Several people have questioned whether a propane camping stove (like the one pictured to the right) can be used indoors. Some people feel that since their regular cook-stove is propane gas, that it should be ok. They are forgetting that propane gas lines attached to a home range have cut-off valves for emergencies. They also have proper ventilation systems, and are specifically made for indoor use.
Camping stoves may have leaks, don't have a built-in ventilation system, and have no emergency shut-off valve. It's too dangerous to risk the carbon monoxide leak. Carbon monixide can kill you. Are you willing to take that chance... the chance to kill you and/or your family? Possibly your neighbors?
If you have no other way to cook, can you use on your patio, balconey or even your car hood?
Please keep in mind, cooking outside (and often, inside) produces certain smells that signals nearby people that food is being prepared. If you're trying to maintain a low profile, heat items indoors using alternative methods, or try recipes that don't involve any cooking.
Your thoughts?
4 comments:
That's a good thought about smells letting people know food is being prepared. I hadn't considered it before. Even cooking inside can release the smell outside. Any thoughts of foods that should be stocked in case you cannot cook at all? I'm thinking beef jerkey, chipped beef, tuna?
Those suggestions are good. Dried fruits and veggies don't HAVE to be reconstituted - just be sure to drink plenty of liquids with them to avoid constipation. Vienna sausages. Nuts/seeds. Canned fruits. Rice cakes and crackers. MREs. Granola bars. Cereal (make milk from powdered OR use apple juice OR eat dry). Kippers, sardines, oysters, clams (near the tuna). Spam. Deviled ham. Protein bars. Protein drinks or powder. Juice boxes. Instant gatorade/drinks/hot cocoa.
Of course, fresh fruits and veggies - raw.
At the dollar store, we buy little tuna-kits, and chicken-salad-kits (bumble bee brand) - they come with pre-made salad and crackers. The grocery store also has bigger kits, with a serving of fruit and sometimes a mint. No refrigeration needed for these.
Son ate a spoonful of peanut butter last night because he was still hungry. Actually, he does this pretty often. Ok, we do too. Only a spoon to wash!
All of these things are good, too, for your 72-hour kit or Bug-Out-Bag. Really... anything that you can just open the packaging and eat straight. There's probably several items in your storage and/or pantry right now.
Thanks for writing! The Williams Family
Assuming that the time period in which you'd like to keep a "low profile" is short term. Find some way to just boil water for reconstituting dehydrated meals. Smells can be contained in interior rooms.
Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that is produced by the incomplete combustion of a fossil fuel – gas, oil, coal, wood, including propane and natural gas. Propane and natural gas stoves or charcoal briquettes should never be used for heating your home as the CO could build up to a concentration that would be dangerous. During every emergency there are reports of deaths attributed to people using a fossil fuel to provide heat inside their home or a generator used in an attached garage or too close to an open window. A battery powered carbon monoxide detector that is properly mounted would be advisable if one is using a fossil fuel indoors.
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