Survival Utensils

(Adapted from the U.S. Army Survival Manual)

Survival Cooking And Eating Utensils

Many materials may be used to make equipment for the cooking, eating, and storing of food.

Bowls

Use wood, bone, horn, bark, or other similar material to make bowls. To make wooden bowls, use a hollowed out piece of wood that will hold your food and enough water to cook it in. Hang the wooden container over the fire and add hot rocks to the water and food. Remove the rocks as they cool and add more hot rocks until your food is cooked.

CAUTION : Do not use rocks with air pockets, such as limestone and sandstone. They may explode while heating in the fire.

Steve's Notes: I've had rocks explode when used for fire-rings. Be careful with rocks collected near a river or lake.

You can also use this method with containers made of bark or leaves. However, these containers will burn above the waterline unless you keep them moist or keep the fire low.

Forks, Knives, and Spoons

Carve forks, knives, and spoons from non-resinous woods so that you do not get a wood resin aftertaste or do not taint the food. Non-resinous woods include oak, birch, and other hardwood trees.

Note: Do not use those trees that secrete a syrup or resin like liquid on the bark or when cut.

Pots

You can make pots from turtle shells or wood. As described with bowls, using hot rocks in a hollowed out piece of wood is very effective. To use turtle shells, first thoroughly boil the upper portion of the shell. Then use it to heat food and water over a flame.

Steve's Notes: I have cooked in containers made of birch bark. There are two methods. One is to drop fire-heated rocks into the liquid to bring it to a boil. The other is to use the pot directly over the flame. If the flame doesn't go above the level of the liquid, the pot birch bark pot won't burn, because the heat is conducted away quickly by the liquid inside.

Water Bottles

Make water bottles from the stomachs of larger animals. Thoroughly flush the stomach out with water, then tie off the bottom. Leave the top open, with some means of fastening it closed.

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