How to cook without electricity, safely

Start with the food that needs no cooking. GOV.UK Prepare’s kit list names “Non-perishable food that doesn’t need cooking, such as ready-to-eat tinned meat, fruit or vegetables (and a tin opener)” (checked 29 August 2026). If you do cook, cook outside: camping stoves and barbecues never come indoors.

The rule that comes before every other rule

Carbon monoxide is the reason this page exists. The NHS describes it plainly: “Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas that can make you seriously ill if you breathe it in”, and “Carbon monoxide gas is colourless and does not smell, so you cannot tell if it is around you” (checked 29 August 2026).

London Fire Brigade’s carbon monoxide guidance is the line to remember, quoted exactly (checked 29 August 2026):

“Never take portable or disposable BBQs, grills or charcoal fuel burners into your home or any confined spaces such as a tent, houseboat or caravan.”

The Brigade also warns that a barbecue keeps producing carbon monoxide after you think it is finished. On its barbecue page: “After cooking, let it cool and make sure it is properly out – smouldering ashes can give off dangerous carbon monoxide fumes and can be fatal.”

So the rule is absolute, and it covers more than barbecues. No camping stove, no disposable barbecue, no charcoal or gas barbecue, no patio heater and no generator inside the house, inside a garage, in a porch, in a tent, in a caravan, or on an enclosed balcony. Opening a window does not fix it. The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland puts the ventilation myth to bed for generators: “Using fans will not prevent carbon monoxide build-up in the home.”

The Food Standards Agency reaches the same conclusion from the kitchen side. Listing camping stoves, barbecues and bottled gas stoves as power cut options, it adds: “Please check the manufacturer’s instructions for safe use of these appliances, as most are designed for outdoor use only” (checked 29 August 2026).

If anyone in the house develops a headache, dizziness, sickness or confusion while an appliance is burning, the NHS advice is to stop using it, get out into fresh air, and not go back in. Call NHS 111, or 999 if someone is very unwell.

The honest first answer: eat things that need no cooking

Most power cuts are hours, not days, and the calmest response is not to cook at all. GOV.UK Prepare’s kit list is built on exactly this: “Non-perishable food that doesn’t need cooking, such as ready-to-eat tinned meat, fruit or vegetables (and a tin opener)”.

The Food Standards Agency agrees that heat is optional: “Some foods such as tinned foods will be safe to eat without heating through” (checked 29 August 2026).

A no-cook evening looks like this, and children usually think it is a treat:

The emergency food shelf page covers what to keep and how long it lasts. Work through the fridge first, then the freezer, then the cupboard, which is the order set out in keeping the fridge cold.

Two hygiene points from the Food Standards Agency while you are eating without power. It asks you to wash your hands before touching food, and if the water supply is affected too: “You can use alcohol-based hand sanitiser for cleaning your hands or antibacterial sprays or wipes for surfaces and utensils.”

Gas hobs: they often still work

The Food Standards Agency is clear about the difference: “Electric/induction cookers will not work during a power cut, but gas cookers may continue to function” (checked 29 August 2026).

The catch is the ignition. Most modern hobs light with an electric spark, and no electricity means no spark. Citizens Advice covers exactly this in its power cut advice: “Use long safety matches or a gas lighter to light your hob safely” (checked 29 August 2026).

Before you do it, check your appliance’s own manufacturer instructions. Hobs differ, and yours is the only guide to whether it may be lit by hand and how. If the manual does not say, or you cannot find it, do not improvise: use the no-cook food above instead.

Two more things worth knowing about a gas hob in a power cut. The oven and the grill usually will not work, because their controls, timers and fan are electric.

And the hob is for cooking, not for heating the kitchen. London Fire Brigade lists gas cookers among the appliances that can produce carbon monoxide, and fire services say it plainly. Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service: “Do not use a gas oven to heat your home, even for a short time” (checked 30 August 2026). County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service: “Don’t use your oven to heat the house: It’s not designed for that and can be a serious fire risk” (checked 30 August 2026). If the heating is off, keeping warm without heating has the safe version.

If your cooker or boiler has behaved oddly, or you smell gas, the National Gas Emergency number is 0800 111 999, which is the number London Fire Brigade tells people to use before returning home after a suspected carbon monoxide incident.

Cooking outdoors, done properly

If you have a garden, a yard or an open driveway, outdoor cooking is fine. The safety comes from where you do it, not from being careful.

London Fire Brigade’s barbecue rules, verbatim (checked 29 August 2026):

“Position your BBQ on level ground (not decking) and keep it well away from anything that may catch fire such as sheds, fences or trees.”

“Never light a barbecue in an enclosed space and don’t use accelerants to get it going.”

“Don’t use a BBQ on a balcony. Flames, sparks and hot embers can cause a fire and spread quickly to other parts of the building.”

“Avoid distractions from people around you and never leave the BBQ unattended.”

“Keep children, pets and garden games a safe distance from the BBQ. Have a bucket of water or sand nearby for emergency use.”

“Avoid drinking alcohol if you are in charge of the BBQ.”

And afterwards: “After cooking, let it cool and make sure it is properly out – smouldering ashes can give off dangerous carbon monoxide fumes and can be fatal.” Leave it outside to cool. Do not bring it into the porch, the shed you sleep near, the bathroom or the hall.

One practical note on the food itself. Cooking takes longer on a camping stove or barbecue than on your hob, and the Food Standards Agency asks you to “take extra care that food is steaming hot and cooked through”. Cut something open and look before you serve it.

The flask trick, done before the power goes

The most useful cooking you do in a power cut happens before it starts. When a storm is forecast, or the moment the lights flicker, fill a vacuum flask with boiling water and another with tea or soup.

