First: carbon monoxide
Never indoors
Charcoal or gas grills, braziers, generators and outdoor camping stoves produce , 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. A lighter can run dry and matches can get wet.
- 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:
- Bring the pot to a boil for a few minutes with the lid on: the lid holds the heat in and saves fuel.
- 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.
- 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.