UK family's rice-and-pasta stockpile exposes overlooked carb sources in their blackout preparations

A United Kingdom household turned to Reddit for advice on carbohydrates that could be eaten without boiling water.

Here's what to know

Avoiding supermarket queues during supply disruptions was another reason to keep food at home. In a post on Reddit, the original poster described a family of four preparing for short interruptions to water and electricity.

"We don't have a gas hob for cooking so if the electricity supply goes off, our stock of dried pasta and rice will be useless," they revealed. "We have a few rice pouches ready but what other sources of carbohydrate should I be considering? Obviously with long storage dates!"

"Tinned beans, lentils, chickpeas - all good low GI carbs (steady energy release with no sugar spikes) with protein," one commenter offered. "All fine to eat cold or heat if there's any way to do so."

The original poster admitted in response, "We are vegetarian and pescatarians so have tonnes of tinned beans and pulses, but only considered these for their protein value. Forgot they a great for carbs. It has been a long day!"

What else did commenters say?

Sweeter options appeared among the recommendations, too. One commenter proposed canned fruit and rice pudding. Their suggestions also included canned soups and pasta, crackers, cereal, and oatcakes.

Another commenter's suggestion of shelf-stable powdered milk offered a mix-as-needed option. The OP, who had asked about replacing cold milk with water for overnight oats, also said they needed long-life milk.

Finding combinations everyone would eat was the goal of an experiment proposed by another Reddit user. Cupboard ingredients like sweeteners, dried fruit, or vanilla and cinnamon could provide the flavorings for a comparison of separate quarter-cup portions of oats soaked overnight in water, milk, and juice.

Outdoor cooking was also already a part of the family's preparations. The OP said they had set aside charcoal and firewood.

For households with outdoor space, another commenter described buying a secondhand gas barbecue with a side burner for £25 (about $33 USD), including a full 22-pound (10-kilogram) propane tank.

Where can I learn more?

Many people in the U.K. have planned ahead for outages in different ways.

• A family's annual £200 food purchase created a monthlong buffer for four people.

• A household paired 50 liters of water with solar backup and two go bags.

• A parent proposed a trial-run power outage, prompting advice against shutting off gas.

• A new parent received a power cut alert and decided to start prepping.

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