The Problem Index → Storage
I have no refrigeration — how do I keep food cool?
Two honest options, and which one works for you is decided almost entirely by your climate and your water table — not by how clever the build is.
What actually works
◇ Plausible
The zeer pot (pot-in-pot cooler)
Real cooling in dry air — about 8°C measured in field testing. Does almost nothing above 40% humidity, and no video mentions where it was filmed.
$20–40◆ Proven
A root cellar
Below 4 ft, soil temperature barely moves. 32–40°F at 90–95% humidity, no power, forever. The best cold storage most people can build.
✕ Avoid
Not for meat or dairy, ever
Neither a zeer pot nor a root cellar reaches safe refrigeration temperatures for meat or milk. Don't let a clever build talk you past that line.
Also searched as
keep food cold without electricity · no fridge · root cellar · zeer pot · evaporative cooler food · cool storage off grid · cold storage no power