Summer Family Adventures: GOING WITHOUT ELECTRICITY – COOKING

Feeding the Family

Recipes

Published on Sunday, 31 May 2015 11:15

Last Updated on 29 May 2015

Monica Costa

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You may recall the article about the Meek Family GOING WITHOUT ELECTRICITY where they experimented living with no lighting. Now they are back and they try to cook without electricity. Let’s see how they get on.

Modern kitchens are full of electrical gadgets that we come to rely upon on a daily basis; microwaves, cookers and even toasters are everyday devices that heat up our breakfast, lunch and dinner. Without electricity, none of these will work… and that’s where the adventure begins! This project GOING WITHOUT ELECTRICITY – COOKING was extracted from 100 Family Adventures by the Meek family, published by Frances Lincoln (£14.99).

Modern kitchens are full of electrical gadgets that we come to rely upon on a daily basis; microwaves, cookers and even toasters are everyday devices that heat up our breakfast, lunch and dinner. Without electricity, none of these will work… and that’s where the adventure begins!

Challenge yourselves to go without electricity for 24 hours but still cook family meals in the home – takeaways would be cheating so therefore are not allowed! One solution would be to simply eat cold food – picnics throughout the day! This wouldn’t be part of an adventure since it is the easier option so why not bring the camping solution indoors – cook meals on a gas camping stove. Plan a simple one-pot meal that can be cooked quickly on the camping stove and enjoyed together. Remember not to put the dishes in the dishwasher at the end!

One alternative might be a barbeque for one or all of the meals – take your cooking outside, even in the colder weather. Heat up your choice of meat and vegetables and then eat alfresco or indoors by candlelight.

Going without electricity for 24 hours makes you realize how much we come to rely on it, so rather than just go without for a day, think about long-term awareness. Consider getting an electricity monitor that informs you which appliances in the house use the most electricity. A greater awareness might have an impact the house bills!

 

Tips and Considerations

• Plan your meals before the day – keep it simple, make it fun and memorable!
• Get the kids involved with preparation and cooking.

 

Equipment needed

• Gas stove/barbecue
• Matches or fire lighter

 

amy says…

‘I’M (NOT) A CELEBRITY, GET ME OUT OF HERE’ CHALLENGE –

Test your taste buds with a mystery foods challenge in the dark. Find some tasty and yucky foods and get a family member to taste them – can they guess what they are?

Instead of different food, you could pick the same food or drink but try different brands – can you work out which is which?

Did you know?

Solar ovens use the power of the sun to cook food and can even work on overcast days.

ella’s joke

Why is wind power so popular?

Because it has lots of fans.

For more Summer Family Adventures check GOING WITHOUT ELECTRICITY: LIGHTING