It seems like an obvious skill, but these days not many people know how to cook in primitive conditions. A lot of people will insist they were great home cooks, but the successful post–crisis cook will need their own pots and pans which can survive open flame or other primitive cooking conditions. A $20 Teflon coated skillet will fall apart if put in a fire while a cast iron skillet and five gallon steel stockpot will be great survival tools.

People used to low fat foods and nonstick coatings won’t know how to cook in cast iron, which requires copious amounts of fat. People from small families won’t know how to cook multiple gallons of soups and stews which are about to become staple foods. A skilled cook can prevent everyone from wasting valuable, limited food resources in exchange for a reasonable portion of what they prepare.