What's in your emergency storecuboard?

GrandBlaa · 06-12-2014 5:05pm #1

Just in case of another crazy winter and being unable to leave the house, I bought a small stock of foods to keep under the stairs, like emergency rations. I plan to add a little more to it every week. Anyone do the same?

In case of heavy snow/frozen-in:
- Half dozen Knorr Pastaria Carbonara
- Gourmet cuppa soups
- Brown pan in deep freeze
- Tinned tuna
- Heinz sandwich filler (in glass jar)
- Many Koka noodles
- Frozen pizza
- Jar of coffee
- Breakfast bars
- Those tiny .55 cent glass jars of salmon pate from Tesco that are just DIVINE and might not even last until the weekend

In case of power outage/no cooker:
- Tins Ambrosia rice
- Tins meatballs in tomato sauce (yummy when cold!)
- Tins Heinz spag bol, spag & sausage, mac & cheese
- Large sachet Erin Soupfulls

And two x 5 litre bottles of water, in case the pipes freeze or something!

What else would people recommend? Obviously things like toilet rolls are stocked up on anyway, but other recommendations food-wise? I'm thinking of jam (use it with bread and/or rice) and a larger selection of 'eat without heat' food?

Jezek · 06-12-2014 5:52pm

Pickles
Tomato concentrate
Marrowfat peas (dried)
Lentils, Beans, Rice, Bulghur, Cous-Cous , etc etc

DoozerT6 · 07-12-2014 7:07pm

To add to what you already have:
Tin (or two) of powdered milk. Could be very handy!!!
A few of the Odlum's pre-mixed bread packs that you mix with water and stick in the oven.
Frozen veg.
Breakfast cereal(s).
Tea bags, if you use them.
Small amount of biscuits/chocolate/your preferred treat foods, because why not

Things your kids (if you have any) will eat.

non-food items:
non-scented candles, and matches. Also candle holders to fit the candles you have bought

Lightbulbs, for each type and wattage of lightbulb that you have.
Batteries - to fit your smoke alarm, torches, any kids toys/games/radio/household things that might need them if there's a power cut.

Also, don't forget an emergency bag of provisions for your car.

Radharc na Sleibhte · 08-12-2014 6:09am

I admit I sniggered at the thread title but there is actually some useful ideas here.

Thanks!

braddun · 08-12-2014 6:18am

beer

roses chocolates

store brand crisps

20 bottles of wine

unjedilike · 08-12-2014 6:36am

Cereal and milk

john the one · 08-12-2014 6:44am

A bug out bag. That's what I have in my emergency cupboard. A bug out back. Ima go looting also as soon as society breaks down

markmacken · 11-12-2014 2:11am

Yes, I keep supplies in the event of an "emergency". And build it up over time.

Everything I add below doesn't require refrigeration (once it is eaten in 3-5 days after being opened):

- pickled eggs
- pickled frankfurters
- pickled beetroot
- pickled herring
- canned soup (my favourites are mushroom and chicken)
- canned chickpeas
- canned kidney beans
- canned butter beans
- canned sardines
- canned tomatoes
- canned butter beans
- tuna paste
- powdered malt drink (such as Horlicks - high in vitamin content)
- selection of pasta shapes
- selection of jarred pasta sauces

pwurple · 16-12-2014 12:13am

What is "brown pan in deep freeze"?

My poor addled brain can't figure this out. Is it a pre-used bedpan?

We live in the city, so I don't think we would ever be too cut off, but I've got a pantry... So there are lentils, rice, pasta, noodles, flour, dry yeast. Tinned chickpeas, lentils, tomatoes. Jars of homemade things like chutney and jam.

And a garden stuffed with edibles. Onions, spuds, beetroot, nuts, fruit and plenty of herbs.

Stheno · 16-12-2014 12:17am

pwurple wrote: »

What is "brown pan in deep freeze"?

My poor addled brain can't figure this out. Is it a pre-used bedpan?

I thought it was a dirty saucepan, reckon it's a loaf of brown bread?

Gordon · 16-12-2014 6:22am

Pan bread..

markmacken · 16-12-2014 1:48pm

pwurple wrote: »

What is "brown pan in deep freeze"?

My poor addled brain can't figure this out. Is it a pre-used bedpan?

We live in the city, so I don't think we would ever be too cut off, but I've got a pantry... So there are lentils, rice, pasta, noodles, flour, dry yeast. Tinned chickpeas, lentils, tomatoes. Jars of homemade things like chutney and jam.

And a garden stuffed with edibles. Onions, spuds, beetroot, nuts, fruit and plenty of herbs.

