I’m updating this post, which I wrote several years ago, detailing how to make a portable kitchen. It can be used as an emergency kitchen to take to a church or school after a disaster, and it’s perfect for camping. Most schools are equipped to cook meals, or at least some of them are, but most aren’t prepared to provide emergency services on a scale needed.
The church in our area has a policy that prohibits using the kitchen stove for cooking or baking. You can only reheat or keep a casserole warm. If we had an emergency, it would be my last choice to go to try to cook and provide food service for people there. I hope that in a disaster, the policy would change, allowing people to use it as a backup emergency kitchen. I think it may have to do with insurance and liability issues.
After a disaster, FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is called in to provide disaster relief for those affected by a natural disaster like hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, etc. Depending on the type of emergency, one of their first concerns is how best to feed those who survived the event. You may think of their support equipment as portable kitchens, mobile kitchens, temporary kitchens, container kitchens, or, in terms of mobile catering units.
These facilities often come in a trailer that includes refrigeration units, ovens, food preparation (prep) tables, and cabinets for dry storage. As you can imagine, they would also need kitchen cooking items like pots and pans, small stoves, non-perishable foods, utensils, and other critical items they can effectively pack away.
Hopefully, you won’t need to rely on FEMA to help your family survive because, as a prepper, you’ve planned and have a well-organized and stocked portable kitchen. If not, we’re here to help you get started. Please do not count on FEMA. You need to be able to take care of your family on your own. No government agency will deliver food and water, trust me, I know.
How To Make A Portable Kitchen
Danish Whisk
I recently visited my daughter and her family for a few days. I tried to give my very ambitious daughter a little break by making a few meals each day for her and the family. You know it’s funny how I assume everyone has a Danish whisk, or a hand mixer, or whatever is your go-to kitchen item. You know, like everyone even knows what a Danish whisk is. LOL
I had never heard of one until my friend, Melissa Richardson, who wrote the book “The Art of Baking Bread with Natural Yeast,” introduced me to one. She has since written another natural yeast book, but she showed me how to use one of these, an 
I prefer the 11-inch size because the metal whisk end fits inside a wide-mouth mason jar, allowing for easy preparation of natural yeast, salad dressings, or other jar-based recipes. The large one is too large for the jar opening. The large one is ideal for mixing cake batter, pancake batter, muffins, and similar batters in a bowl.
Please picture me at my daughter’s home in her kitchen, fixing meals without my usual kitchen tools. She has plenty of my favorite kitchen tools, but she had some measuring cups that I could not read the 3/4 or 1/4, etc., to get the correct measurements.
Good Measuring Cups/Spoons
I know it’s because my eyes are not as good as they used to be, so of course, I ordered her a set of my favorite measuring cups: Measuring Cups.
The old ones she had worked great for my daughter over the years, but I couldn’t see the amounts on any of them. My point today is, if by chance our neighborhood or community at large had to gather at a local building, such as a church or school, will the kitchens be equipped with all the utensils we’d need?
I’m sure we can all make do, but planning would allow us to prepare and serve meals to those in need after a disaster or an extended power outage. Or maybe even something worse.
I call this my mobile portable kitchen, but I didn’t put cookware, dishes, or silverware in this container. I put in serving utensils and many other items, but I was looking for something easy to transport. It’s ready when I need it at a moment’s notice.
Prepared Chicks
My friend, Lisa, and I were discussing a portable kitchen idea because we’re both prepared chicks, and we realized it’s exactly what we needed. I didn’t put any food in this gem because of possible critters in our garage.
But I will tell you this, I am prepared to cook anywhere. I will grab my cast-iron pans, paper plates, cups, and plastic silverware, and I’m good to go. They are placed neatly next to each other, right next to my 72-hour kits. This container is the one I bought; it’s a Stanley Fatmax on Amazon: Stanley Fatmax. From Stanley, I’m sure it’s designed for tool storage on mobile use, but it comes in so handy as a kitchen unit. It’s cheaper at Home Depot, so check out your local store.
