Make a Stove from a soda can!!

I don't know about you guys, but I am getting on the ball here. Things are looking very ugly and I don;t want to end up in a sticky situation and not know what to do. I just watched a few good videos about survival tips. Check them out and take notes.. I did..

How to make a stove from a soda can
www.wonderhowto.com...

How to identify wild plants for eating
www.wonderhowto.com...

How to survive in a cold environment
www.wonderhowto.com...

How to survive in a hot environment
www.wonderhowto.com...

Just a few videos that I hope you guys find useful. Anyone have anything to add, feel free

[edit on 15-10-2008 by KaginD]

I did make a video on how to make a stove, But the software sucks at saving it as a decent size, so I've never been able to upload anything.

I got a bit scientific when i did the vid, Due to some cans being slightly narrower than others, But yeah....for whatever reason I lose a stove in a sit x I would have to do that.

Well, what I was trying to find was a way to make a stove that I would be able to make things like bread in. I figure in the event of a depression, we won't be able to afford electricity. I have an electric stove, so it would be useless in that case. Anyone know how to make a stove that I would be able to bake bread in?

I hate asking that, but I am so accustom to the easy way of living that I never even gave it thought.

reply to post by KaginD



Hi, just dropped into the thread

sorry I have no instructions as to 'stove less bread baking'

However, you should be able to find heaps online about how to make damper, which is a bread made by Australian Aborigines over an open fire, using few and simple ingredients. Tastes good too, bit like scones

Or, online also you would be able to obtain info about making Lebanese unleavened bread, again over an outdoor fire, hot rocks, piece of iron or even tin. Again, it's great stuff

reply to post by Dock6


Thanks, I'm going to look into that when my son takes his nap. I was looking for a way to do it on google, and I came across the videos that I posted. I figured they could really come in handy to. I got a little sidetracked.

A couple of ideas come to mind on baking bread without gas/electricity.

One, a dutch oven. I have never made bread in one of these, but I have made cornbread, biscuits, pies, etc... may not work for bread as you are used to it, but will certainly bake items. All you need is a fire and some coals to put on top of it, works rather well IMO.

Next is a traditional brick oven. Granted, it would make much more sense to have something like this outside unless your home is very fire proof. Been using them in France for years to churn out fantastic bread. I've been meaning to build one of these, but never seem to have the time. Also with a quick look at google for brick ovens and earthstone ovens, evidently you can simply order these.

Last, if you have a wood burning stove, which with the price of heating oil and electricity I reccomend looking into if you can, you can purchase a flue oven. Works with the heat going up the chimney. I have one of these similar to the one in the link below and it works wonderfully. This I have actually baked bread in, and the result is much better than in a modern electric or gas oven.

Good luck with you, if you find any other ways to bake without modern appliances, please keep us updated.

Oven

One of the very best make-it-yourself stoves is the rocket stove. It can be easily assembled from a couple of pieces of stovepipe and some refractory bricks. Here is a link that talks about them:

Rocket Stove

And here is a collection of links regarding solar cooking. You'll find some cool solutions here, Kagin:

Solar Cooking

reply to post by salchanra


Thanks Salchanra! The dutch oven is something I will def. look into. I'm looking for something to bake bread in because I know that bread is filling and in the case where we don't have any food supply it can come in handy big time. The brick oven idea is an awesome idea that I didn't even think of. I am going to get the supplies and directions to building one and send my hubby into the backyard for a little man time He'll love that one. Thanks again, some really helpful ideas. I will post back if I find any last resort techniques or something like that, but you pretty much nailed what I was asking for.

The Rocket Stove is something else that seems ideal. Thanks for putting me onto that. Heres a pic for anyone that is wondering what it looks like.

Glad I could help, and nice pic of a rocket stove. Heard of them, but have never needed to resort to one. Looks like it would work. Same concept of the Kelly Kettle I use for heating water and cooking on.

Since you are building ovens and buying up dutch ovens, make sure you have plenty of ingredients on hand, milk, flour, and eggs dont grow on trees, at least not here.

reply to post by salchanra


Yeah I know. I got huge bags of flour, sugar, potatos, ect. All I needed was a way to use all this stuff in a worse case scenario. I never thought we would have to worry about something like this in our lifetime. I guess I was wrong. I feel bad for people like my grandparents the most though. Imagine going through TWO DEPRESSIONS

reply to post by salchanra


Your post reminded me of an episode of Good Eats wherein Alton Brown makes bread in a dutch oven on open coals:

FoodTV: Knead Not Sourdough

17 1/2 ounces bread flour, plus extra for shaping
1/4 teaspoon active-dry yeast
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
12 ounces filtered water
2 tablespoons cornmeal

Whisk together the flour, yeast and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the water and stir until combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to sit at room temperature for 19 hours.

