Are you among the 55 million people expected to be affected by Hurricane Irene this weekend? Are you already tired of newscasters telling you to "batten down the hatches" and "hunker down"? I feel your pain. I know hurricanes. I lived through a summer of three major hurricanes in Florida, and after I moved back to Ohio, a freak inland hurricane nearly upended my plans for making my own wedding cake and ice cream. Hurricanes can be frightening and messy, so prepare well. Here are some tips, from my own experience, for staying safe and well-fed.
These tips are just for food-related matters; pay attention to your local newscasters and authorities on more general safety issues. (If, of course, you can bear with the heights of absurdity that local news stations achieve in such times; are they broadcasting from the beach yet? Getting knocked over by the wind?)
I will say, though, that generators are overrated in hurricanes; they don't power very much, and they can be extremely dangerous if not vented properly. Every time a hurricane hit Florida there would be a generator-related death or two. So unless you know exactly what you're doing with an in-home generator, don't run out in a panic and pick one up.
OK, on to feeding ourselves.
- Know your food safety facts!
Have a thermometer in your fridge and freezer so you can make sure the freezer stays at 0°F or below and the refrigerator stays at 40°F or below. If your power goes out, the freezer will be OK for about 24 to 48 hours, provided that it is packed full and you don't open the door. The fridge, on the other hand, will only keep things safe for about four hours.
• See more food safety tips from the USDA.
- Stock up on ice and dry ice.
If your power goes out, if your fridge and freezer are stocked with ice or dry ice, this will prolong the life of the food inside. (Again, make sure you have a thermometer to check! Don't ever check food's safety by tasting it.) - Light your kitchen.
Make sure your kitchen is well-supplied with light, whether that's candles, flashlights, a battery-operated floodlight, or something else. It's hard to be safe in the kitchen if you can't see when cutting bread or cooking an egg on your gas stovetop. Make sure there are light sources in the kitchen (don't count on any sunlight!). - Make food ahead of time that doesn't need to be refrigerated
Some ideas: Muffins and quick breads for breakfast. Chana masala and other bean stews for lunches and dinners. Also stock up on cured meats, hard cheeses, good bread, beer, wine, olives, pickles, fruit, tomatoes, and crunchy vegetables for snacks. - Gather together with others
A long hurricane can be a crashing bore. After you've watched the newscasters get knocked over a few times by the wind, you're left with nothing but a slow, seemingly interminable wait for the storm to pass. Then the power goes out, and the internet, and you can't even amuse yourself with technology. It's time for old-fashioned get togethers.Some of my most memorable hurricane moments involve gathering with friends by candlelight, making the most of the long hours with card games, homemade food and old-fashioned fun. Batten down the hatches with a few friends, stock up on beer, and amuse yourselves.
It's actually a good time to do a big cooking project, too, especially if you have a gas stove (not electric) and can bake bread or make tamales. Think about making a huge batch of homemade pasta, to be frozen after the storm, for instance, or tomato sauce.
Are you prepping for the hurricane? How are you preparing? What are you cooking?
Related: On Hurricanes, Refrigerators, and Wedding Ice Cream
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*sigh* Alas, we have an electric stove. I miss the crappy gas stove in my old apartment. We do have an indoor fireplace and one on our screen porch, so I could always try my hand at hearth cooking...
here's an old article from the new orleans times-pic newspaper...i go back to it every year as i prep for storm season. hope it helps! (by the way, the times-pic has great emergency recipes and tips for stocking up)
http://www.nola.com/food/index.ssf/2006/06/think_outside_of_the_box.html
Happy Pre-Hurricane everyone! I have a gas stove. Am I truly able to still use it? It has pilot lights on the bottom. How exactly do I go about using it?
I had planned and making dinner for my boyfriend for his birthday on Sunday and would love to still be able to, even if I had to do it in the dark.
Any and all suggestions are welcome and appreciated!
I can't comment on the oven since mine is electric. My stovetop is gas and during Hurricane Ike, I could use the stovetop but I had to light it with a lighter. Apparently the starter thingy is electric because it didn't work until the electricity came back on.
Not necessarily all food related but this was my list of the 25 things I learned from Hurricane Ike 3 years ago: http://mrssquirrelassassin.blogspot.com/2008/09/25-things-i-learned-from-ike-in-no.html
@beanz1115:
The gas almost always stays on because the pipes are underground and much less likely to be affected by a storm. So if you turn a knob on your stove gas will come out. However, the sparking element is run on electricity, so you need to light the gas manually with matches or long-handled fireplace lighter. Using a cigarette lighter seems unwise, because of how close your hand would be when the flames sprout up.
Hi Beanz,
I'm no expert, so someone should correct me if I'm wrong, but if I'm pretty sure you just use your gas stove like you always do. The power outage shouldn't cause the pilot light to go out. Just turn on the stove like usual and have at it!
Good luck with the storm!
Other suggestions are to fill up as many containers of water that you can find. The water may not be safe to drink. Stock up on canned food but make sure you have a can opener that doesn't require electricity. Pack your freezers as tight as you can. It will stay frozen longer if it's full rather than partially empty.
cdavis67- that's why the numbero ne thing my mama taught me in a hurricane- if its coming, fill up the bathtubs. if you have more then one, bonus- a bathing tub and a drinking/cooking tub.
Filling up your freezer is a good idea, but remember that ICE MELTS. Do yourself a solid and make sure anything that might leak or spill over when melted (e.g. your ice cube trays) gets transferred to a sealed container.
Sometimes the water doesn't work at all, if pumping stations have been affected by power outages. Keep in mind the things that you'll need water for other than drinking: boiling foodstuffs, flushing the toilet, water plants, even washing. We Floridians usually fill the bathtub - if the water isn't working you won't get to use it, anyway.
And finally, don't forget...if you don't have water, you won't really be able to do a lot of dishes! You may want to plan to be able to limit your cooking altogether if this happens.
Best of luck, everyone!
Fill containers with water, then use those to fill empty space in the freezer - you get extra cold time in the freezer plus emergency water if needed.
If you have an electric stove, buy a few cans of sterno for indoor "cooking." You can set up a make shift camp stove and heat water for coffee/tea, warm up canned soup, roast hotdogs, even make toast!
I'm in California but good luck everyone.
Remember, a lot of the hours Irene will be over NYC are late-night hours. You don't need food and water for every moment of the storm. Just go to sleep!
I strongly disagree with part of number four. It is sheer idiocy to be consuming alcohol during any kind of natural emergency. You NEVER know when and if you'll need all your faculties and wits about in these kinds of situations.
Tip for your deep freeze. If it is not full, try packing grass clippings into double skin rubbish bags and putting them on the floor of your deep freeze. It bulks up the content and can be thrown away when you go to add stuff to your deep freeze.
Even dampen towels and place them in rubbish bags and freeze them. What you are doing is eleminating air space so your freezer runs more economically plus the frozen towels can be used in chilly bins to kept food cold in a pinch.