Cold Weather Cooking Tips

Stoves used on snow must be set on a support or they’ll melt the snow beaneath and quietly sink out of sight. Fires built in snow must also have suitable support.

Don’t set stoves on pieces of closed-cell foam (so the fuel tank will retain heat… and pressure) as is recommended by some authorities. A hot stove will melt the foam and stick solidly to it.

Pot covers are essential for winter cooking: Open pots lose too much heat, in subzero temperatures, water may not reach boiling unless it is placed in a covered pot.

Snow provides natural windscreen: Dig in your stove so it’s completely protected from the wind. Subzero temps and a good wind will lengthen cooking times considerably.

Insulate your water bottles so they won’t freeze: Carry water bottles in an inside parka pocket so they won’t freeze. In camp, store them upside down in the snow. The frozen interface will then be at the bottle’s bottom and you’ll be able to pour the liquid from the capped end. Snow is a marvelous insulator: Water bottles stored overnight this way will be “pourable” come morning.

Light for the kitchen: Winter nights come early; often there is unsufficient light to cook by. Traditional flashlights lose power in cold weather and are awkward to hold. Select instead a powerful headlamp with a conventional bulb or LED. Lithium batteries - or a separate battery pack that you can keep warm inside your parka - are seential when it’s bitterly cold. Tip: To preserve night vision, place a red plastic filter over your light.

Securing drinking water in winter: Sometimes you need to bore through the ice of a frozen lake. For this, an ice chisel is better than the traditional cumbersome auger. Fit a short length of threaded pipe to the tail of the chisel so you can screw on a pole to provide weight when chopping. Don’t use a hand axe for chiselling; it is awkward and dangerous.

How to wash dishes in subfreezing temperatures: Heavy rubber gloves will protect hands from cold.Dishwater should be near boiling. A copper sponge or 3M nylon pad is all you need to remove food particles from pots and bowls. Detergents aren’t necessary, as there is no bacterial growth in subfreezing temperatures. In fact, dishes need not be washed at all. Some authorities recommend that you clean dishes with snow - a particularly inefficient practice. Boiling water and gloves work much better!

Foods that don’t work well in winter: Frozen cheese looks and tastes like candle tallow. Peanut butter and jelly are sure to be frozen; there is no way to keep these items thawed unless you carry them in your pockets.

Gasoline is dangerous in cold weather! Gasoline, naptha (Coleman fuel), and kerosen freeze at very low temperatures. If these fuels contact exposed skin in subzero temperatures, instant frostbite will result. Always wear rubber gloves when fueling stoves in cold weather.

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