After 19 hours, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Punch down the dough and turn it over onto itself a couple of times. Cover with a tea towel and allow to rest 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, shape dough into a ball. Coat hands with flour if needed to prevent sticking. Sprinkle the tea towel with half of the cornmeal and lay the dough on top of it, with the seam side down. Sprinkle the top of the dough with the other half of the cornmeal and cover with the towel. Allow to rise for another 2 to 3 hours or until dough has doubled in size.

Oven baking:

While the dough is rising the second time, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place a 4 to 5-quart Dutch oven in the oven while it preheats. Once the dough is ready, carefully transfer it to the preheated Dutch oven. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake another 15 minutes or until the bread reaches an internal temperature of 210 to 212 degrees F. Transfer the bread to a cooling rack and allow to cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

Outdoor coals:

Heat charcoal in a chimney starter until ash covers all of the coals. Place 20 to 24 coals on a Dutch oven table. Place a cooling rack, or other wire rack, that is at least 2-inches high, directly over the coals. Set a 5-quart Dutch oven on top of this rack and allow to preheat during the last 30 minutes of the second rise. Carefully transfer the dough to the Dutch oven and cover with the lid. Place 20 coals on top. Bake for 45 minutes or until the bread reaches an internal temperature of 210 to 212 degrees F. Transfer the bread to a cooling rack and allow to cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

Originally posted by KaginD
. Anyone know how to make a stove that I would be able to bake bread in?

Not necessarily for long-term use, but it'll certainly serve you well in a pinch.

Box Oven
odcooking.pragerfamily.net...





My wife was a scout leader for our daughter's troop. They had to make and use one on a retreat as one of their "badge" requirements. It's amazing what you can cook in one of these.

Sheppard's Pies, Cobblers, you name it.

-A box
-Aluminum foil
-Pie pan
-Charcoal briquets
-A rack of sorts. (we simply used a foil-lined cardboard divider)

- FOOD

When they returned from their weekend outing, we even used it to cook dinner that evening ... if only for the novelty of it at the time.


 

[edit on 16-10-2008 by 12m8keall2c]

Couldn't you strip out a microwave oven?

Just thinking here...

Here is a little article i did on my multi fuel stove. I have also made bread in it.

www.outdooridiots.com...

Here's another article I saved showing how to make a mud-brick oven. Common materials and relatively easy to build;

Wood-fired Oven

reply to post by 12m8keall2c


Thats pretty amazing I knew there were ways to do it, but that is thinking outside the box. Thanks, I am going to add that to my book that I write this stuff in.

Originally posted by jon1
Here is a little article i did on my multi fuel stove. I have also made bread in it.

www.outdooridiots.com...

Thanks! That was informative and funny at the same time I must say, the site name threw me a little though..lol

reply to post by KaginD


You need a Dutch Oven and a fire pit in your yard. Get yourself a good Dutch Oven cookbook. Keep a few cords of wood in hand. You can also cook in it in a fireplace if you have one.

Interior wood stoves with ovens are quite pricey to install. You won't be able to build your own unless you have a forge and foundry and the skills. You might look for an old wood stove at a flea market and have the chimney pipe, triple-wall and spark arrestor handy in your storage. You will need some flashing and roofing tar as well to install it. Make sure it has a safe fireproof base and backdrop so you don't burn your house down.

If used for cooking and heat in the winter, you can expect to go through many cords of wood and you will want a chainsaw and log splitter unless you want to spend most of every day gathering wood and cutting and splitting by hand. I have lived that way for extended periods. Survival is hard work.

In a real survival situation you make unleavened bread and cook it on rocks in the fire. They are like chewy little flavorless pancakes. Have a set of cast iron cookware around.

The best thing to do is find a friend who knows what they are doing. After the fact is no time to get skills. Most who were unfortunate enough to be raised in the cities will fail while us country bumpkins will thrive. So, be nice to us Just kidding of course

reply to post by jtma508


That looks like a good option in temperate climates. I don't know how helpful that would be with frozen ground and temps below freezing. I guess how you would do things is relative to where you live.

Thanks for the link.