What arrangements have you made for cooking should the energy be turned off?

I lived for 40 years in a rural area where power cuts were frequent and long-lasting. We had a solid-fueld stove for heating, hot water and cooking.plus a bottle-gas water heater for times when the stove was out. There was a camping gaz stove, two oil lamps and boxes annd boxes of candles. Plus a candlestick in every room, ready to light at all times.

Wyllow3

Esspee

I thought cookers today wouldn’t allow the gas to flow if the electric ignition wasn’t functioning. It is a compulsory safety feature, so I was told.

Mine works with cigarette lighter as the electric thingy has broken and it did before.

Luckily I've just bought a mini rechargeable lighter (because it was half-price, and I'm sick of trying to strike matches) Must check it's charged though. www.scottsofstow.co.uk/neostar-mini-ignite/

got a gas top stove that will light with the power off. The safety aspect is that you have to keep the gas knob pressed in until the burner is hot so the gas can't be turned on accidentally. Also got two camping gaz burners, a camping gaz grill and two charcoal barbecues. I'll probabaly eat cold though.

I know how to cook a complete meal inside my multifuel burner

We bought a little camping stove with a small gas bottle as we were badly affected by storm Arwen last year and without power for a while so are prepared for any future power cuts , we are all electric but will be getting a wood burner soon

I live in a bungalow without a gas supply so everything relies on electricity. I have a small camping gas stove for emergencys and pleantly of torches, not a lot more I can do really.

Luckily we are able to store our touring caravan in our rear garden, so we’ll just pretend we’re on a camp site. Gas heating, cooker and hot showers. We’ll even sleep in it if the house gets too cold, very cosy, but maybe not the wonderful views I’m used to seeing from my bedroom window ?.

I returned from living in portugal to move to a new place with three day week. it had storage heaters which came on and off at odd times because of the power going off and I got quite a lot of bruises bashing into them as didnt know the huse well enough, but we had camping gas stove and the beloved tilley light, which can be fiddley to put a hew mantle in but was great and was used camping on the boat etc and we had a big superser bottled gas fire as we had been in an earthquake zone so did ok. Cant manage brisk walking these days so will make up a couple of casseroles and split them up into single portions, made some good soup so that is quite good with some lovely wholemeal bread. Have to hunt round for my head light, used to use it for the boat and so forth. It may look daft but gives me light on a head band so doesnt need hands to use it. My friend and I have already said if there is a lot of power cuts we will take turns and go to each others house. One lot of heating whatever for 2 of us, and we have plenty to chat about. Any way my absolutely go to place, so long as I have fuel is to drive up to my beloved Swaledale and sit up there surrounded by beauty and memories. Have the binoculars and enjoy the trees and watch the birds especially the curlews, oyster catchers and snipe. Have a couple of thermos so soup in one and with that and my cafetiere of fresh coffee and a thin fleecy blanket shall be perfectly happy.

We have a gas barbecue, camping gas 2 ring cooker, gas hob and log burner.
Didn't have any of this in the 70s and 1 can remember lighting candles and turning the cooker off as I couldn't see what I was doing in the kitchen. We had a very late dinner that night

I have ensured the power will not go off by buying a one ring camping thingy so as I can boil a kettle and heat soup (the principle is the same as taking an umbrella out, which ensures it won't rain!!)

If it's close to meal times we are just going to do casseroles or foods that can stay on keep warm setting in the ninja and cook them early to finish and kick in to the keep warm setting so that when the power goes off I can just wrap the whole unit with tin foil to keep warm and not open it until we need it. I'm told it's 3 hours and if I'm reading the block chart that was posted online by media mines between 3:30am & 6am on a Friday morning. So hopefully won't need to prep at all. Although it's close to breakfast time. My son only eats cold breakfast, hubby rises later, so there's only my coffee to worry about which can be kept in a flask.

I have enjoyed power cuts in the past! All the family had a paraffin hurricane lamp (safe) and we played board games and were a little disappointed when the lights came back on! Now I have bought two lamps with re-chargeable batteries which I really like, will be able to play Scrabble, and can read my Kindle as well as listen to my radio (rechargeable batteries, which I have already) Blankets to keep warm if need be. Safe lighting is the key thing for me and I am glad to have those lamps.

