5 loadshedding cooking strategies

These load shedding recipes are designed to make your life easier in many ways. It's not all raw and cold meals: planning and shopping ahead is crucial, "cook" without heat (lemon juice is your best friend) and take things outside to the braai.

Our top load shedding tip: if you don't have a gas hob, it's well worth purchasing a small camping gas stove. At the very least, you'll be able to boil water for your morning coffee, heat up leftovers or sear a quick steak.

Keep your pantry stocked with a few versatile basic ingredients (think rice, tinned lentils and bean, tinned tomatoes, and tinned fish) and you'll be ready to whip up one of these load shedding recipes at a moment's notice.

Read more about load shedding pantry staples - and how to use them - here.

1. Go raw

Eating raw isn't all sad salads and uninspiring dishes. Try a delicious Italian-style beef carpaccio, Asian-inspired tuna sashimi or wholesome, quick-to-prepare salad.

Alternatively, put together a trendy poké bowl (pictured below). The key is to prep all the ingredients before you combine them and serve immediately.

Try: tuna poké plates (pictured above).

Try: Beef carpaccio with coriander, chilli and lime pesto

2. "Cook" without heat

Citrus juice is your load shedding best friend, helping you to successfully "cook" everything from baby marrow strips and artichokes, to yellowtail and salmon for ceviche.

Try: Lemony garlic marinated baby marrows (pictured above).

Try: trout ceviche with pomegranate dressing (pictured above).

Browse more ceviche recipes here.

3. Batch cook

The power is on? Quick! Cook a big batch of staples - think rice, roast veg, mince - and keep them in the fridge. It'll be quick and easy to throw together a hearty meal when the lights go out.

Try: load shedding rice. Add either trout fillets or rotiserrie chicken to bulk up the meal.

4. Fast & furious early prep

A little bit of planning is required here - so factor in a few minutes with microwave, stove top or blender before load shedding kicks in.

This puttanesca baked fish is a current favourite at TASTE HQ. Using frozen hake fillets and pantry ingredients, it will be ready in 20 minutes, max.

A quick pasta (try this tagliatelle and smoky tomato sauce, pictured below) or stir fry (like this teriyaki salmon noodle bowl are simple solutions to meals in a hurry.

Browse more meals that will be ready in 30 minutes (or less!) here.

5. Fire up the braai

Sure, braaing is already in your blood, but you don't have to be everyday-ordinary when load shedding strikes.

Try: hand-chopped burgers with kimchi.

Try: braaied chicken risotto

Browse more braai recipes here.

6 tips for rescuing your dinner during a power cut.