Guide · Food

Cooking without power

In a power cut, you can still make hot meals and drinks. The most important rule is to keep fumes and flames outside, because carbon monoxide can kill without warning.

Safe options

Camping stove: gas or liquid fuel. Use outdoors, on a stable surface, away from anything that can burn.
Barbecue: charcoal or gas. Outdoors only, never in a garage, tent or porch, even with the door open.
Gas hob: many gas hobs still work in a power cut. Light them carefully with a match if the igniter doesn't work, and keep the room ventilated.
Wood-burning stove or open fire: if you have one fitted with a working chimney.
Camp fire: outdoors, in a cleared area, away from buildings, fences and trees.

Carbon monoxide danger

Never use a barbecue, camping stove, generator or patio heater indoors. Carbon monoxide has no smell or colour. Warning signs are headache, dizziness, sickness, tiredness and confusion. If you notice them, get everyone into fresh air straight away and call for help.

A battery carbon monoxide alarm is cheap and worth having.

Save fuel

Use a lid on every pan. Food cooks faster and uses less fuel.
Cut food into small pieces.
Soak pasta, rice, lentils and beans before cooking.
Boil only the water you need.
Cook one-pot meals.

Heat-retention cooking

You can finish cooking without fuel using stored heat.

Bring a pot of food, such as rice, porridge or a stew, to a full boil for a few minutes.
Put the lid on tightly.
Wrap the pot in towels, blankets or sleeping bags, or put it in a box packed with cushions.
Leave it for 1–3 hours. The trapped heat keeps cooking the food.

Reheat until steaming hot before eating if the food has cooled.

No-cook meals

Many foods don't need cooking: tinned fish and beans, peanut butter, crackers, cereal with long-life milk, dried fruit and nuts. Tinned food is already cooked and safe to eat cold.

Fire safety

Keep a bucket of water or sand nearby.
Never leave flames unattended.
Keep children and pets away from stoves and fires.
Store fuel outside and away from heat.
Make sure fires are completely out before leaving them or going to sleep.

This article is in the Grid Survivor app, searchable with no signal. Get the app · £4.99