If power cuts do happen I presume they will be scheduled and we'll have forewarning allowing us time to fill flasks with hot drinks and prepare meals or snacks in advance. We're an all electric house but we can cook simple foods (eg. Jacket Potatoes) in our multifuel boiler and keep hot foods warm on top of it if need be. When we went camping many years ago I remember making cheese on toast with a blowtorch! If power cuts are only 3 or 4 hours I don't think we'll starve. I think I'll miss the TV and the radio more than food

We have a wood burner with a flat top so could cook easily but not conveniently, so would stay warm too. If it comes to survival we are well placed it’s those in flats that are going to be badly affected.

I understand that the power cuts will only last three hours and we will have prior notice. So really not much of an inconvenience.
During the war we often went without electricity but did have open fires and a anthracite fuelled boiler for hot water.
In Spain during the sixties there were very frequent unannounced cuts owing to the Spanish getting new appliances for the first time and overloading the system and cutting off the water supply but we managed.
I am all electric but have a wind up torch and windup radio and an LED lamp which will be kept charged up and can managed without hot food or drinks for three hours.

DaisyAnne

I hope I'm not beginning to sound like a prepper, but this is another little niggle I have. I have realised I need another flask (unless I find where I have hidden the second one) and then I can have soup and hot drinks, but I do wonder if there is anything I can do so I can actually cook.

(I think the other flask was "borrowed" to be honest)

To be honest, if this does happen (and I am not convinced it will - no proof just a gut feeling) the power will only be off for a couple of hours - I think 2 hrs at a time twice a week, so I think it will be easy enough to eat before or wait until it comes back on. Its a pain but its not the end of the world. Shouldn't happen (if it does) but most folk can wait for 2 hours before they eat.

Thankyou karmalady!
Your mention of a neck torch has reminded me that I have a head torch somewhere. I bought it many years ago for visits to my daughter and family in Cheshire. They were in their first house and I used to travel up from Berkshire with a folding bed which could be unfolded in the room her partner used as an office in the day. I used the head torch to read in bed as there was no lamp nearby and I was too lazy to get out of bed to turn off the ceiling light!
Must find it and check the batteries as it could be very useful in a power cut. I think they're mostly used by campers.

Sandwiches, crisps and cakes for me !

We use the gas bbq if power is of for any long length of time x

Casdon

I’m planning to cook the evening meal at lunchtime, and warm it up in the microwave at 7 when the lights come back on, that’s when we normally eat anyway. If the power doesn’t come back on, I’ll reheat on top of the logburner, but you could probably do the same with a candle operated platewarmer, they are very efficient.

I would strongly advise against re-heating anything on a plate warmer, as I doubt the temperature will be high enough to kill dangerous bacteria and vira. Most need at least 70 degree centigrade to kill them.

If you have a food thermometer, I suggest you try heating a dish on your plate-heater to see how long it takes to reach a safe temperature. In the professional kitchens where I have worked, dishes being kept warm on a plate-warmer were the first thing any sanitary inspector who turned up at lunch time checked, and usually told us that the food was not fit for human consumption , which lead to a fine.

Reheating on a log burner is a better option, but it takes far longer than heating something on an electric hob, so put it on in good time.

With continual power cuts in our rural location in the early 1990s we invested in a generator. One Christmas Day one year I cooked the entire Christmas Dinner in stages using the generator.

Power lines were upgraded in the late 1990s but we still experience the occasional power failure down to strong winds and snow in north-east Scotland.

We’ve coped well, thanks to our ‘Genny Genie’ and will continue to do so!

Hopefully we’ll be forewarned of power cuts so the helpful suggestions on here will ensure we survive, one way or another!
We’re used to unpredictable power cuts here so I make sure we have torches, batteries and candles, matches and lighters. At least we can use the gas hob so not too worried really. If the gas goes off too I’m sure I can adapt to that too ?

Forgot to mention that I have replaced the under cupboard lights in the kitchen with ‘motion detector under cupboard lights’ they are plug in to recharge lights, are just as bright as the electric ones which kept going out, after an expensive visit from an electrician they packed up again after a year or so, so we’ve replaced them.
I’ve bought another one to tuck under the bathroom cabinet and another to light the hallway. Handy for anyone getting up in the night who has a step in the way and handy for power cuts.
One charge lasts us for about a month for the kitchen lights, then I just plug them in with a usb to recharge.

I wouldn't. As we are most likely to know exactly when they are I will either eat before or after. Or make a sandwich for now. It only going to be 3 hours I think I can last that long with a sandwich and a packet of crisps. Maybe a few chocolate buttons.

We are lucky enough to have a gas BQ and we have a wood burner so we’d be ok. Won’t be the first time I have BQ in the snow and rain