How should we cook?
We use camping stoves to cook our food each morning and night. Our stoves burn gasoline, which is a fossil fuel that comes from deep down in the earth.
Fossil fuels are basically stored energy from that originally came from the sun. A long, long time ago organisms made energy from sunlight, just as plants and algae do, and then were buried for a long time to become oil. It could be said that fossil fuels are batteries of ancient sunlight. Fossil fuels are amazing resources, but they are non-renewable. That means if we use them all up, they’re gone.
The rangers we’ve been staying with cook their food using wood. Although the amount of wood they burn is small, they still need to cut a few trees from the rainforest.
To heat something, like food, requires energy. Energy can come from natural gas, electricity, the sun, coal, nuclear energy, water, wind, and the list goes on.
We’ve been wondering if there might be an alternative method of cooking our food while on the trail. Do you have any suggestions or ideas? How does your kitchen work at home? What resources do you use to heat your food?
Comments
We had mix of opinions on this matter. SOme of us think wood and some of us think fossil fuel. Too bad you dont have a microwave.
Posted by: Michelle Ebel (Third Grade Teacher) | May 4, 2007 8:40 AM
I use microwaves,stoves and that is all that I use in my house.I think you should cook food whilre on the trail
Posted by: jessy | May 4, 2007 9:07 AM
cooking over a fire
Posted by: Nick | May 4, 2007 9:08 AM
fossil fuel
Posted by: tj | May 4, 2007 9:09 AM
fossil fuel
Posted by: tj | May 4, 2007 9:09 AM
fossil fuel
Posted by: tj | May 4, 2007 9:09 AM
fossil fuel
Posted by: bob | May 4, 2007 9:10 AM
I think you should use wood but only in places with a plentiful amount of wood and not were there is a scarcity of wood.
Posted by: Josh Dunne | May 4, 2007 9:12 AM
Some of us think you should find things on the forrest floor to burn. Others wonder if you could use the sun's energy in any way to cook your food, but we couldn't think of a way on the trail. We feel that any way we go we will be hurting our environment.
Posted by: Caulk | May 4, 2007 9:41 AM
We suggest you use corn cobs to burn for fuel.
Posted by: St. Mary 6th grade | May 4, 2007 9:42 AM
The rangers could use a solar oven, for sure. On gloomy days, they could use only wood that is already down and cut only wood that is abundant and grows fastest. Also, make a larger attempt to eat foods that do not require cooking.
Posted by: John Sherwin | May 4, 2007 9:48 AM
We think that you should use fossil fuels over trees, as cutting down any more trees should be avoided. If you find wood that is already on the ground, you could use that to cook also.
Posted by: Mrs. Risberg's Class | May 4, 2007 11:41 AM
I think that you could cook your food over the camp fire. I think that would be useful so you don't have to waste all our natural resources. Like wood, trees, and all our outside stuff. So good answer right? I hope it is right, but I don't think it is!
Posted by: Anonymous | May 4, 2007 12:17 PM
You should u braches from the tress. and heat them up with a rock and a stick
Posted by: Vincent T. Thadduis Young III | May 4, 2007 12:33 PM
wood
Posted by: slorang | May 4, 2007 1:02 PM
You should use solar powered cooking. It will take longer, but you help the environment.
Posted by: Brian B. | May 4, 2007 1:29 PM
This was a very hard one for us because we are trying to stay away from wood or fossil fuels.
Sun light is used for your computer, why can't it be rigged to produce heat?
How about something that focuses the sunlight?
Can a portable wind power unit be set up with a battery for heat?
Posted by: Class 303, Cicero | May 4, 2007 1:46 PM
I think at you sould burn some of the food that you are going to put in the soil.
Posted by: pamela diaz | May 4, 2007 2:36 PM
I think you sould cook rice beans and fishes it very important to eat beans to not loos pawerso eat what I seid you will not get sick!!!!!!!
Posted by: isadora | May 4, 2007 2:38 PM
How about using only wood that you find that is already dead. I also like the idea of a solar stove--but that is likely not to be practical except when you are in camp for a long period of time.
Excellent "daily dilemma".
Posted by: Henry | May 6, 2007 7:03 AM
We think you should have a small bunsen burner with you, or if you can't, then you could heat some rocks. They stay hot a long time!
Posted by: Mrs. Bredfeldt's Class | May 7, 2007 11:03 AM
You should use hot rocks underground to
cook your food.
Posted by: Mrs.Dokman's class | May 8, 2007 8:45 AM
You should use hot rocks underground to
cook your food.
Posted by: Mrs.Dokman's class | May 8, 2007 8:45 AM
cooking over fire.
Posted by: Anonymous | May 9, 2007 10:02 PM
Go to some marketplace and get yourself some Kingsford charcoal and a grill
Posted by: RJ Walsh | May 10, 2007 9:53 AM