How do you cook and heat food safely without electricity?

Short answer. Eat food that needs no cooking first: commercially canned food can be eaten straight from the can without warming ². Keep the fridge closed, since it holds food cold for about 4 hours ¹. If you cook, use grills and camp stoves outdoors only ²³: carbon monoxide not linked to fires kills more than 400 Americans every year ³.

What should you eat first when the power goes out?

The order matters more than the recipe. Perishable food in the refrigerator is on a clock, so it comes first, then the freezer, then the shelf-stable supply.

With the door kept closed, a refrigerator keeps food cold for about 4 hours ¹. A full freezer holds its temperature for about 48 hours, and a half-full freezer about 24 hours ¹. Canada gives a range of 24 to 48 hours for a full, closed freezer ⁵. The FDA's target temperatures are 40°F (4°C) or below for the refrigerator and 0°F (−18°C) or below for the freezer, and it recommends an appliance thermometer in each so you can check after the outage ¹.

Once the fridge food is used or discarded, move to the shelf-stable supply. Ready.gov advises stocking "canned foods, dry mixes and other staples that do not require refrigeration, cooking, water or special preparation," and keeping at least a several-day supply of non-perishable food ².

Which foods need no cooking at all?

The safest stove is the one you never light. Ready.gov's emergency food advice is built around staples that need no refrigeration, cooking, water or special preparation ². In practice that means foods you already eat cold from a package or can.

Commercially canned food may be eaten out of the can without warming ². Germany's civil protection office also recommends keeping non-perishable food that can be eaten cold ⁷. A supply built this way turns an outage into a menu problem rather than a fire or carbon monoxide problem.

Check cans before eating. Ready.gov says not to eat food from cans that are swollen, dented or corroded, even if the food looks safe ². If you do warm a can, Ready.gov asks you to remove the label, wash and disinfect the can, and open it before heating ².

How do you know if refrigerated food is still safe?

Do not judge by smell or appearance. The FDA states that you "can't rely on appearance or odor" to decide whether food is safe ¹.

Use time and temperature instead. If the power was out for 4 hours or less and the doors stayed closed, refrigerated food is generally safe ¹. Discard perishable refrigerated food that has been above 40°F (4°C) for 4 hours or more ¹. For freezer food, items that still contain ice crystals or read 40°F (4°C) or below can be refrozen or cooked ¹.

After a flood the rules tighten. The FDA says to discard food in containers that are not waterproof, damaged cans, and home-canned food exposed to flood water; undamaged all-metal cans and retort pouches can be kept if they are washed, sanitized and air-dried for at least 1 hour ¹.

Can you use a grill, camp stove or gas oven indoors?

No. Fuel-burning cooking and heating equipment produces carbon monoxide. In the United States, unintentional carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning not linked to fires kills more than 400 people a year, sends more than 100,000 to an emergency department and hospitalizes more than 14,000 ³.

The CDC's instructions are direct ³:

• Never burn charcoal indoors.
• Never use a portable gas camp stove indoors.
• Never heat your house with a gas oven.
• Never use a generator inside your home or garage, even with doors and windows open; run it outside, more than 20 feet (6 m) from windows, doors and vents.

Opening a window does not make charcoal safe. The CPSC states that charcoal "should never be used indoors, even if ventilation is provided" ⁴. In 1999 it estimated about 20 CO deaths and about 400 emergency room visits a year from charcoal grills ⁴; those figures are old, but the charcoal label it describes reads "Burning charcoal inside can kill you" ⁴.

Canada gives the same rule: do not use barbecues, camping stoves or portable burners indoors, and use them outdoors only ⁵. Canada adds that a natural gas stove can be used to prepare food during an outage, but not as a heating source ⁵.

Install battery-operated or battery back-up CO detectors near every sleeping area ³. CO cannot be seen or smelled, so a working detector matters.

What indoor options do agencies accept for warming food?

Ready.gov lists candle warmers, chafing dishes and fondue pots as alternative cooking sources in an emergency, and also mentions a fireplace ². It limits charcoal grills and camp stoves to outdoor use ².

These are small, low-heat options for warming food, not for heating a room. Any open flame indoors is still a fire source. Germany's BBK reminds households to ventilate regularly, especially when candles are used, because of the oxygen in the room ⁷.

How much cooking fuel can you store at home?

