Prepper must-haves: 25 Non-electric kitchen items for your homestead

06/20/2022 / By Zoey Sky

If you’re a prepper, you probably spend some of your money on various supplies for your survival stockpile.

When SHTF, feeding your family will be one of your priorities. If you’re worried about not being able to cook food during a long-term blackout when you have to bug in at home, make sure you also have non-electric kitchen items like a cast iron skillet and a can opener. (h/t to SurvivalSullivan.com)

Before you browse the non-electric kitchen items below, note that some things won’t be included in this list:

You should already have common items like table cutlery and utensils like ladles, spatulas and tongs.
This list doesn’t include fancy, novelty kitchen gadgets that only have one specific function because they are a waste of space and money.

These 25 non-electric kitchen items will save you time, effort and energy after SHTF.

Butter churn and molds

If you have cows on your homestead, you will need a butter churn and molds. If you make butter correctly, it will last for several weeks with little in the way of refrigeration.

Can opener

If you have a lot of canned food in your stockpile, make sure you have a manual can opener and at least two extra ones for backup.

Cast iron skillet

Cast iron cookware is versatile, but you need to clean and season it properly to make it last. You can cook using a cast iron skillet on a modern cooktop, a campfire or a bed of charcoal.

Chef’s knife

You need a high-quality and sharp chef’s knife for food prep. This knife can be used to process various cuts of meat and for delicate tasks like peeling, dicing and mincing.

Dough machine

With a hand crank dough machine, you can bake fresh bread at home without tiring yourself out with all the kneading. (Related: 13 Essential non-electric kitchen tools for your off-grid homestead.)

Drain board

Most American homes have a dishwasher, but when the grid goes down, you will be better off washing dishes by hand and drying things on a drain board.

Dutch oven

A Dutch oven is a useful piece of cookware. It’s deep like a pot and comes with a matching cast iron cover that can even cook food from above once it is preheated or has some charcoals piled upon it.

Use a Dutch oven to make cakes, casseroles, cobblers, stews and other dishes that you can’t prepare on a conventional skillet.

Fermenting crock

A fermenting crock is a large, usually earthenware container designed to create conditions where anaerobic bacteria can thrive. You need a fermenting crock to make tasty pickled foods like sauerkraut, kimchi or assorted pickled vegetables.

French press coffee maker

A French press coffee maker will be a hit with coffee lovers, especially if you need a cup of joe and there’s no electricity at home.

To make coffee with a French press, pour boiling water over coffee grounds, let the mixture steep for several minutes, then depress the plunger to filter out the grounds from the freshly made coffee.

A French press also has other uses:

Use it to steep loose leaf tea.
Use it to infuse warm milk with your favorite spices.
Use it to rinse grains like rice.
Use it to froth milk.
Use it to make homemade pressed juice.

Fridge pot

A “fridge” pot or zeer pot is an old tool used to cool or chill food using a nesting set of clay pots with a layer of wet sand sandwiched between them.

A zeer pot uses evaporative cooling to keep fruits, veggies, meats and dairy products fresher for far longer than they would be at ambient temperatures, especially if you live in hot, arid climates. Check online guides to learn how to make a zeer pot.

Hand chopper

A hand chopper is a star- or spade-shaped hand tool that is used with a cutting board or mixing bowl. The curved blades or projections accommodate a rocking motion and mashes, dices or minces vegetables and fruits to your desired consistency.

Hand crank grinder

With a hand crank grinder, you can make smoothies, soup, dip and other things.

You can use a classic meat grinder to make burgers and sausages, but other versions and attachments can be used to process vegetables and fruits without electricity.

Hand mill

If you grow your own grain, you can use a hand mill to process it into flour.

Hand mixer/egg beater

A hand-crank mixer is a manually powered version of an electric stand mixer that will do the same thing that you can do with a spoon, but better and with less effort.

Ice cream maker

Luxuries aren’t always a priority for preppers when SHTF, but having something like a hand-crank ice cream maker can boost morale for your whole family.

This item is ideal if you live in a colder climate or can easily get ice to cool it.

Manual vegetable slicer

You can save a lot of time during meal prep with a manual vegetable slicer.

Mechanical kitchen timer

Get a mechanical kitchen timer or egg timer so you can time and safely cook various dishes.

Mixing bowls

Get mixing bowls of multiple sizes so you can cook and bake at home.

Mortar and pestle

With a mortar and pestle, you can grind herbs and spices from your garden.

Peeler

You can get either a peeler that’s a simple hand tool or you can opt for a more powerful peeler that you can clamp onto your countertop to process more fruits and veggies.

“Pitcher” pump

With a “pitcher” pump, you won’t have to worry about not having a reliable water source after SHTF.

Set up an old-school pitcher-style pump to pump water in from a reservoir located outside your home.

Reversible grill pan/griddle

A reversible grill pan and griddle has a deeply ridged grill surface for grilling or roasting meat and vegetables. The other side is a flat, smooth griddle perfect for making a breakfast of bacon and eggs or baking cookies.