Stocking up on tinned stuff?

featherstick · Post by **featherstick** » 03 Feb 2011, 08:44

Postie you also need to consider the effects on morale of food. If you are bunkering down, waiting for the zombie die-off, with no electricity, job to go to, or TV, food is going to be really important to morale. In extremis, of course, you'll eat anything, but it would be nice to eat nice food in that situation. I have plenty of cheap supermarket tins of stew and so on, but they are not very nice.

PowerswitchClive · Post by **PowerswitchClive** » 03 Feb 2011, 09:22

You would be better using your weekly spare budget, to buy one or two tins of something decent. Perhaps your budget is a couple of quid or a fiver, then you could get one or two tins of decent meat and perhaps some rice or pasta. In terms of calories the average guy needs 2000 calories a day. I can’t see you making this on tins of baked beans and pasta rings. Baked beans are ok as a snack on toast occasionally, but your gonna get bored of them real quick. You want to store long life foods and things that you would happily eat normally. I don’t think there is any need to panic buy loads of cheap stuff right away, just accumulate some decent things as you can afford it, bit by bit. Neither do I think there will be a situation, where you wake up one morning and find that all of the supermarket shelves have been cleared, never to see mass produced food again. You want some decent stuff put aside for times of disruption, shortages and scarcity.
From the point of space, you want density rich foods, meat, fish and carbs. Half a large can of beans has 210 calories in it. You would need to eat 4-5 cans a day to get the calories that you need.

DominicJ · Post by **DominicJ** » 03 Feb 2011, 09:57

Foods an odd one actualy. Try eating the same meal every meal for a week.
You will probably be ok for a few days, but as time goes on, it will get harder and harder to force the food down. Not sure if your body eventualy rejects it completely, but eating becomes a difficult chore.

Apparently its an evolutionary thing, a "balanced" meal is a relativly new invention, eating the same thing day in day out 10,000 years ago would have left you with big gaping holes in your nutritional needs, your brain recognises this, stops you eating the same food again, and forces you to eat somethng else.
Its also possible its just a learned behaviour, since other cultures seem ok living entirely on whale fat or millet and bulls blood.
Maybe thats a myth though, the medieval diet in the UK was surprisingly varied, even for the poor.

Either way, its something to consider if you expect to live on Tinned Beef, Beans, Rice and Tabasco sauce for any period of time.
I'm sure I read somewhere you need a single breakfast and 3 main meals as a long term minimum

MrG · Post by **MrG** » 03 Feb 2011, 16:45

Haggis wrote:I store a fair bit of rice pudding, it's very energy rich and can be eaten cold.

Fine choice! Don't know about eating it cold but I do know there's nothing like waking up cold and damp on the side of a mountain next to the remains of your fire then bringing it back to life and cooking up rice pudding for breakfast

Lush

Scork looks well useful as well. I'll get one of them

Bandidoz · Post by **Bandidoz** » 03 Feb 2011, 17:12

I went through a stage of buying tinned food, although I've eaten most of it by now and not bothered to replace it. I've still got loads of cans of tinned tuna to get through.

A tin of "baked beans with Lincolnshire sausages" makes a good half-breakfast from time to time. Aside from that, M&S Hot Beef Curry is worth having - although now I've had it a few times, all other tinned curries have become crap in comparison.

Post by **kenneal - lagger** » 03 Feb 2011, 18:11

Bandidoz wrote:I've still got loads of cans of tinned tuna to get through.

I hope it's "pole and line" caught tuna, the only sustainable way of catching it without catching loads of other unwanted fish as well. Mackerel is a far better buy as it's not endangered and is a local fish.

RenewableCandy · Post by **RenewableCandy** » 04 Feb 2011, 15:04

Tins of sardines! We also have a load of grain and handmill, dried yeast, and a breadmaker. So sardines on toast if TSHTF. I can think of a lot worse.

Post by **kenneal - lagger** » 04 Feb 2011, 16:19

I married my breadmaker.

postie · Post by **postie** » 06 Feb 2011, 11:23

kenneal wrote:I married my breadmaker.

Baked any buns?

Keela · Post by **Keela** » 06 Feb 2011, 13:35

No need for a breadmaker - use the No KNEAD recipe . Simple really.

I make it even simpler by doing the 2nd rise in the bowl (no faffing with floured teatowls etc.) - I just give it a quick stir/stretch around and then leave it under a teatowel again while the pot is heating in the oven.

I make about 80% of all our bread now - using 1kg of plain flour each time. And mine gets eaten first everytime! Then on to the shop bread after.

vtsnowedin · Post by **vtsnowedin** » 08 Feb 2011, 01:42

Keela wrote:No need for a breadmaker - use the No KNEAD recipe . Simple really.

I make it even simpler by doing the 2nd rise in the bowl (no faffing with floured teatowls etc.) - I just give it a quick stir/stretch around and then leave it under a teatowel again while the pot is heating in the oven.

I make about 80% of all our bread now - using 1kg of plain flour each time. And mine gets eaten first everytime! Then on to the shop bread after.

Hey!! no bragging about the home made bread on the Internet. We can't smell the wonderful aroma as it comes out of the oven and we are too far away to get any free samples. The next thing you will be up to is torturing us about how nice your apple pie came out. No fair. No fair. !

Keela · Post by **Keela** » 08 Feb 2011, 07:53

It's my daughter that makes the really good apple pies..... yum!

featherstick · Post by **featherstick** » 08 Feb 2011, 08:32

Keela wrote:No need for a breadmaker - use the No KNEAD recipe . Simple really.

Kneading is part of the joy of breadmaking! Why deprive yourself of all that sensuous pleasure? 15 minutes of active meditation, working magic on the ingredients, feeling them change from sticky paste to springy resilient pillow, and then kissing the dough to spread the love...

Keela · Post by **Keela** » 08 Feb 2011, 10:51

True...

BUT if I needed to knead it would only happen at weekends.

This way we have fresh bread through the working week too.....

Post by **adam2** » 16 Feb 2011, 10:39

Tinned tuna in oil is my favourite to hoard.
Bought from the co-op so hopefully it is ethicly obtained.
The oil contains valuable calories, or can be burnt in emergency in a crude lamp.
Spam is another favourite and has a long shelf life, can be eaten from the can but is much better fried in my view.

Tinned vegetables, soups, and fruit add variety but contain less calories for the space and money than spam or tuna.
Evaporated milk is useful esp as an enjoyable supplement to breakfast cereals and the like. Would be better than nothing for infants, but is not recomended normally.
Sweetened condensed milk contains more calories and is well worth stocking if you like it, I dont.
Golden syrup in tins keeps well and is perhaps better than sugar as the cans are vermin proof, unlike sugar packets.