Lol! Freezing bread is a great idea though. Just as with fish and vegetables, it come out very fresh when you de-frost it. I'm anticipating a scenario where there will be no electricity though, and even our gardens may be poisoned or otherwise useless. Hence my preference for jars and cans.

pwurple · 16-12-2014 4:21pm

markmacken wrote: »

Lol! Freezing bread is a great idea though. Just as with fish and vegetables, it come out very fresh when you de-frost it. I'm anticipating a scenario where there will be no electricity though, and even our gardens may be poisoned or otherwise useless. Hence my preference for jars and cans.

Ah, and ya see, I find jars and cans can be awkward to get into, in an emergency.

What you need (and I'll have one too please!) is a lovely little wood-fired oven for all our bread-baking, pizza making in a holocaust, needs.

Tabnabs · 16-12-2014 4:37pm

Nobody has water stored in bottles? Your pipe freezes, there's a rupture locally, you get a 'boil water' notice for Cryptosporidium. Very easy to loose the most basic necessity.

Consider also the shelf life of any goods you have "squirrelled away". Honey, for example, will last indefinitely. Rice - 10 years. Canned or dried beans - 10 years. Powered milk - indefinite. Ramen noodles - 10 years.

For other stuff, just make sure you rotate it into your normal ingredients list to stop it going bad and replace as required.

Also think about hygiene products like toilet paper, toothpaste and soap.

A good guide here from people who have experience of these things

http://www.fema.gov/pdf/library/f&web.pdf

the beer revolu · 16-12-2014 6:05pm

I'll just trade all the booze I have in the house on the black market. I'll have all the food I'll want!

markmacken · 17-12-2014 1:53am

pwurple wrote: »

Ah, and ya see, I find jars and cans can be awkward to get into, in an emergency.

What you need (and I'll have one too please!) is a lovely little wood-fired oven for all our bread-baking, pizza making in a holocaust, needs.

I only buy cans with ring-pulls on them, for that very reason :-)

P.S. I was just wondering what the difference is between "cans" and "tins". From a little googling it appears that the terms are fairly interchangeable? Btw, this is not just a question for you pwurple, but more of a general query...

markmacken · 17-12-2014 1:57am

Tabnabs wrote: »

Nobody has water stored in bottles? Your pipe freezes, there's a rupture locally, you get a 'boil water' notice for Cryptosporidium. Very easy to loose the most basic necessity.

Consider also the shelf life of any goods you have "squirrelled away". Honey, for example, will last indefinitely. Rice - 10 years. Canned or dried beans - 10 years. Powered milk - indefinite. Ramen noodles - 10 years.

Interesting stuff. Do you have any idea how long bottled water stays good for?

the beer revolu · 17-12-2014 11:16am

markmacken wrote: »

Interesting stuff. Do you have any idea how long bottled water stays good for?

Glass bottles would, imo, last indefinitely.
Plastic would last well past the best before date.

Mesrine65 · 17-12-2014 1:51pm

A Remington 11-87 Sportsman, a Velocity Swarm crossbow & a machete...I'm prepped for the zombie apocalypse & hunting my own food.

L1011 · 17-12-2014 9:09pm

Enough whiskey to pickle my corpse in...

Beyond that, from buying in places like Eurasia that I go to irregularly and hence buying lots I generally have enough stock of rice, pulses, pasta, tinned tomatoes, soups etc to last for a good week or two minimum; and my hob is tank gas so I could live fairly safely (but vegan) for a bit.

If there's still power I usually have a few kg of mince and a load of chicken breasts frozen as I buy that in relative bulk. If there's no water I've bigger problems...

All in if I suddenly found myself broke there's probably enough stuff in the house to last a month on just a tenner of fresh veg a week!

markmacken · 18-12-2014 12:32am

the beer revolu wrote: »

Glass bottles would, imo, last indefinitely.
Plastic would last well past the best before date.

Oh I forgot that bottled water has a best before date. It's rare that you see for sale in glass bottles. A friend was lamenting that fact to me only last week.

qt3.14 · 29-12-2014 12:46am

Storage of the water is the most important thing. Ideally it should be kept cool, dark and away from solvents, detergents, petrol etc, ie not under the sink or beside the lawnmower in the shed!
You could always throw in some purification kits if it's a worry but ironically they have a use by date too.

olivepeach · 02-01-2015 8:27am

We have loads of tinned and frozen food in. Always keep in this time of year extra:

soups
beans
rice pudding
frozen milk
frozen HM spuds (roasts and mash)
pasta
rice
bread or flour for BM

rubadub · 05-01-2015 1:09pm

markmacken wrote: »

P.S. I was just wondering what the difference is between "cans" and "tins"..

None I know of, just that they were often made from tin, like how aluminium foil is still called tinfoil here.

My father calls beer cans "tins".

What's in your emergency storecuboard?

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