Shelter in Place Plan

Pancakes from Shake Mix

Just-add-water pancake mix shaken in its bottle and cooked in a pan on an outdoor stove, topped with canned fruit.

  • Serves about 9 small pancakes, 3 per serving
  • Time 20 min
  • Heat Outdoor stove
A stack of pancakes with syrup and fruit beside a frying pan on a camp stove

Shake-bottle pancake mix needs only water, so it suits a pantry with no eggs or fresh milk. A pancake breakfast can make a long outage feel a bit more normal for children.

Ingredients

  • 1½ cups (190 g) "complete" just-add-water pancake mix, or one shaker bottle
  • safe drinking water, the amount on the package
  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil, for the pan
  • syrup, canned fruit or applesauce, to serve

Equipment

  • Camp stove or barbecue burner, outdoors only
  • Frying pan or griddle
  • Spatula
  • Shaker bottle or bowl and whisk
  • ¼ cup (60 mL) measure

Fuel used

About 15 minutes on one burner at medium-low. A large pan or griddle cooks more at a time and uses less fuel overall.

Steps

  1. Set the stove up outdoors on a flat, stable surface, at least 20 feet (6 m) from doors, windows and vents.
  2. Add safe drinking water to the shaker bottle up to its fill line, or mix the mix and water in a bowl as the box says. Shake or whisk until only small lumps remain.
  3. Heat the pan over medium-low and wipe it with a little oil.
  4. Pour about ¼ cup (60 mL) of batter per pancake. Cook until bubbles form on top and the edges look set, then flip.
  5. Cook the second side until there is no wet batter in the middle. Repeat, adding a little oil as needed.
  6. Turn the stove off and serve with syrup or canned fruit.

Swaps from the pantry

  • Any "complete" box mix that needs only water.
  • Drained canned blueberries or peaches stirred into the batter.
  • Peanut butter on top instead of syrup.
  • Cook all the batter at once; pancakes keep better than opened, mixed batter.

Allergens

  • Wheat
  • Dairy
  • Egg
  • Soy

Pancake mixes contain wheat, and many contain milk, egg or soy. Check your box.

Ingredients vary by brand, so read every label for your household's allergies.

Food safety

  • Check every can before you open it. Do not use food from cans that are leaking, bulging or badly dented, or that have a deep dent on a seam.
  • Once opened, eat it within 2 hours, or 1 hour when it is above 90°F (32°C). If your fridge is working and at or below 40°F (4°C), put leftovers in a covered container and refrigerate them. If not, throw leftovers out. See food safety when the fridge fails.
  • Use safe drinking water for everything here, and especially for water that is not cooked: bottled, or boiled or treated as in treating water.
  • When in doubt, throw it out. Do not taste food to test it.

Where to buy

Some links earn me a commission at no cost to you. How this works

  • Camp stove, outdoor use only

    Coleman: Coleman Classic 2-Burner Propane Camp Stove

    A two-burner propane stove for cooking through an outage; use it outdoors only, never indoors or in a garage, because it produces carbon monoxide.

    Check prices and optionsat Amazon.comCheck prices and optionsat Amazon.ca

  • Battery-operated carbon monoxide alarm

    Kidde: Kidde KN-COB-B-LP Nighthawk Carbon Monoxide Alarm, Battery Operated

    Kidde lists it as UL Listed with an electrochemical sensor, and it runs on 3 AA batteries so it keeps working in a power outage.

    Check prices and optionsat Amazon.comCanadian link coming soon

  • Battery-operated carbon monoxide alarm

    Kidde: Kidde C3010 Worry-Free Carbon Monoxide Alarm, 10-Year Sealed Battery

    Kidde lists its Canadian C3010-CA as CSA Listed with an electrochemical sensor and a sealed lithium battery, so it keeps working in an outage; check the listing shows the CSA mark before buying.

    US link coming soonCheck prices and optionsat Amazon.ca

Sources

Updated