When the lights went out all over Georgia, many people
learned how dependent they’d
become on their stoves and microwaves. How do you fix your food
without electricity?

You certainly don’t have to go hungry, says a University of
Georgia expert. You just
have to be prepared.

“You can cook in the fireplace if you need to,”
said J
udy Harrison, an
Extension Service nutritionist and food safety specialist with
the UGA College of Family and Consumer
Sciences.

How and What to
Cook

“A one- or two-burner camping cook stove can come in
very handy when the power
goes out,” she said. “But you’ll have to go outside
to use it.”

Even gas or charcoal grills can be handy in a pinch. The
key, Harrison said, is to be
smart when you buy the food you’ll have to prepare.

“Don’t plan to cook a 12-pound turkey, even if it will
fit in your
fireplace,” she said. “When you head to the store,
think simple. Think, ‘What
can I cook in minutes over a roaring fire or outside in a
blowing wind — and with the
children ‘helping’?’”

Easy Foods When Power’s
Out

Here’s a list of easy foods to stock up on, Harrison said,
for the next time the power
fails:

• Canned meats. Ham, chicken and turkey
  are available. Look for them on
  the same grocery aisle as canned tuna in most stores.
• Packaged pasta mixes or rice mixes. You
  can even mix these with the
  canned meat or tuna to create a quick-to-fix “camping
  meal.” You can easily
  prepare it in your fireplace, camp stove or gas grill.
• Hard cheeses. Hard cheddar, Swiss,
  provolone or mozzarella can be kept
  even without refrigeration for several hours before they
  lose quality. And don’t forget
  the crackers.
• Canned soups or dehydrated soup mixes.
  Soup or water can easily be
  heated in the fireplace or on a camp stove.
• Fruits. Fresh, canned or dried, fruits
  are healthful and don’t have to
  be cooked.
• Vegetables. Fresh or canned veggies are
  nutritious and also require
  little or no cooking.
• Cereals. Cold cereals can make a meal or
  a great snack for the kids.
  And nothing is more soothing on a cold winter morning than
  a steaming bowl of oatmeal. Be
  sure to get instant, and just add hot water, straight off
  the fire or your camp stove.
• Peanut butter and jelly. Who doesn’t
  like peanut-butter-and-jelly
  sandwiches? And what could be easier to
  “cook”?

Packaged Foods,
Reminders

Harrison said many packaged food products work well, too.
“A boxed
macaroni-and-cheese mix cooks in 10 minutes,” she said,
“and is great with the
beans and wieners.”

And while you’re at the store, she said, make sure you have
the other things that make
powerless cooking work, like plenty of starter sticks for the
fireplace, a hand-operated
can opener and fuel for the camp stove or grill.