I've been ridiculed for my devotion to food storage, but having grown up in the Midwest I've been through unexpectedly long periods of time without power or ability to get to a store thanks to one force of nature or another. This winter I'll be adding a can of Crisco — it can be very helpful for emergency purposes! Want to know why?
The Great Northern Prepper is as close as you can get to being a Boy Scout on the internet. It's the place to go to learn about all sorts of preparedness methods for your home and family if you live in an area that might have frequent natural disasters or emergencies.
Although we might not all keep closets stocked with flashlights and cans of tomato sauce shoved under our beds, that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt to have an ace in your back pocket on occasion.
The Great Northern Prepper has recently shared this quick tip when it comes to a can of Crisco. With the help of a wick that can be inserted through to the bottom in the case of an emergency, this simple can of shortening can be turned into a candle that burns for roughly 45 days on end — booyah!
→ Read more: How to Make an "Everlasting Candle" from Crisco at The Great Northern Prepper
Related: Help! I Am Having a Freezer Emergency!
(Image: The Great Northern Prepper)
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I think that should be the only appropriate use of Crisco :-)
That is the best use of Crisco I have ever seen. Nasty, nasty stuff.
I once had to buy Crisco for a food science class. I refused to eat what was leftover, so I tried a variation of this. Mine spattered and eventually fizzled out. Then I started to worry about what I might be breathing if it had burned, so I tossed the lot.
Love this! I may have to go stock up on Crisco:) Actually, I might really do that. We just got through Hurricane Isaac and went without power for a full week!
Anne- www.hammer-and-heels.com
Crisco is good for very dry skin (apply externally).
I use crisco to season my cast iron. I can definitely see keeping an extra one on hand for a candle. Nifty.
I keep a giant tub of Crisco on hand for this exact purpose. I figure that if I ever needed to I could survive for a long time on the calories that are in a giant tub of Crisco. (Even if I would probably die of heart disease once the disaster was over.) Plus, like ALICE.RADLEY, I season my cast iron skillet with it.
Butter-flavored Crisco makes excellent shortening for cookies.
I remember years ago during a hurricane the local news showed that you can take a small clear glass pyrex dish...like a custard dish, stand a birthday candle in the middle, holding it in place with a little wax and then fill the dish with regular veg oil...or peanut oil or olive oil...whatever you have. This will burn for a long, long time. And seriously...who uses Crisco? Yuck.
Lot's of people use Crisco, that's why it's still currently for sale. Must we be judgmental about everything? All it is is hydrogenated vegetable oil. It's got trans fats so it's best not to use regularly, but you won't die from breathing it in. I personally don't use it but it is good for the skin due to the high Vitamin E content.
That is frickin' hilarious!
wait,
"although we might not all keep closets stocked with flashlights and cans of tomato sauce shoved under our beds..."
This really should not be glazed over. Sorry, but it is a lot more noteworthy to say that everyone should have an emergency kit in your house with flashlights, first aid, and stable food, a map of your area, etc. etc., than to say "hey!! a can of Crisco could be a crappy candle if you really can't be fucked to make minimal plans for an emergency! enjoying suffering through any emergency that may befall you!" Being in my early 20's, I think most of my fellow young apartment dwellers are in much more need of a rundown of emergency preparedness than they are of how Crisco can be a candle.