9 Surprising Foods You Can Start A Fire With: Save These Survival Hacks

Believe it or not, some strange supplies can come in handy in an emergency without standard fire-starting materials: food! In a survival situation, food is typically something you want to store, but some items can also be used as actual fire starters. This is a list of the best combustible foods to use in an emergency to start a fire.

Crunchy Fire Kindling: Potato Chips

It's shocking how flammable potato chips, or any other oily snack item, can get. Chips burn with a consistent flame because of their thinness, oil content, and carbohydrate content. They're great as kindling when you're building a fire. Among the best chip choices are the following:

Potato chip fire starterPhoto byRichelleg

• Doritos
• Pringles
• Lays

A small handful of these popular snack chips can create a flame strong enough with other kindling to get the fire roaring.

Fritos Corn Chips: Fast and Hot Burning

Similar to potato chips, Fritos and other corn chips are high in fat and carbohydrates. They are perfect for starting fires because they ignite quickly and actually burn furiously. Fritos actually have a higher oil content and burn the best, in my opinion. The thicker structure of the Frito makes the fire burn longer and hotter combined with that oil, and it is my go-to snack starter.

Peanut Butter: Slow Burning

While it might not catch fire as fast as chips or Fritos, peanut butter burns surprisingly long when it does. Peanut butter burns slowly due to its oils and fats, which makes it perfect for starting maybe a wet kindling fire or a fire that's giving you trouble. It gives you a little more time to feed and nurture the fire. Apply a layer of peanut butter to the wrapper paper from the jar, small sticks, or dry leaves, then light it and baby it with more small sticks or leaves first. Though it won't burn for very long, it will burn long enough to light your kindling.

Peanut butter? Burning? Yes.Photo byRichelleg

Alcohol

Alcohol with a high proof level, such as rum or vodka, can absolutely start a fire. Alcohol burns with a strong flame and ignites easily. A tiny amount of high-proof alcohol can be lit on a dry surface and used to help start a fire in a survival situation. Alcohol can be volatile and burns quickly; therefore, it should be used with caution. It'll help warm your insides, too!

Nuts and Sunflower Seeds

Nuts high in oil, such as almonds and sunflower seeds, give our bodies energy as a snack but also have the ability to ignite fires. These seeds burn because of the oils in them. Whole or crushed, they can catch fire. However, I suggest crushing them before ignition for more surface area.

Coconut Oil: A Multi-Tool for Survival

In addition to being a highly nutritious food, it is also extremely combustible. Coconut oil will harden in colder climates, but it is still combustible in liquid form. Apply some coconut oil to dry kindling or a piece of cloth to ignite a fire. It will burn consistently once started, providing you plenty of time to start a bigger fire.

Canned Fish

Tuna torch!Photo byRichelleg

This one is fun! If you carefully pierce a can of fish in oil and roll a little piece of paper towel up as a wick, this tuna torch candle will burn for up to four hours. This will work for an emergency candle as well as a great way to start a fire.

Beef Jerky

Although dried meat and salt are typically utilized as a long-term food source, under the correct circumstances, beef jerky can catch fire. The jerky will burn more effectively the fattier it is. Jerky will not keep a flame as long as chips or nuts, but if it comes into contact with enough heat or flame in an emergency, it will burn.

Cheese Puffs

Cheese puffs are extremely flammable because, like chips, they contain a lot of air and oil. They are a wonderful fire starter and burn quickly. Their oil content gives them a bright, sustained flame, and their puffiness makes them quickly catch fire. When tinder or dry wood are in short supply, a handful of cheese puffs can work wonders to start a fire.

Other honorable mentions:

Garlic cloves, flour, powdered creamer, cooking oil, fat or grease, citrus peels.

Starting with FritosPhoto byRichelleg

Advice for Lighting Fires

These foods are excellent for starting fires, but to be sure you have success, follow these tips:

Stratification: Combine the combustible food with smaller kindling, such as twigs or dry leaves. The food will catch fire and burn, but more fuel will be needed to keep the fire going.

Atmosphere: Dry fuel will always catch fire easier. I know this is a no brainer, but if you're having trouble with starting a fire, your stuff is probably moist. The easiest thing to do is to make your fuel even smaller. Feather it. Shred it. Go find a pine and try and find an old limb still on the tree. Look for sap.

Prioritizing safety first: Recall that certain foods burn easily and fast at high heat. To keep the flames from spreading out of control, use caution and refrain from applying too much at once (like with that alcohol.)

Orange peel fire starterPhoto byRichelleg

Final Thoughts

When it comes to survival, adaptability is essential. Food conservation is always the top goal, but it's helpful to know which snacks and supplies double as fire starters. These common meals, like coconut oil and oily potato chips, could mean the difference between remaining warm or being left out in the cold. Therefore, think about including a few of these flammable items in your emergency survival kit the next time you're packing—they might just save your life!

Attributions:

Weber, A. (n.d.). Six Flammable Foods. Erie Insurance. https://www.erieinsurance.com/blog/six-flammable-foods

Corp, W. B. (2017, October 21). The Most Flammable Items In Your Kitchen - Williams Brothers Corp - Medium. Medium. https://medium.com/@wbcaoutreach/the-most-flammable-items-in-your-kitchen-b63885f3f6ea