13 Essential non-electric kitchen tools for your off-grid homestead

04/27/2022 / By Zoey Sky

While electric appliances are convenient, when you’re dealing with a long-term power outage you may have trouble cooking if most of your tools run on electricity.

As a prepper or homesteader, having manual or non-electric kitchen tools ensures that you can prepare meals and preserve food even after the grid goes down. (h/t to ModernSurvivalBlog.com)

Below is a list of manual kitchen tools that you can stock up on before SHTF so you can cook even if there is no electricity.

Analog kitchen scale

If you bake a lot, you will need a quality analog kitchen scale that measures ounces and pounds. Make sure the scale is easily readable so it’s easier to prepare big or small recipes or weigh garden yields.

Camp stove and camp oven

If you cook on an electric stove, invest in a backup like a camp stove and camp oven and extra fuel.

When the power goes out, you’ll have a backup cooking method if it’s not safe to cook outdoors on a grill or an open fire.

Hand crank grain mill

If you make your own bread from scratch, you’ll find that a hand crank grain mill is very useful. With a grain mill, you can also grind wheat into flour for bread and other baked goods.

Practice with a hand crank grain mill because it takes more work to grind grain, but it’s worth it if you don’t have electricity for weeks or months.

Mandoline (mandolin) slicer

A mandoline or mandolin slicer is a sharp kitchen tool with a flat surface fitted with a sharp blade. This tool lets you slice vegetables and fruits precisely and safely.

To use a mandoline, you slide the vegetable or other item back and forth across the blade to get perfect, uniform slices into a receptacle below. Slice the item at different angles to get different kinds of cuts.

Some mandolines can also dice and chop. Use a mandoline when preparing vegetables in bulk while home canning or dehydrating.

Manual can opener

You need a can opener to open various canned foods so don’t rely on an electric can opener that will be useless once the power goes out. Make sure you have a backup hand crank can opener or two for your survival stockpile.

Manual coffee grinder

When SHTF, adults can find comfort in a warm cup of coffee. If you need a daily cup of joe, get a manual coffee grinder and stock up on coffee beans.

Alternatively, you can stock up on freeze-dried coffee. (Related: 15 Tools every prepper needs to make life on a homestead easier after SHTF.)

Manual meat grinder

If you hunt or raise livestock for meat, get a manual meat grinder so it’s easier to process meat for daily consumption.

With a manual meat grinder, you can process game meat without electricity or make sausages.

Manual pasta maker

With the right tools and ingredients, you can also make pasta at home using a manual pasta maker.

While it’s convenient to stock up on boxed pasta, homemade pasta is fresher and tastier. Invest in a manual pasta maker so you can make pasta for dinner even if the power is out.

Manual rotary egg beater

You’ll need a rotary egg beater so you can cook breakfast or bake more easily. Get an egg beater with the crank handle so you can quickly mix up ingredients for smaller baking jobs and other tasks even without electricity.

Mechanical kitchen timer

Digital timers often require batteries or charging, but you won’t have that problem with mechanical kitchen timers.

Use a mechanical kitchen timer when cooking eggs or baking to get the timing right.

Mortar and pestle set

If you prefer to grow and preserve your own herbs in a garden, get a mortar and pestle set to grind spices and herbs. With a natural marble mortar and pestle, you can easily grind herbs and spices that will give all meals a natural flavor boost.

Sifter

Pair a hand crank grain mill with a sifter. Using a sifter after grinding wheat into flour helps make fluffier bread because it removes any remaining clumps.