BESTPREP.
ES SOS

Guide 05 · Hot meals

Cooking without power

If your stove is electric or induction, an outage leaves you with no way to heat anything. A hot meal lifts spirits a lot, but cooking the wrong way indoors is one of the most common causes of poisoning in emergencies. Here's how to do it safely.

2 min read · Reviewed on

First: carbon monoxide

Never indoors

Charcoal or gas grills, braziers, generators and outdoor camping stoves produce carbon monoxide, an odorless gas that can kill within minutes. Don't use them in the kitchen, living room, garage or an enclosed porch, even with a window open.

If you'll cook with a flame inside, use appliances rated for indoor use, in a well-ventilated area, for short periods and with a working CO detector.

Plan A: don't cook

The safest option and the one that uses no fuel. That's why the emergency pantry is built on food you can eat as is: canned beans, canned fish, nuts, crackers, canned fruit. Many canned foods are perfectly fine eaten cold.

Plan B: a camping stove, outside

  • Canister or propane camp stove: cheap, easy and fast. Use it on an open balcony, patio or yard. Keep spare fuel away from heat.
  • Butane stoves rated for indoor use, where sold: still with ventilation and never unattended.
  • Have two ways to light it: a lighter and matches.
  • Plan your fuel: boiling a quart of water uses little gas, but cooking dried beans or brown rice uses a lot. Prioritize quick foods: thin pasta, couscous, oats, white rice.

Plan C: retained-heat cooking

An old trick that saves up to half the fuel. It's called retained-heat or "haybox" cooking:

  1. Bring the pot to a boil for a few minutes with the lid on.
  2. Turn off the heat and put the tightly covered pot into an insulated box: a cooler, a box lined with blankets or a sleeping bag.
  3. Leave it for about twice the usual cooking time. The stored heat finishes the job.

It works very well for rice, pasta, pre-soaked beans and stews. Mind food safety: food shouldn't sit lukewarm for hours. If you cook meat, check it reaches a safe temperature, and bring it back to a boil before serving if it has cooled.

Other options

  • Solar ovens: work on sunny days with no fuel, though slowly. Useful in summer and sunny climates.
  • Power stations: a large one can run a kettle or small hot plate for a while, but it drains the battery fast. Better saved for essentials. More in power stations.
  • Your home's fireplace or wood stove, if you have one in good condition: good for heating water and simple cooking.

What to have

  • A camp stove and fuel for at least a week.
  • A pot with a lid and a small saucepan.
  • Lighter and matches in a zip bag.
  • A cooler or blankets for retained-heat cooking.
  • A manual can opener.
  • A carbon monoxide detector.