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Cooking with Basic Foods
When storing emergency
foods, many people accumulate very basic foods, such as dried beans,
wheat, corn, or other grains. These foods are easily stored and very
nutritious. Yet many people are unfamiliar with the best ways to cook
these basic foods.
In an emergency, you might be able to provide nourishing food, but it is
even better if the food is also appealing. By learning how to prepare
and season these foods ahead of time, you will not have to figure out
how to do so in an already stressful situation.
Dried Beans
Those accustomed to eating canned beans may be unfamiliar with cooking
methods for dried
beans[http://www.harvestonfarms.com/Pinto-Beans-p/dh21.htm]. The first
thing to remember is that when cooking dried
beans,[http://www.harvestonfarms.com/Red-Kidney-Beans-p/dh18.htm] it
takes a significant amount of time to re-hydrate them. However, they
will cook more quickly if they are soaked before cooking.
First, rinse the beans, and pick out any debris. Next, many people soak
beans overnight using three times as much water as dried beans.
Alternately you can do a “quick soak.” Cover the beans with cold water
in a pot and bring it to a boil. Move the pot off of the heat, and allow
the beans to soak for an hour or two. The larger the bean, the longer
it will need to soak.
After the beans have been soaked, drain the soaking water, and cover the
beans with fresh water. Set the pot on the heat, allowing it to simmer
for 60-90 minutes or until the beans are tender. Then you can add
additional ingredients, such as seasonings, tomatoes, and salt.
To season beans, follow your own tastes. Stir in a teaspoon each of
dried garlic, onion powder, and some oregano for a tasty basic bean
dish. If you are in the mood for Mexican food, you can add some dried
tomatoes, cumin, dried chili peppers, or red pepper. Stir in the
seasonings a pinch at a time, and taste after each addition. Remember
that you can always add more seasoning, but you cannot take the
seasoning out of the beans if you added too much.
Dried Grains
Dried grains are very nutritious and high in fiber. The easiest way of
using dried grain is to grind it into flour
[http://www.harvestonfarms.com/Victorio-Hand-Crank-Grain-Mill-p/m03.htm]
or cornmeal, and then use it in recipes. Cornbread, wheat bread,
biscuits, muffins, and pancakes can all be prepared with a mixture of
cornmeal and wheat
flour[http://www.harvestonfarms.com/Hard-White-Wheat-p/dh27.htm]. To
stretch your wheat flour, you can substitute cornmeal for up to
one-fourth of the flour. This will also provide a change in flavor and
texture, as well as supplying additional nutrients. To vary the flavor
of bread, you can add a teaspoon of oregano for Italian bread or a
teaspoon of chili powder for Mexican-style bread.
If you do not have access to a grain mill, you can eat the grain whole.
Cover one-half a cup of grain with two and a half cups of water.
Simmer the grain from one to three hours, or until tender. Add a
teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of cinnamon, and sugar to taste. You can
eat this like cooked cereal.
If you have any leftover cooked cereal, allow it to cool in a bread pan.
Later you can slice it, and fry the slices in hot oil until they are
slightly crispy on the edges. Serve this like pancakes.
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