Here are 10 foods that will not only keep unrefrigerated for days or weeks but actually taste good.
10. Eggs.
Believe it or not, fresh eggs will stay good unrefrigerated for seven to 10 days. The fresher, the better, so get eggs from a local farm if you can. When in doubt, use the float test to check freshness. Fill a cup with water. If the egg lays at the bottom of the cup horizontally, it’s fine to eat. If it floats, get rid of it.
9. Spam
Fried spam and eggs.
8. Tuna And Other Canned Fish
Regular canned tuna is actually pretty good, truth be told. Also, the pre-seasoned packets of tuna are all the rage right now. Don’t overlook other canned fish, like smoked sardines and salmon.
7. Fresh Coffee and Tea
Okay, not a food, but for some these items as important, life-sustaining elixirs. There will be enough hardships to deal with and good coffee is easy to make with no power.
6. Pasta and Rice
Boxed macaroni and cheese. That cheese powder is shelf-stable and the stuff never tastes as good as when eaten by candlelight.
Rice can be used for a plethora of savory dishes and you can also make a really decent rice pudding with dried fruit and evaporated milk.
5. Peanut Butter and Jelly
Peanut butter and jelly, considered individually, are some of the most flexible foods around. There’s just so much you can do with them. Obviously, while there’s still fresh bread around, you can make sandwiches, but be sure to have crackers on hand for when that runs out.
4. Jerky, Dried Beef and Dried Sausage
Jerky and dried sausages are some of the most tasty foods ever invented that don’t need refrigeration. But, they’re all high in sodium and eating too much is just not good for you. It’s a snack, not a lifestyle.
3. Pudding
Hurricane dining can be a way to reconnect with easy childhood snacks, and there’s just something comforting about pudding.
2. Fruits and Vegetables
Keep in balance by stocking up on hardy fresh fruits and vegetables that can survive room temperature for a while. Bananas will keep for about a week . Also carrots, broccoli and cauliflower.
Citrus fruits, like oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruit, keep for a few weeks, as do melons, apples and hard-skinned gourds, like butternut and spaghetti squash.
1. Prepared Indian Food Packets
They’re not as good as freshly-made from an Indian restaurant, but they’re still some of the most flavorful, shelf-stable food available. Get several different kinds, make a pot of rice, have a makeshift buffet and dream of when you’ll get to dine out again.