when electricity is out. Creating your own pot-in-pot mini-fridge by putting a small terracotta pot inside a bigger one then, lining the gap with wet sand will help keep it cooler by around 20 to 30 degrees than outside temperature. Zeer clay pot fridge can make do with this handcrafted variety from Central Colombia. Great news– it can also be used for making hot stew via stovetop, open fire, grill, or coal-fired oven.

7. Flour Meister. Sure, you already have a makeshift oven to fire-up your baked dishes. You may even have food stored enough to last you a decade or more. But how do you make flour out of rice, oats or wheat? Or make dough without electricity? Luckily, handy flour mill like the one below from WonderMill Junior allows you a much faster and convenient as well as versatile way of milling flour to satisfy your desire to turn grain into pastry-fine flour. Aside from grains, it can also grind coffee beans, flaxseeds, herbs and spices, and nuts, too.

Overall, these non electric kitchen appliances are noteworthy investment. While many may have developed huge dependency on their electric wares, it is high time to also think ahead. At some point, disaster can strike without any warning. When it does, you can still rest easy knowing that you have a functional kitchen no matter what.