Ice Storm Rumors

[colin.p]

Edyit: The ice storm of '98 was wicked! We were out of power for a full 14 days. I have plenty of wood and a freezer full of meat. If we get hit this year like we did back then, I will be ready! Have you heard any of those rumors about another storm coming? Maybe it's just North Country dooms dayers.

Well, considering the prognosticators have a hard enough time forecasting the weather only hours away, not too sure how accurate they would be for a few months away.....

 

[xman23]

Get the BBQ grill out, and use the wood stove for what it was made for.

 

[drz1050]

Get the BBQ grill out, and use the wood stove for what it was made for.

Isn't being a stove part of the whole reasoning behind wood STOVES?

 

[begreen]

Our cooktop runs on propane. I kept the propane tank we had for the heating system which is now long gone.

 

[firefighterjake]

I pulled the electric range and put in a gas cooktop soon after we moved into this place. That was one of my better decisions.

My wife and I (well me for 6 or 8 days) went through 14 days without power . . . she got pretty good at cooking things with that propane stove's cooktop . . . things that generally aren't supposed to cook on a stove top (i.e. frozen chicken parmesan patties) as we were eating up as much food in the freezer as we could.

 

[sportbikerider78]

I have a generator, but still don't plan on doing any cooking with it. My plan for cooking during an extended outtage is a coleman 2 burner stove. They work great and are very affordable.

 

[Triple]

I have a gas/charcoal grill and certainly can use that if need be. But since I already have a hot box of wood burning goodness inside, I'd like to use that as much as possible. Not only would it keep me from slipping and sliding on the ice outside...but it is also fun! I get pumped thinking about how much I can utilize the wood stove while forced off the grid.

I warned my wife that I will start testing my cooking abilities on the wood stove soon, she is not nearly as excited about it.

 

[DougA]

My Hearthstone dealer recommends using a trivet , when doing any cooking on top of the stove.

I tried a trivet when I was cooking on my soapstone stove the first time and tossed it pretty quickly. A trivet lowers the temperature too much and I could not get anything boiling with a trivet. On cast or steel, yes, a trivet is great. Soapstone is great for slow cooking but that's about it.

BTW, we've always had a Coleman 2 burner stove with a few cans of propane in the attic in case of emergencies. What I prefer now is a cheapie butane stove that are about $20 on sale. Propane is a big problem generating enough heat if the propane gets cold, butane is much better, plus the butane gets a lot hotter, faster. A lot of restaurants use these inside for their Sunday Brunch although I would never advise using it inside unless you have windows open. For 20 bucks plus a few cans of butane, it's great insurance for winter storms. I use it occasionally if I'm frying something stinky. I put it out on the patio and cook, then the stink stays outside.