The Thermos

A Common Yet Unique Piece of Emergency Preparedness Equipment

Because commercially dehydrated foods are small, hard, and brittle, the thermos is a fuel efficient method of reconstituting them. They take time, heat and water—things you won't have a lot of in an emergency situation. By the same token, whole grains and dry beans also require time, heat, and water to make them edible. But lacking time, heat, or water, you can still use whole grains and legumes, if you have to, by employing a little creativity and imagination.

Your common, everyday thermos bottle or jug is actually a unique piece of emergency preparedness equipment that can turn otherwise difficult-to-prepare storage foods into acceptable food for an emergency situation.

Using a thermos bottle or other insulated jug with a tight-fitting lid to soak or reconstitute these foods allows for more efficient fuel and water usage during crisis times. Thermoses retain their heat without continual fuel usage.

For example, instead of simmering dehydrated apples on a camping stove for twenty minutes (the normally recommended method of reconstitution), you can heat water to almost boiling and pour it into a thermos jug over the apples, cap it tightly, and go for a hike for about an hour. When you return, check to see if it's ready. If not replace the lid and soak a little longer.

The results are the same, yet you have used substantially less fuel and less water, since none of it is lost to evaporation.

If your thermos does not have an insulated lid, you can approximate the same insulation qualities by covering the lid with a dish towel folded several times and topped with a saucepan lid or upside down bowl or saucer.

Many different sizes to choose.

Thermoses or insulated jugs range in size anywhere from a one-cup child's lunch box size up to a two-gallon camping jug.

A standard one-quart thermos bottle will only hold about one cup of dry wheat kernels, while a gallon-sized or bigger camping jug will hold four or five times that much.

You may want to take a minute now, while water isn't preciously guarded, to measure the capacity of your thermoses. Write it on the bottom with a permanent marker.

Expansion Room is a Must

Knowing the capacity of your thermos is important because dehydrated foods or whole grains and beans expand to two or three times their original size after soaking or reconstitution. You must allow sufficient room for expansion.

A general rule of thumb is two parts water to one part product. Whatever the capacity of the container, divide that number by three to determine how much dehydrated food or grain you can soak in it.

If the bottle will hold 1-1/2 cups of water, then you can safely put 1/2 cup of product in it and one cup of water. If it holds 12 cups of water when you measure it, it will accommodate 4 cups of product and 8 cups of water for reconstitution purposes. Keep in mind that this is a general rule; beans, for example, can be an exception. Some types of beans can increase in volume 3 or 4 times, not just double. When using beans in a thermos, use fewer beans until you're familiar with how much they will expand.

Be sure to use sufficient water. Too much water is better than not enough water. If the water is insufficient, the product will get wet, absorb what water is available, and that will be all. It may not be enough to make the food edible. If you use too much water, the product will absorb all it needs for full reconstitution, and you can simply drain off any unabsorbed liquid and use it as juice or stock for soups.

Using several thermoses at the same time gives you more options, particularly if you have a large family. If you decide to purchase one or two now for future use, I highly suggest choosing ones that have wide mouths. I'll tell you up front, it can take patience and time getting the cooked food out of your thermos if it is one of the small-mouthed varieties. You'll have to use a knife or long-handled spoon to help it out of the bottle. It will be inconvenient but remember, during an emergency situation, everything is going to be inconvenient. This is just one of the minor annoyances you may have to put up with in order to have warm, healthy food to eat.

To use your thermos for reconstitution or preparation purposes, measure your food product into the thermos bottle or jug. Add the right amount of very hot, but not boiling water. Boiling water can cause plastic thermos bottles to melt and can shatter glass-lined bottles. Stainless steel is a better choice for a thermos and boiling water won't damage it.

Screw the lid on tightly and shake the jug gently to stir it up. Then wait. Dehydrated food should be completely reconstituted in an hour or so. Whole grains or cracked beans take longer, maybe 8 hours or so. The smaller the chunks or kernels of food, the faster they will be done. Oatmeal or other flaked grains can be prepared in a much shorter time span than whole grains or beans. The thermos system is appropriate for pasta also; the preparation time is often no more than half an hour or so.

Here's a bonus idea for using your thermos and picnic jugs in emergency cooking situations: Heat as large a container of water as possible while your emergency stove is in use. Fill as many thermoses as you have with hot water. Put the lids on tightly and set them aside. You will then have hot water for hot drinks throughout the day or evening without using additional fuel.

Thermos food preparation isn't limited to plain grain or a single variety of dehydrated food at a time. It can be used to prepare an entire meal. Try this recipe for thermos soup. It's delicious, easy to prepare, and, if started in the morning, is ready to eat for dinner. The only fuel required is what is needed to heat the water initially.

How is your thermos supply?

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