All we need is food and a stove, and we’re ready to start cooking almost anywhere! Yes, I can cook anything outside using solar, wood, propane, briquettes, and more.
Mobile Portable Kitchen
I have a FREE PRINTABLE below listing all of the items for each compartment in the Stanley Fat Max for you.
I’ll tell you row by row what I put in each section. The first top “tool” container/compartment sits in a slot on top of the top opening that has my dishwasher liquid soap (in a ziplock bag). I have two light sticks and six kitchen knives enclosed in knife sheaths. This section sits on top of the second compartment. Who can use a portable kitchen for camping?
Top Compartment:
Dishwasher soap
“Kitchen Knife Set: The Zyliss 3-Piece Knife Set includes a 7.25″ chef knife for chopping, a 3.94″ serrated fruit knife, and a 3.54″ paring knife.” Zyliss 3-piece set
Two light sticks
Two bottle openers
Second Compartment:
Flashlight: This is the one I recommend: Goal Zero Solar Flashlight, or with batteries, OLight Flashlight
Silpat mat: You can use these inside cookie sheets, but you can also set hot pans on them.
Hand-egg beater: Danesco 12-Inch Rotary Egg Beater
Pizza Cutter: I love pizza baked outside on a cast iron pizza pan: Lodge Pro-Logic Cast Iron Pizza Pan, Black, 14-inch
3-piece silicone spatula set (12-inch, 9-inch, and 7-inch) Heat resistant to 450 degrees
Two stainless steel whisks: one thing I must say, I bought a set of three whisks from Amazon and ended up sending them back because they would have bent just scrambling some eggs. I opted for these: Norpro Krona 9-inch Stainless Steel Whisk
One slotted spoon
Kitchen shears with sheath cover
(25) 33-gallon size garbage bags
Tongs come in two types: short for cooking and long ones to move the hot coals around if you are using a Dutch oven, etc.
Two aprons with pockets
Third Compartment
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Toothpicks
Salt & Pepper: I decided against storing any other spices besides salt and pepper (this is my disaster mobile portable kitchen). Need I say more?
Two bottle openers
2 Can Openers
Matches
Coconut oil: I chose coconut oil because it has a longer shelf life compared to olive oil or other oils.
Vegetable peeler
Hand sanitizer
Baby wipes
Firestarter: Aurora Fire Starter
Fourth Compartment
Collapsible colanders
Stainless steel bowls with lids: five, three, and 1.5 quarts. I need at least a 5-quart size to make two loaves of bread. Remember, the bowl needs to fit in this Stanley Fatmax. I bought these: Cuisinart Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls with Lids, a Set of 3
Dish towels
Cloth Diapers: (instead of paper towels), these can be used for so many things. Gerber Birdseye 3-Ply Prefold Cloth Diapers, White, 10 Count
Red silicone hot pads
Heavy-duty hot pads
Aluminum foil
Plastic wrap
Parchment paper
Ziploc gallon-size baggies
Dough scraper: I use this when I make bread, cinnamon rolls, and so much more: OXO Good Grips Multi-purpose stainless steel scraper & chopper
FREE PRINTABLE: Portable Kitchen Contents by Food Storage Moms May 20
I added more items to my portable kitchen as I filled it because it had more room than I thought. Things I said included a rolling pin and a pizza cutter (not shown in the picture). It has plenty of room for several spices or small containers. I also added a package of baby wipes and a bottle of hand sanitizer (also not shown in the picture).
If your family likes spending time in the mountains, by the lake, or just around the corner at the local park, you’ll love having one of these Stanley units. Stanley is known for quality, as evidenced by the great tools they make. If cared for, this unit will last you a long time.
Final Word
Consider buying one as a family and be willing to share it for all to enjoy. Get one and start making some memories, besides being as prepared as possible for the unexpected events that come our way when we least expect them. Please let me know if you make a portable kitchen! Enjoy! May God bless this world, Linda
The post How To Make A Portable Kitchen appeared first on Food Storage Moms.
from Food Storage Moms
No comments:
Post a Comment