The power is out. What do I cook with?
You do not need to compare twenty camp stoves while a storm is coming. Here are the cooking methods that solve different outage problems, the specific models worth considering, and the safety rules that matter.
Before cooking: protect the cold food
Refrigerator: think 4 hours
An unopened refrigerator generally keeps food cold for about four hours. If the outage will last longer, use coolers and ice to hold priority perishables at 40°F or below.
Freezer: think 48 / 24
A full unopened freezer can hold temperature for about 48 hours and a half-full freezer about 24. Food that still contains ice crystals or remains at 40°F or below can generally be safely refrozen, though quality may decline.
If you want the simplest answer
Propane: easiest all-around blackout cooker
Best value for most homes: Coleman Cascade Classic
Two adjustable burners provide 20,000 total BTU, it fits a 12-inch and 10-inch pan, has wind guards and rotary ignition.
Why this one: two burners make it much more useful for household meals than a tiny backpacking stove without pushing the price into premium territory.
Safety: treat this as an outdoor cooking appliance. Never bring an ordinary propane camp stove into a house, garage, tent, camper or other enclosed or partially enclosed area.
Buy / see Coleman Cascade Classic →Coleman stove information →Butane: compact tabletop option
Our butane pick: Iwatani 35FW
The 35FW produces 15,000 BTU, has piezoelectric ignition, a double windbreaker, brass burner and magnetic canister-locking system.
Why this one: if you specifically want a compact single-burner butane stove, this is a well-established model with useful built-in fuel-canister safety features and a real manufacturer manual.
Rocket stove: when stored fuel may run out
Cheaper simple pick: BioLite EcoZoom Dura
The Dura is the simpler wood-burning EcoZoom. It gives you the core advantage of a rocket stove, concentrated cooking heat from small dry wood, without paying for features you may not need.
Buy / see EcoZoom Dura →Best rocket-stove pick: BioLite EcoZoom Versa
The Versa can use wood or charcoal, has a cast-iron cooktop and a damper door for temperature control. It is a home/base-camp tool rather than a backpacking stove, which is fine for emergency household cooking.
Why spend more: another usable fuel type can be valuable during a long outage.
Safety: use it outside on a stable, fire-safe surface, check local fire restrictions and keep clearance from combustible material.
Buy / see EcoZoom Versa →How to use the EcoZoom →Solar cooking: save your stored fuel for later
Cheapest useful personal option: GoSun Go
Small and intended for roughly one meal at a time. It makes sense for one person, travel or a compact secondary cooker, not as the primary cooker for a family.
Buy / compare GoSun Go →Best value for most people: GoSun Sport-E
It can cook from sunlight or use a 12V electric input when sun is unavailable. That hybrid capability makes it more useful in an emergency than a solar-only cooker, provided you have a suitable 12V source.
Buy / see GoSun Sport-E →Family-size option: GoSun Fusion
The Fusion has substantially more capacity and electric capability. Pay for the larger chamber only if family-size capacity solves a real need.
Buy / see GoSun Fusion →Lowest cost / one person: GoSun Go.
Best balance: GoSun Sport-E.
Need family capacity and budget is secondary: GoSun Fusion.
$0: use what you already own
Before buying anything, inventory what is already in the house. A propane or charcoal grill, grill side burner, compatible gas cooktop, properly installed wood stove, fire pit, manual can opener, pots with lids, thermos, coolers and existing camping equipment may already cover much of the problem.
Do not move an outdoor cooker indoors to make it more convenient. A garage with the door open is not a safe loophole for equipment whose instructions require outdoor use.
Make every unit of fuel do more work
Use a lid
A fitted lid reduces heat loss and usually gets food and water hot faster.
Change the menu
No-cook foods and quick-cooking foods such as couscous, instant potatoes and quick oats preserve finite cooking fuel.
Use retained heat
For suitable recipes, bring food to the required temperature, then use a purpose-built thermal cooker or appropriate retained-heat method to continue cooking without continuously burning fuel.
Use solar when it is free
If you have a solar cooker and good sun, use it during the day and save finite fuel for darkness, clouds and urgent cooking.
If you also need to boil emergency water
Your cooker becomes part of the water-treatment plan. Follow current public-health boiling guidance and use a lidded pot large enough for the amount your household needs. Retained-heat cooking does not replace the prescribed rolling-boil treatment time, and boiling does not make chemically contaminated water safe.
Read the emergency water-treatment guide →Carbon monoxide is the non-negotiable part
Fuel-burning equipment can produce carbon monoxide. Never use a generator, charcoal grill, propane grill, rocket stove or ordinary outdoor camp stove inside a home, garage, basement, crawlspace, tent or other enclosed or partially enclosed area. Follow the exact manufacturer's instructions for every appliance.
Keep working CO alarms in the home. If anyone develops symptoms consistent with CO exposure or an alarm sounds, get to fresh air and seek emergency help.
Sources and how these picks were chosen
Reviewed September 2026. Product choices use current manufacturer specifications and purchase availability, independent information where useful, practical preparedness experience, and recognized food-safety and carbon-monoxide guidance. Rocket-stove DIY guidance is grounded in Aprovecho Research Center's design and testing work.
USDA: food safety during emergencies
CDC: carbon monoxide basics
Aprovecho: cookstove research and construction resources