How to cook without natural gas: alternatives to save

Until recently we believed that there were only certain ways of cooking because almost all homes have electric hobs, ceramic hobs, induction or classic gas or butane fire, in addition to microwaves and conventional ovens.

But recently various factors such as the rise in the price of electricity, the energy crisis, rumors of possible blackouts and even the ideal of being more self-sufficient in the system, have rediscovered other types of kitchens that have always been there, but whose use and popularity was in the minority.

Traditionally hikers, users of campsites and motorhomes or isolationists and “libertarians” – people who want to live outside the system, their bills and their dependency – have been the most expert people in cooking outdoors or in places without access to electricity. power grid.

But, without reaching those savage remedies, there are other solutions to cook with less electricity and even without her in the middle of a city and with a conventional lifestyle.

camping gas

The classic camping gas and portable gas stoves are the most popular example of kitchens for outdoor use.

In fact, a few years ago the octogenarian Spanish mountaineer Carlos Soria together with the Nepalese Nhati Sherpa published the ebook Cooking recipes for extreme situations which is not only a display of haute cuisine at more than 4000 m altitude, but also a manual of alternative energy sourcesIt’s because both they cite snow drums to preserve food and the use of Yak poop as a combustion element in a gas stove. Survival has always sharpened wits at all levels.

slow cookers

Common in other countries such as the US, where they have been on the market since the 1970s and are present in most homes, in recent years they have become popular in Spain under the name of “slow cookers” “slow pots” or “electric pots”.

Its users praise the genuine flavor of the recipes; that the low temperature better maintains the nutrients, texture and aromas than other types of cooking; its safety because you don’t have a pot on the stove and you can safely ignore it: the comfort that you can program it and you arrive at a house smelling of stew and aromatic herbs; and the longing because it refers to the chup chup of yesteryear.

And nowadays, slow cooking with quality and proximity food is considered revolutionary. The philosophy summed up in Mae West’s famous phrase “everything worth doing is worth doing slowly” is here to stay.

But among those advantages highlights its low energy consumption because despite being on for several hours, the cost of the slow cooker can be up to five times less than the ceramic hob or oven. Its consumption is compared to that of a 75 W bulb that stays on all night.

The sale of these pots has increased in recent months and so has the publication of books with specific recipes to get the most out of them.
As in all kitchen utensils, its toxic-free materials must also be valued so that we combine health and savings. Here’s a guide to choosing the best slow cooker.

wonder bag

The wonderbag is an alternative cuisine that is spreading simply because It works as an energy saver.

It is an adjustable bag with an insulating interior filling with which a pot is covered that we have previously brought to a boil by conventional methods, but which then continues to cook food for up to eight hours without the need for additional paid energy because take advantage of residual heat. Something more ecological, economical and rebellious.

It also serves to keep cold and their colorful and beautiful African designs stand out. Here you have a nice selection of wonderbags.

Solar kitchen

Solar cookers or ovens rrepresent the pinnacle of energy and ecological independence because They do not require electricity or any other fuel.and the folding versions offer complete freedom of movement for a nomadic or outdoor life. As long as there is sun, the pot is insured.

This market has evolved a lot in recent years and from home versions and more hippiesin the form of shiny or parabolic umbrellas, we currently find models with a futuristic aesthetic, much lighter, with different features and that stand out for their high efficiency in transforming solar energy into thermal energy and their ability to retain heat inside.

Of course, there are also cloud-proof models suitable for travelers or citizens of areas with little sun, mild climates and even cold.

There are different models of solar cookers and ovens, but all of them are based on the fact that the manufacturing materials reflect solar radiation directly and concentrate it at a point to cook at the moment.

And the most handyman and do-it-yourselfer can find free tutorials on the internet to make a solar cooker yourself and also learn in specific books about it.

You can cook all kinds of dishes in the sun, from bread or pastries to paella, and users appreciate that the food is very tender and has a great flavor.

solar cooking is another example of “slow cooking” because it takes a while to get up to cooking temperature, but, in return, you get the zero waste energy par excellence: clean, free, without emissions and safe within everyone’s reach.

As Bernard Farinelli puts it, “it is possible to live in a different way, to rediscover freedom, to protect oneself against the illnesses of our days, to give flavor to food and to life, and to save money –with the meaning that each one wants to see in this word–.”