Cooking is a skill, the importance of which cannot be overstated. Not only will it allow you to stomach your food in survival situations but also make sure that all the bacteria and parasites are killed. Food poisoning isn’t something you want to come down with when you’re trying to survive.

Practically speaking, the best way to cook is by making a fire (more on that in the next section). As a skill of survival, one should be able to cook food without cooking utensils. A great way of cooking simply is hot-stone cooking.

HOT STONE COOKING

Start by creating a fire atop a layer of nonporous stones, as soft porous stones might explode on heating due to high moisture. This is the ideal method for cooking fish, frying eggs or thin slices of meat.

• Allow the fire to burn for about an hour or so. In the meantime, you can prepare your food for cooking. • Brush away the embers using a handful of long grass. • The food is directly cooked on top of the hot rocks. Consider them like a frying pan. Alternatively (using fist sized stones): • Dig out a pit about 1 to 2 feet between 30 and 60 cm deep. The diameter and depth of the hole should be equal. • Properly pack the wall of the pit and the base. • Cover the bottom layer with hot stones and then add a thin layer of soil. • Wrap your fish or meat in a fresh green plant, like moss or leaves. • Place the packed meat inside the pit. • Add another layer of sand on top and hot stones. • Cover the pit with another layer of sand or earth. Leave this setting intact for as long as you want it to cook and then disassemble the makeshift oven to enjoy your meal.