Kitchens are every home’s hub. They’re almost always busy, and there are so many daily chores. There are tons of work happening there – from cleaning vegetables and eggs to butchering, baking, and preserving.
It’s important to have your kitchen properly equipped with the correct tools to make home life easier. Unfortunately, a lot of electricity is used in many modern kitchen appliances and gadgets. Thankfully, there are some awesome powerless options for the off-grid homesteader or those looking to save on their electric bill.
1. Percolator – You want the finest coffee? They’re super easy to use, can be used without a filter, and are ideal for making coffee on a stovetop, wood stove, or even on an open fire. Make it like your grandparents did!
2. Hand Crank Coffee Grinder – Freshly ground is often best on the subject of delicious coffee. Hand crank coffee grinders are also quite nice to look at!
3. Hand Crank Flour Mill – You’ll want a flour mill if you make bread. Freshly milled flour is delicious, and with off-grid people in mind, many flour mills are made to be hand cranked. Plus, many models of the hand crank can also handle nuts, making it easy to make your own delicious nut butters.
4. Solar Oven – It is possible to use solar ovens to bake anything in a regular oven, but they do not use electricity! They’re perfect for summer when you don’t want a modern oven or wood stove to use for baking in the house. They’re affordable to buy or some great DIY plans are available, such as this one here: how to make your own solar stove.
5. Hand Crank Mixer – Although mixers might not be an absolute necessity, they definitely make life a lot simpler. Hand crank versions of basic dough mixers are available, or some individuals prefer to turn modern stand mixers into hand crank mixers.
6. Manual Food Processor – A quality hand crank food processor will save you loads of time if you are preserving a lot of your own food. When canning or preserving large batches, especially chopping several ingredients.
7. Solar Dehydrator – There is nothing like a dehydrator to bring the harvest in place. They’re perfect for tomatoes, spices, mushrooms, and even jerky! However, conventional dehydrators need quite a bit of electricity. Solar dehydrators can be a great choice if you have limited energy or want to save money.
8. Pasta Maker – Though homemade pasta is delicious, it takes forever to hand roll and cut the noodles. It is easy to make big batches of pasta with a pasta maker, so you can even dry some for later.
9. Meat Grinder – A meat grinder is an important tool for your kitchen whether you’re hunting, raising your own animals, or buying meat in bulk. Versions of the hand crank are simple to control.
10. Stovetop Waffle Iron – Waffles are fantastic and that doesn’t mean you can’t get them just because you’re off the grid. For delicious, electricity-free waffles, check out cast iron waffle irons.
11. Butter Churn – A churn can be a fantastic investment if you’d like to make homemade butter. A butter churn is less tiring to use, even if it is possible to make butter only by shaking a jar. Moreover, butter churns really give your homestead kitchen the old-fashioned touch.
12. Hand Crank Blender – Hand crank blenders might sound strange, but they work! You’ll need an electricity-free hand crank blender if you’re a fan of hummus, smoothies, or pesto.
13. Kitchen Scale – Although they may not see a great deal of use in the home of your average person, homesteaders often need scales in their kitchen. They’re great for recipes for super precise food preservation or projects such as soap making. Digital scales are good, but you’re going to need lots of batteries or a source of electricity. To save cash, opt for an old-fashioned scale.
14. Rocket Stove – While they’re not ideal for indoor use unless you build one in your home, for a summer outdoor kitchen, they can be awesome. It’s super fuel-efficient and easy to cook. Here’s an article on how to make a rocket stove for free.
15. Popcorn Popper – Even if you still have a microwave, it can save you tons of money by popping your own popcorn rather than purchasing microwaveable bags. Poppers are inexpensive and are fun to use over a campfire in particular.
16. Tea Kettle – For more than just tea drinkers, tea kettles are important. They are much simpler to pour from than a pot and can be used on chilly nights to fill hot water bottles, heat water for dishes to wash, or heat water for hot chocolate and instant meals.
17. Stovetop Toaster – For many families, toast is a breakfast staple. Thankfully, stovetop toasters are super cheap and can be used on campfires, stovetops, or wood stoves without requiring an outlet.
18. Dutch Oven – Almost everything cooked in a Dutch oven is perfect. The thick lids and dense sides heat evenly and seal well for soups, stews, breads, pies, and more in flavor. They can be used directly in an open fire as well.
19. Egg Beater – For much more than eggs, egg beaters are fantastic! For whipping homemade dressings, sauces, mayonnaise, and whipped cream, they’re a go-to appliance.
20. Can Opener – It seems that electric can openers have made their way into everybody’s kitchen. Buy a hand-operated one, save power, and get a little arm workout!
21. Water Filter – Even if you’re getting water from a pond, stream, or well on your farm, a quality water filter will help ensure that your family gets clean drinking water.
Related: How to Make Your Own Distiller at Home To Filter And Desalinate Water
22. Timer – Everyone is used to having a timer on their oven or microwave readily accessible, but it’s convenient to have a small wind-up timer while dealing with powerless appliances.
23. Mortar & Pestle – They’re lovely and perfect for whatever needs to be crushed or grounded. You may use them to break herbs or guacamole-like sauces/dips.
24. Apple/Potato Peeler – These peelers make the job much quicker if you do a lot of food preservation.
25. Salad Spinner – Salad spinners are invaluable for anyone eating and developing a lot of greens. They will last longer when processed when your greens are spun out well after washing, and dressings will stick better to leaves that are not too damp.
Who needs appliances for electric kitchens when you’re a homesteader? Without wasting extra money on an electric bill, these 25 power-free devices will help you cook from scratch, put up your harvest, and put awesome food on the table.