That gives you hot drinks for hours without a flame in the house, and a warm drink is worth more to a cold, nervous household at 9pm than a cooked meal. If you have a baby, Citizens Advice’s power cut advice notes that if you cannot boil water, “you should use pre-mixed formula” (checked 29 August 2026).

Two flasks and a kettle filled ahead of time will get most families through an evening outage without anyone needing to light anything.

No garden, no balcony you can use: what then?

Flats are the hard case, and the answer is honest rather than clever. You cannot cook outdoors safely from a fourth-floor flat, and London Fire Brigade’s ban on barbecues on balconies is not a technicality.

So the flat plan is:

• Eat from the no-cook list above. It is designed for exactly this.
• Use the gas hob if you have one, lit as described, for a kettle and one pan.
• Fill flasks the moment you know something is coming.
• Ask a neighbour with a garden if you need something hot for a child or an older relative. Most people say yes.
• Check whether your council has opened a warm space. Citizens Advice points people towards council-run warm spaces such as libraries during power cuts, and they usually have hot drinks.

For the wider picture, see what to do in a power cut.

What this asks of your body

Not much, but a bit. Carrying water, lifting a full pan by torchlight, crouching at a low camping stove outside and getting back up again all take a small amount of strength you only notice when it is missing. The five ready body tests are a gentle way to check.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use a camping stove indoors if I open a window?

No. London Fire Brigade says “Never take portable or disposable BBQs, grills or charcoal fuel burners into your home or any confined spaces”, the Food Standards Agency notes most such appliances are “designed for outdoor use only”, and HSENI warns that “Using fans will not prevent carbon monoxide build-up in the home”.

Will my gas hob work in a power cut?

Often yes. The Food Standards Agency says “Electric/induction cookers will not work during a power cut, but gas cookers may continue to function”. The spark ignition usually will not work, so Citizens Advice advises: “Use long safety matches or a gas lighter to light your hob safely”. Check your hob’s manual first.

Can I leave the oven on with the door open to warm the kitchen?

No. Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service says “Do not use a gas oven to heat your home, even for a short time”, and County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service says “Don’t use your oven to heat the house: It’s not designed for that and can be a serious fire risk.” Heat one room instead.

Can I use a disposable barbecue on my balcony?

No. London Fire Brigade says “Don’t use a BBQ on a balcony. Flames, sparks and hot embers can cause a fire and spread quickly to other parts of the building.” An enclosed balcony is worse again, because carbon monoxide has nowhere to go.

What can I eat that needs no cooking at all?

GOV.UK Prepare suggests “ready-to-eat tinned meat, fruit or vegetables (and a tin opener)”, and the Food Standards Agency confirms “Some foods such as tinned foods will be safe to eat without heating through”. Add bread, crackers, cheese, UHT milk and long-life juice and you have several meals.

Can I run a generator in the garage with the door open?

No. HSENI’s guidance is “Do not use a generator indoors or in partially enclosed spaces- including homes, garages, and crawl spaces”, and also “Do not operate near open doors and windows.” Generators live outside, well away from the house, and you should have a carbon monoxide alarm indoors.

Is a barbecue safe to bring inside once it has gone out?

No. London Fire Brigade warns that “smouldering ashes can give off dangerous carbon monoxide fumes and can be fatal”, and that barbecues should never be taken into the home or any confined space. Let it cool outdoors, then dispose of it outdoors.

How do I keep hot water without power?

Fill vacuum flasks before or as soon as the power goes, while the kettle still works or while a gas hob is available. A good flask will hold water hot enough for tea for hours, and that covers most household outages without anyone lighting anything.

Sources & review

• NHS: Carbon monoxide poisoning. Checked 29 August 2026. Colourless and does not smell; barbecues and camping stoves used inside as a cause; get out into fresh air and seek medical advice.
• London Fire Brigade: Carbon monoxide safety. Checked 29 August 2026. “Never take portable or disposable BBQs, grills or charcoal fuel burners into your home or any confined spaces such as a tent, houseboat or caravan”; gas cookers, portable LPG heaters and generators listed as CO sources; Gas Emergency number 0800 111 999.
• London Fire Brigade: BBQ safety. Checked 29 August 2026. Level ground, not decking, away from sheds, fences and trees; never in an enclosed space; not on a balcony; never unattended; children, pets, bucket of water; smouldering ashes and carbon monoxide.
• Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland: Safety tips – using a portable generator in an emergency. Checked 29 August 2026. No generators indoors or in partially enclosed spaces; not near open doors and windows; fans do not prevent CO build-up; refuelling.
• Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service: Carbon monoxide: minimise the risk. Checked 30 August 2026. “Do not use a gas oven to heat your home, even for a short time.”
• County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service: Safer heating. Checked 30 August 2026. “Don’t use your oven to heat the house: It’s not designed for that and can be a serious fire risk.”
• Food Standards Agency: Food safety in a power cut. Checked 29 August 2026. Gas cookers may still work; appliances designed for outdoor use only; tinned food safe without heating; steaming hot and cooked through; hand hygiene.
• GOV.UK Prepare: Get prepared for emergencies. Checked 29 August 2026. Non-perishable food that does not need cooking, and a tin opener.
• Citizens Advice: Prepare for a power cut. Checked 29 August 2026. Long safety matches or a gas lighter for a hob; pre-mixed formula if you cannot boil water; council warm spaces.

This is a fire and carbon monoxide safety page. It quotes Fire and Rescue and NHS guidance verbatim and is awaiting review (reviewedBy: TBC-first-aid).