Limits are set locally. As one example, the Lehi City Fire Department in Utah publishes household guidelines based on the 2012 International Fire Code ⁶. It strongly recommends keeping no more than 5 gallons of flammable liquids (gasoline or white gas) and 25 gallons of propane in portable cylinders ⁶. The maximums it lists are:

The same department says empty containers count toward the total as if they were full, and fuel must be kept in approved or original retail containers, never glass jars or milk jugs ⁶. Its page gives two different figures for kerosene in an attached garage (25 and 10 gallons), so confirm with your own fire marshal ⁶. Your city or country may set different limits: check with the local fire authority before you build a fuel stock.

What official agencies recommend

The agencies agree on the core: use no-cook food, keep cold food cold, and keep combustion outdoors. They differ on detail.

• United States (FDA, Ready.gov, CDC, CPSC). Refrigerator about 4 hours, full freezer about 48 hours, half-full about 24 ¹. Stock food needing no cooking; charcoal grills and camp stoves outdoors only ². Never burn charcoal or use a camp stove indoors; never heat with a gas oven ³. Charcoal never indoors, even with ventilation ⁴.
• Canada (Public Safety Canada). Full freezer 24 to 48 hours ⁵. Barbecues, camping stoves and portable burners outdoors only; a natural gas stove may be used to cook but not to heat ⁵.
• Germany (BBK). Small meals can be prepared on a camping stove; never grill inside a flat or house because of the risk of suffocation ⁷. The BBK page does not say where the camping stove should be used ⁷, while the CDC and Canada both say camp stoves belong outdoors ³⁵. Follow the stricter rule.

Frequently asked questions

Can I cook on a camping stove in my kitchen during an outage?

U.S. and Canadian agencies say no: the CDC says never use a portable gas camp stove indoors ³, and Canada says camping stoves and portable burners are for outdoor use only ⁵. Germany's BBK suggests a camping stove for small meals without stating a location ⁷, so the safer reading is outdoors.

Is it safe to eat canned food cold?

Yes. Ready.gov says commercially canned food may be eaten out of the can without warming ². Discard any can that is swollen, dented or corroded ².

Can I use my gas oven to heat the house?

No. The CDC says never heat your house with a gas oven ³. Canada allows cooking on a natural gas stove during an outage but not using it for heat ⁵.

How long does food last in the freezer without power?

About 48 hours for a full freezer and about 24 hours for a half-full one, if the door stays closed ¹. Food that still has ice crystals or reads 40°F (4°C) or below can be refrozen or cooked ¹.

Is a barbecue safe in a garage with the door open?

No. The CDC says never burn charcoal indoors ³, and the CPSC says charcoal should never be used indoors even if ventilation is provided ⁴. The CDC also warns against running a generator in a garage even with doors and windows open ³.

Prepare your kit

A no-cook food supply, an appliance thermometer and battery CO detectors address the main risks covered in this guide. Compare what you already have with the list your own government publishes.

Sources

1. U.S. Food and Drug Administration — Food and Water Safety During Power Outages and Floods — https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/food-and-water-safety-during-power-outages-and-floods (accessed 2026-10-20)
2. Ready.gov (FEMA) — Food — https://www.ready.gov/food (accessed 2026-10-20)
3. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Basics — https://www.cdc.gov/carbon-monoxide/about/index.html (accessed 2026-10-20)
4. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission — CPSC Warns - Never Use Charcoal Grills Indoors (Release 99-051, 1999) — https://www.cpsc.gov/content/cpsc-warns-never-use-charcoal-grills-indoors (accessed 2026-10-20)
5. Government of Canada — Power outages - Get prepared — https://www.canada.ca/en/services/policing/emergencies/preparedness/get-prepared/hazards-emergencies/power-outages/how-prepare.html (accessed 2026-10-20)
6. Lehi City Fire Department — Home Fuel Storage Limits — https://www.lehi-ut.gov/departments/fire-department/fire-prevention/home-fuel-storage-limits/ (accessed 2026-10-20)
7. Bundesamt für Bevölkerungsschutz und Katastrophenhilfe (BBK) — Vorsorge und Handeln bei Stromausfall — https://www.bbk.bund.de/DE/Warnung-Vorsorge/Vorsorge/Stromausfall/stromausfall_node.html (accessed 2026-10-20)