Preparedness for when

fuddle

Lyn could you tell me more about a thermo cooker?

Karmacat

Thanks Nuatha! The March 2015 "National Risk Register of Civil Emergencies" apparently listed a nationwide electricity shutdown as a separate form of emergency in its own right for the first time. I'm blogging about that, and about "smaller scale CBR attacks, which are also mentioned, but I think I need to really focus on electricity supply, and test out the gadgets and supplies I already have. My bad.

fuddle - the thermo cooker sounds like a version of the haybox cooker, is that right, MrsLW? Heat a pot through and through with conventional heating, stick it somewhere highly insulated to finish on its own?

[Deleted User]

Thermal cookers are actually a modern day haybox without the hay but then technology has developed insulation materials that do the same job and are easier to make into gadgets that are easier to keep clean. I got mine on Fleabay some years ago and it's 4.5 litres. It's a single wall stainless steel lidded inner pot that sits flush in a thermal outer container with a clip lid that sals it completely. It takes the same method as a hay box to get the food cooked, bring it to the boil on the heat and then inner lid on and into the outer container and seal it for the time needed to cook the contents. I've looked and Mr.Ds Thermal Cooker retails at £110 so it's quite an outlay but will save much money on fuel in the long term. There is however a much cheaper alternative that you can make at home and that is the WONDERBAG which was developed for the ladies of South Africa whose only m,ethod of cookery was a wood fire inside an unventilated hut and caused much chest disease from smoke inhalation. There is a thread started by MEMORY GIRL last year and there are tutorials on making them on You Tube. DD1 and I made one for me, very easy to make with a piece of cotton furnishing grade material I had as a remnant and the polysytrene balls from an old beanbag the girls had as children , you also need for best results a cast iron casserole to use in it as they hold the heat for much longer than any other material. I'll look and see if I can find the thread bump it if I do. FUDDLE, if you'd like to have a go at making a wonderbag I've got a cast iron casserole I found at a boot fare that lives with my outdoor cookery gear that I can happily donate to the cause.

Bumped the thread it's 'THERMAL COOKERS, HAVE YOU USED ONE?' and is on page 1 of the OS menus.

nuatha

Karmacat wrote: »

Thanks Nuatha! The March 2015 "National Risk Register of Civil Emergencies" apparently listed a nationwide electricity shutdown as a separate form of emergency in its own right for the first time. I'm blogging about that, and about "smaller scale CBR attacks, which are also mentioned, but I think I need to really focus on electricity supply, and test out the gadgets and supplies I already have. My bad.

Since typing the comment about low voltage electrics I've found various ideas playing through my mind, the main thrust of which is divorcing as much as possible of my office from the electrical supply. I've played with solar chargers, but only to charge a single dedicated device, what I'm aiming for will be a charge station to handle all the rechargeables, and a separate main that will power the computers, monitors, printers etc. That will need a bit of research and I suspect an intermediate storage battery layer.

Some of this will only get as a far as a testbed in the next few months as we are considering moving, though a new house purchase would be the ideal time to install what we need - its always easier to fit an empty house. There's a whole host of reasons why we can't consider a property we could take off the grid at the mo, but that doesn't mean we can't seriously reduce our dependence on the grid.

Small scale CBR attacks (at least they've dropped the Nuclear from the threat assessment - though I suspect they still haven't found the missing suitcase nukes). Given the likely vector for any of the three is fine powder or aerosol/gas distribution I'm not sure what preps are likely to be of any use.
Take the Sarin attack on the Tokyo underground, I don't see that any personal preps were likely to have made a difference to the outcome. Likewise the USA anthrax mailings of 2001. Though I'd be very interested in ideas and opinions to the contrary view.

fuddle

I've looked at the wonderbag before but I just don't think my skills are up to it. Off to go look a the thread now. Just not sure which way to go now the slow cooker has died. I would like to go down a more frugal way now that needs replacing but I don't want to end up getting it wrong and having to purchase a SC anyway.

My main aim is reduction in energy but given I have a ridiculously slow to heat electric plate I wonder if I would use more energy in heating a stew as a thermo starter or having it in SC for 4 hours steady.

GreyQueen

nuatha wrote: »

If you are sitting at a desktop computer, then its components run on 12v and 5v rails, there's a huge transformer allowing it to run on a 240V mains that is pumping out heat (wasted energy) your monitor (not yours GQ:) ) is doing likewise. Incidentally one of the printers here actually runs on 240V, but most have transformers, either external (like a laptop) or built in. The TV screen in my living room is effectively a large monitor, yep another built in transformer. .

