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Loadshedding cooking tips that will keep you smiling

Loadshedding is a pain in the…. With the stages fluctuating, it makes it near impossible to be fully prepared for meal times especially when you are working a full time job. Don’t you also feel like juggling meal times during loadshedding kind of feels like a circus!?!

Here are some meal time survival tips to get you through load shedding, particularly those 4 hour long stretches.

Preparation

  1. Stock up on pantry staples
    Make sure you have plenty of essentials that do not need refrigeration or a lot of cooking time. Canned beans, bottled pasta sauce, tuna, packet soup as well as pasta and rice are a no-brainer.
  2. Plan ahead for meal time
    Check your schedule regularly so you can plan ahead. If you meal-plan ahead for the days to come, you can ensure that you have everything you need. Make sure you have easy meals that can be reheated on a gas stove or kept warm in a Wonderbag. Avoid meals that require the oven unless you own a gas oven.
  3. Invest in a slow cooker
    On those days that load shedding is once a day and during dinner time then use a slow cooker. A slow cooker is an excellent appliance during load shedding. It cooks the food slowly, uses minimal electricity and does not need to be monitored constantly. Prepare your meal in the morning and it will be ready by the time you are back from work.
  4. Use alternative cooking methods
    – A braai is always a winner and does not need to be over a weekend only.
    – If you do not have a gas stove then invest in a camping stove.
    – Finishing a meal in a Wonderbag saves electricity
    – An Instant Pot or pressure cooker can save time when you need to cook in a hurry before loadshedding hits.

Cooking

Keep your cooking simple and easy. Stick to recipes that require minimal prep time and don’t require a lot of cooking time. This might include dishes like salads, sandwiches, and other easy-to-make dishes that don’t require electricity.

This is my go-to list:

  • Prepare sandwich fillings like tuna and mayo or chicken and mayo in the fridge. Keep cold meats and grated cheese at hand
  • Make soups ahead of time that can be reheated on a gas stove
  • If cleaner eating is on your to-do list, then now is a great time to start enjoying salads
  • Stir fry vegetables and meat on a gas stove or a camping stove. Use a wok or a large frying pan for best results of course.
  • Omelettes or Egg Porlo are always a good option
  • Noodle Salad can be bulked up with grilled chicken
  • Wraps and pitas are easy to fill with leftovers or cold meat and salad
  • Tuna Salad on crackers
  • Braai
  • Bottled pasta sauces and pesto make preparing a pasta dish on the gas even quicker

While Eskom is making all of us want to pull our hair out, I hope these tips help make life just a little easier for you. Keep smiling. ☺️

By Munira Allie
Project Manager by day, everything else all of the time. A wannabe baker and passionate chef who loves an adrenalin rush cos it makes me feel most alive. I love fast cars and daydream about superbikes. I have a predilection for all things nature and love capturing the Almighty’s majestic beauty even more. If I had a statement to describe my life it would be “she turned her can’t into can and her dreams into plans”.

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