Tools to Use Your Food Storage Daily

When you get more involved in using and preserving Food Storage, you start realizing there are a lot of appliances out there that are either necessary or certainly helpful in getting the job done!

When determining what it is you need in terms of appliances, we recommend the “test yourself” theory. What we mean by that, is test yourself by either borsrowing, or doing things the hard way before buying an appliance. Try making bread by hand before buying an expensive mixer. SURE the mixer WILL make the job easier, and oftentimes make the bread turn out better, but see if you are dedicated enough to the habit or lifestyle before buying something you may never use. We borrowed wheat grinders, canners, and dehydrators before ever getting our own, and it was great practice to allow us to see what it was we wanted. So here are a few of our favorite appliances to help us use and preserve our Food Storage.

A Few Of Our Top Picks!

	Wondermill Electric: In an extended emergency with no power, we’ll use our Wonder Jrs, but day in and day out we LOVE our Wondermill Electrics. We have become so familiar with how to use our wheat, other grains, and legumes because the electric mill is so handy, that we’d be ready to use a hand grinder and not change our diets much at all. Emergencies aside, grain mills are great appliances to have to help you cook whole foods from scratch.
	Bosch Mixer: If you plan to make bread, pizza, or other baked goods frequently as you practice using your food storage, a Bosch can be a dream. It really does make your doughs turn out better and it is soooo much easier than hand kneading. We’d definitely consider this a luxury item, but if you can afford it, go for it!
	Electric Pressure Cooker: An electric pressure cooker is great for cooking dry beans, brown rice, and a variety of other foods that usually take much longer to cook. We’re talking from dry to cooked beans in an hour or less! It’s awesome. You can also use this for cooking a variety of meals in a hurry. We both use and love the Cuisinart Electric Pressure Cooker.
	Pressure Canner One of the cheapest and healthiest ways of increasing your supplemental long term food storage is to can your own foods. High acid foods can be canned with a regular and inexpensive water bath canning. But to get into more advanced things like canning meats and certain vegetables, you need a good pressure canner. Jodi currently uses a Presto pressure canner which works well for small amounts of canning, but is also saving up for an All-American pressure canner which is a little more industrial and doesn’t have a gasket that needs replacing.
	Super Blenders: Super Blenders are great to have for everyday, regular cooking, but also can help you use your Food Storage in ways you wouldn’t expect. Often times, these blenders can grind wheat or other grains into flours so you can avoid buying a wheat grinder. The more you start using your Food Storage, the more you’ll find you cook from scratch and eat healthier and these blenders sure come in handy. Jodi has and loves the BlendTec Blender and Julie has and loves the VitaMix. You can’t go wrong either way 🙂
	Tortilla Press and Cooker: After making tortillas by hand a number of times, and testing out this press of one of our friend’s, we were sold on it! Whole wheat tortillas that are made from scratch are so much yummier and healthier than any you could buy at the store. Use your Food Storage, be healthier, and make them much faster than by hand! This tortilla cooker presses, and COOKS the tortilla at the same time.
	Food Dehydrators: Another great way to add to your food storage is by dehydrating your own foods either from your garden or bought in bulk at a farmer’s market. Foods you dehydrate yourself have less preservatives and are much cheaper than purchasing dehydrated foods. When the time is right, this can be a good investment for your long term food storage. Our favorite brand is the Excalibur Dehydrator.