How to cook without power or gas, safely

When the power, and sometimes the gas, goes off, a hot meal becomes a luxury. In the short term you can eat perfectly well cold. But after a few days, especially in winter, a hot soup matters a lot for morale and body warmth.

Rule one: safety

Never use a camping stove, charcoal grill, kerosene stove or any other fuel-burning flame indoors, on an enclosed balcony or in a garage. Carbon monoxide has no smell and can kill you in your sleep. Fit a carbon monoxide alarm if you have any gas appliance at home.

The options, safest first

1. Food that needs no cooking

The simplest solution: canned fish and beans, crackers, peanut butter, dried fruit, nuts. Always keep part of your supply as food like this. See the non-perishable food list.

2. Electric hob on a power station

With a powerful enough portable power station (at least 1,500 to 1,800 W output and over 1,000 Wh capacity), you can use a small induction hob or an electric kettle indoors. They produce no fumes, so they’re the only truly safe option inside.

Use them sparingly: boil only as much water as you need, put a lid on the pan and switch off a little before the end.

3. Camping stove, outdoors

For a house with a garden or an apartment with an open balcony, a camping stove with a canister or small gas bottle is the cheapest option. A 220 to 450 g canister lasts a few hours of cooking.

• Put it on a stable surface, sheltered from wind.
• Never leave it unattended and keep children away.
• Store spare canisters somewhere cool, away from heat.
• Change the canister only once the stove has cooled, outdoors.

4. Grill or fire, in the garden

If you have a garden, a charcoal or wood grill works as a backup. Never in a garage, tent or under a closed roof.

Passive cooking: half the fuel

Many foods don’t need to boil the whole time, just to sit in hot water:

1. Bring rice, lentils, oats or pasta to a boil for a few minutes.
2. Put the lid on and move the pot into a large food thermos, or wrap it in towels and blankets inside a box.
3. Leave it 30 to 60 minutes (rice and lentils) or overnight (soaked beans).

This can cut gas or electricity use several times over and works as well in a power cut as on a camping trip.

Simple meals from your supplies

• Red lentil soup: lentils, dried onion, a stock cube, water. 15 to 20 minutes.
• Rice with tuna and corn: passively cooked rice, a can of tuna, a can of corn, oil, salt.
• Pasta with tomato sauce and beans: thin pasta (cooks fast), jarred tomato sauce, a can of beans.
• Oatmeal: oats soaked in long-life milk or hot water, with dried fruit and honey.

Checklist

• I have 3 days of food that needs no cooking
• I have a camping stove and spare canisters (for outdoor use)
• I have matches and lighters
• I have a carbon monoxide alarm
• I have a food thermos or know how to cook passively
• I have a manual can opener