Cooking In A Power Cut

Cooking in a power cut is becoming a problem with winter power cuts becoming more frequent and many of us depending on electricity for heating and cooking.

We have given some advice on how to keep warm on our Surviving the winter page, here we give advice on cooking during a power cut.

What works in a power cut?

  • If you have a Calor gas Cooker you won't have any problems, you can buy see a range on our  Calor gas cookers page
  • If you have a suitable wood burning stove you may be able to cook using it. For information on wood burning stoves visit The Home Fire Shop.
  • Most modern gas cookers have electric ignition and electrically controlled (or fully electric) ovens, with most you can light the hob with a match but not the ovens. Some have safety cut-outs which turn off the gas if the electric fails.
  • During flooding, water may into gas mains meaning your gas cooker will not work.
  • Electric cookers will not work without electricity.
  • Microwaves, Electric kettles, toasters, grills and all plug-in electric powered cooking appliances will not work.
Cooking in a power cut, using a camping stove outside

The Solution - Use A Camping Stove

Camping stove - indoors, isn't that dangerous?

All gas appliances, such as Calor gas heaters or mains gas cookers,  burn fossil fuels (Gas, Coal wood etc...) which use oxygen and produce Carbon Monoxide as a waste gas.

Used inside these appliances must have ventilation or the depletion of oxygen and build up of waste gas can suffocate and poison anyone in the room.

The kind of camping stove we recommend  is safe to use inside as long as you take sensible precautions;

  • Place it on a flameproof level stable surface where it cannot be easily knocked over.
  • Make sure there is adequate ventilation in the room you are cooking in.
  • Change Gas cylinders or canisters outside and away from ignition sources.

Camping stoves come in all types, you can see a full camping stove selection here.

As you are going to be using your camping stove indoors, we advise on safety grounds against using spirit burner types, ones mounted on gas cans and alpine or backpacker type single-burner models.

You are going to be using this as a substitute for the family cooker so we recommended ones are two burner models which are more than capable of cooking a meal for a family of 4 and can run off bigger gas bottles with enough gas to cook a full menu for a few days.

These models are also more stable than other types and less likely to get knocked over.

 Note on making a cuppa: Most of us use electric kettles, these cannot be placed on a camping stove. Use a saucepan to boil water instead (keep the lid on & the water will boil quicker).

 Warning: Never use a BBQ indoors, they are designed for outdoor use only.

Camping Stove the Campingaz 2 burnet stove with grill

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Campingaz Camping Chef Stove and Grill 

If this one is out of stock you can view Campingaz's other models here

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See the full review here


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Campingaz Camping Chef Stove and Grill with Clips and Tubing

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 Visit our Surviving the Winter page for more tips on how to prepare for winter weather and power cuts.

What do you do for heating during a power cut? Visit our Calor Gas reviews page to see a range of recommended portable gas heaters.

Why heat up a whole house when you're only using one or two rooms? Have a look at our Energy Saving Page for tips on cutting energy be ills.

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