Cooking in a Power Outage

Lately, I had been thinking a lot about how to cook in a power outage. The last time we had a power outage, we went out to eat. I enjoy going out to eat now and then, but I want to do it on our own terms, when it's a good time to spend that extra money, as well as when we're not in the middle of a snow storm, ice storm, hurricane...you get the idea.

We have a gas stove, but it has an electric starter. So, I kept thinking, could we bypass that electric starter?

With a snow storm coming, and being near a Dollar General, I went in and looked for one of those long lighter things...utility lighter, they call it.

I remember the days when gas stoves didn't have pilot lights, much less electric starters. We would have to turn the flame all the way up, and hold this little match up to it. And I was afraid that either my hand would burn or I would blow us up with too much gas. I never did either one, but I never got over that fear. So, I was delighted when one of my sons held the long utility lighter up to the stove, turned the gas on ever so slightly, and there was a nice, slow flame. It seemed so safe. 

I was even more delighted that now, if we have a power outage again, we will be able to cook. 

It's lucky for us, too, because we are not allowed to use a barbecue grill on an apartment balcony, and I'm thinking that applies to portable gas stoves, as well. But if you have an electric stove in your home which won't help you in a power outage, and you have a yard...you probably could use a portable gas stove (or the barbecue grill) on your patio or in your yard.

But what do you think of this clever little camp stove that I found online last night? It has a battery-operated fan to fan the flames into being. And while your food cooks, it can charge your phone! 

We had fun, when I was a girl, making those little Girl Scout stoves out of a coffee can, tuna can, paraffin, and cardboard. But it was a lot of work to make, and I don't know how many meals you could cook on one of those little burners. 

What do you do about cooking in a power outage?