I am SS embarrassed!

[Denim Deb]

OK, do you need to add heat, or just put something in the pan?

 

[Marianne]

OK, do you need to add heat, or just put something in the pan?

No, just the room temp is enough to thaw out something. I have used any black metal dish/pan to thaw things out.

You all have some good points. I could lose the microwave, computer, tv, even cell phone (if ya wanna talk to me, come knockin' on my door)....freezer, fridge or A/C? All of those would be a bite. So would my stove. Cooking a meal on a wood fired cookstove when it's 110F is NOT my idea of fine living.

 

[TanksHill]

Thanks for the cast iron info. I have heard the same about granite. I still thundering a sink or bowl of water will be quicker.

I love all my fancy gadgets as well. But most will go when I finally aquire my homestead.

Just because I probably won't have the space.

G

 

[Marianne]

Thanks for the cast iron info. I have heard the same about granite. I still thundering a sink or bowl of water will be quicker.

I love all my fancy gadgets as well. But most will go when I finally aquire my homestead.

Just because I probably won't have the space.

G

Yes, for me, if it's in a Mason jar, it goes in a bowl of water to thaw. Coffee cannister seems to be the right size. I try not to use plastic, but sometimes they go in a bowl of water, too.

I never was a gadget person but I sure have acquired some, mostly from my nomad son who just wants to 'store' his stuff here...for years.

 

[hqueen13]

Oh, the microwave can go. Sure I'd have an issue without it, but I'm sure I'd get creative and figure out how to live without it. I'd love to move and NOT get one, but I have a feeling the other half would object! TV, I could live without too, though I sure would miss it during football season (and I'd miss Pawn Stars and Ridiculousness... and some of the other fun things I stumble across when I VERY rarely actually pick up the remote...). The dryer can go, too, though fluffing the towels and jeans in the dryer for a few minutes before hanging them sure does make them softer.
Beyond that... must have fridge, stove, freezer and washer. I love my little toaster oven, too, that would be a bummer to live without. Cell phone and computer/tablet would be a real bad thing to live without because that is half of how I stay connected to people that are far away and there is no land line anymore. That could change when we move further out of town though, depending on the cell signal I guess!
Going to have to remember the cast iron trick... I usually use the small sink with hot water in it.

 

[BarredBuff]

For me it would be this computer........

I do everything on it! SS research, writing, and purchases for us........

This would be the hardest thing to let go.

 

[baymule]

I have spent weeks with no electricity due to hurricanes. Yes, I can survive without modern conviences, but I prefer not to. The whole purpose of being SS is knowing that if push came to shove, yes I can do it. I have spent a couple of weeks at a deer camp, cooking in a fireplace or bbq pit, no running water, no bathroom and bathing in a pond. (it was cold ) I had a blast, it was fun, but it was nice to go home. If one of your modern conviences craps out and you really miss it, you are not a failure!

 

[Arica]

I am slowly not using the microwave never use a dish washer but like the computer.

 

[Daffodils At The Sea]

Isn't it a surprise to find out just how much you use something when you don't have it? Going solar got rid of a lot of appliances for us. Down-sized fridge, and in the winter months (short days/storms) it has to be on a timer so it only runs every other hour, or it takes the batteries down too far, so no freezer that stays frozen, but turns out it stays cold just the same in the fridge. I can fruits and make liqueurs instead of freezing. I gave up meat almost entirely because of no freezer, and there's so much garbage involved with meat! I had no idea! Packaging, bones, skin, it's a lot of work packing that stuff in and out! So it's a lot easier without it. I was really surprised about that.

The electric cooktop that I thought would be quick, isn't, and it takes too much solar, so that's out. I saw once where some houses in the tropics don't have stoves inside, they use barbeques outside, and that has turned out to be a great alternative. Keeps grease out of the kitchen, no greasy cleanup on the wall behind the stove, no stove, in fact!! Baking, frying, simmering in cast iron works great on very little propane. Vacuuming, depending on how many days it's been overcast, has to be run on the generator. Don't use the generator much, but it has to be run on occasion to keep it in good shape. We even have a solar oven than works like a crockpot, several hours at 300-350 does great soups and stews.

The microwave, however, is a great power saver. it's a low-wattage one, and I've found hot tea and coffee can get me through just about any crisis. It isn't quite strong enough to do popcorn, but I can do it in small batches. My husband has found popcorn to really make things easy for him in the bathroom department, better than Metamucil and special cereal.

I wouldn't want to be in this rural place without a cell phone, though. If we ever fell and hurt ourselves, or got the truck stuck (which I have), had an accident of some kind, or got stranded on the road, it's a safety thing that I am glad to have.

 

[k15n1]

Isn't it a surprise to find out just how much you use something when you don't have it? Going solar got rid of a lot of appliances for us. Down-sized fridge, and in the winter months (short days/storms) it has to be on a timer so it only runs every other hour, or it takes the batteries down too far, so no freezer that stays frozen, but turns out it stays cold just the same in the fridge. I can fruits and make liqueurs instead of freezing. I gave up meat almost entirely because of no freezer, and there's so much garbage involved with meat! I had no idea! Packaging, bones, skin, it's a lot of work packing that stuff in and out! So it's a lot easier without it. I was really surprised about that.

The electric cooktop that I thought would be quick, isn't, and it takes too much solar, so that's out. I saw once where some houses in the tropics don't have stoves inside, they use barbeques outside, and that has turned out to be a great alternative. Keeps grease out of the kitchen, no greasy cleanup on the wall behind the stove, no stove, in fact!! Baking, frying, simmering in cast iron works great on very little propane. Vacuuming, depending on how many days it's been overcast, has to be run on the generator. Don't use the generator much, but it has to be run on occasion to keep it in good shape. We even have a solar oven than works like a crockpot, several hours at 300-350 does great soups and stews.

The microwave, however, is a great power saver. it's a low-wattage one, and I've found hot tea and coffee can get me through just about any crisis. It isn't quite strong enough to do popcorn, but I can do it in small batches. My husband has found popcorn to really make things easy for him in the bathroom department, better than Metamucil and special cereal.

I wouldn't want to be in this rural place without a cell phone, though. If we ever fell and hurt ourselves, or got the truck stuck (which I have), had an accident of some kind, or got stranded on the road, it's a safety thing that I am glad to have.

My understanding is that a microwave is not very efficient. If you're heating something small, it may use less energy because you don't have to heat the pan, etc. But for more than 2 C my instructions say it's more efficient to use a stove. And others have compared the microwave to the stove [1] and found that the stove uses less energy but costs about the same. And the clock display uses a lot of energy. Put it on a power strip so you can turn it all the way off!

1. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=stove-versus-microwave-energy-use