OK, I'm going to ask, why not mine? Because you could see I wasn't on the forum (was at the lottie with pooter off)? Or because I've mentioned that if I'm away from the screen for more than a minute or two I turn my monitor off? It's a CRT Samsung one with the EnergyStar rating but will be 13 this autumn.

Gosh, just realised my pooter is old enough to go to secondary school - the putty colour is a dead giveaway. Mind you, it's been improved so much over the years by my pooter wizard that it's harbouring any number of 'ponents not as manufacturer intended. I shall keep it as long as possible, too.

[Deleted User]

I'd think that the initial heating and the slow cooking time if you didn't brown the meat first before putting it into the slow cooker would probably cost similar amounts. Nell and I could make you a wonder bag when she's home this summer if you'd like one? it takes two people as getting the polystyrene beads into the pockets is quite fiddly for only one of you. I've probably got a remnant of material of the right density in my store. If not I'll pick up a heavy cotton curtain at a boot fare/jumble sale and that will be plenty enough. I saved the left over beads so I've got those already. Want one??? It took us a morning with coffee breaks, so not long at all.

You could cut down on the time you need to bring things to the boil by using boiling water from the kettle to add in to the pan on the hob after you'd done any initial sealing etc. or straight in on top of veg if it's a straightforward boiled spuds jobbie. I know you're using electricity to boil the kettle but probably not as much as heating the cold pan and contents to boiling point on a slow plate.

Doveling

I have learned more about economics from this thread than from anywhere else. All really interesting and frightening at the same time! I would never have thought that the unions were being manipulated in that way in the 70's.:eek:

I think I'm covered for:-
Warmth - woodburners, good clothes, blankets etc.
Cooking - haybox, camping gear, barbecue, wooburner
Light - solar lamps, wind up torches and lanterns, candles

Storage for foodstuffs is a bit of a problem due to lack of space but I have always got at least a month's worth in.

I've always done that anyway. My Gran said you should always have "a good cupboard"when you have a family.:D

Was it on here that I read about the lemonade bottle lights?

On holiday in Wales , after we had visited the CAT place, we also went to a place which was promoting wave power. That was amazing but you never hear anything about it unless you go looking for the information.:(

Where has Bedsit Bob gone?

By the way, got that job but not sure whether to take it.
Go me!:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::o I can't say where it is or what I would be doing as that could identify me and I like the anonymity on here. There are a couple of things which concern me as I would be working on my own but with members of the public. Got till Monday to decide.

Dog arriving Sunday am for trial

Mrs LW - hope Docky is doing ok.

Frugalsod

Like MrsLW I have started to look for non powered versions of electrical gadgets. I recently bought a hand press espresso maker and will be getting the accompanying coffee bean grinder in September or October. I have a Julienne cutter and a simple cheese grater for some things.

Heating I now have three designer tea light heaters and more than 500 tea lights so will be fine no matter what. I also have sleeping bags with legs so can do without heating if necessary, though with the tea light heaters no need.

I now have a hammock for emergency bugging out but it will be used for camping mainly. With this in mind I am also getting alcohol and wood burning stoves to cover most eventualities. I have a small gas stove as well.

I have stocked up on reflectix so can make some pot cozys for pots and cups and will be looking into freezer bag cooking and so will make a cozy to be used for such cooking.

I have a wonderbag so could with one of the alcohol stoves be able to make big casseroles without any power at all.

Further out I am looking at getting more camping gear so that any holidays will be even more luxurious.

[Deleted User]

FRUGALSOD have a look at the FIRESPOUT wood burner, they have them on Fleabay but I found them on a canoeing site called 'Song of the Paddle' a few years ago. They are now folding but mine is a 'mini' of the old style which actually takes apart into 4 pieces and goes flat. It's about 6" square and 9" high, made from stainless steel and weighs less than a kilo, you run it on anything twiggy, dry leafy, small dry branches etc that you can find and it's both a heater and a cooker. Mine cost £20ish but that was a few years ago. I researched very thoroughly before buying it and I think it's the most practical stove I've ever found. It's perfect should evacuation ever have to be made as it's so compact when it isn't assembled and would go easily in the bottom of a rucksack.

Just checked and it's listed as FIRE SPOUT WOOD BURNER so separate words not (FIRESPOUT) all as one word. There are 3 listed, hope that helps, Lyn xxx.