SEPTEMBER 4, 2015
DEMA launches Fifth Annual Emergency Kit Cook-Off
Community asked to create emergency kit recipes fit for space
PHOENIX—Since 2011, the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs (DEMA) has sent everyone who submits a recipe to the annual Emergency Kit Cook-Off an apron—plain white with the Kit Cook-Off logo splashed across the bib. In return, we sometimes get “selfies” from people sporting them in their home kitchens.
Aprons are great, but for the fifth annual Kit Cook-Off we wanted to give the Whole Community an added reason to exercise their emergency supplies kits.
This year, DEMA has added a twist to the Kit Cook-Off. A bona fide NASA food scientist from the Space Food System Laboratory at the NASA Johnson Space Center (@NASA_Johnson) in Houston will rate and review five (5) Kit Cook-Off recipes that he/she thinks American astronauts might like to eat in space. It turns outs that space food is not that different from what you can make with emergency supplies.
The public has until Wednesday, Sept. 30, to create a recipe that uses at least one Featured Ingredient and only nonperishable pantry and kit items. This year’s Featured Ingredients are:
· Black beans
· Tang (any flavor)
· Dried fruit (e.g., peaches, pears, apples, prunes)
· Honey
· Freeze-dried eggs
Participants are encouraged to use manual appliances (e.g., a can opener and hand whisk) instead of modern appliances—especially microwaves—in the preparation.
Recipes are accepted year-round at EmergencyKitCookOff.org but only those who submit during National Preparedness Month in September will get a Kit Cook-Off apron and commemorative mission “patch,” while supplies last.
For more information on how to participate, visit EmergencyKitCookoff.org/participate. Potential participants can also follow the Kit Cook-Off on Twitter and Pinterest, and “like” us on Facebook.
The Emergency Kit Cook-Off is a participatory preparedness activity meant to inspire the Whole Community to build an emergency supplies kit. For those who already have a kit, the Kit Cook-Off is a good time to use and restock any items near expiration.
