Best stoves for cooking in a power cut (2026)
If the power's out, a small gas or spirit stove boils water and heats food. Here are the reliable options — and, because this is a safety topic, the rules that keep them safe.
By Tom Rowland · Updated 18 July 2026 · 6 products, price-tracked
Before you buy
First, the rule that outranks every review: every stove here burns fuel and makes carbon monoxide, so they are for outdoor use only — the garden, a patio, a fully open doorway at minimum. Never in a room, never in a tent, never 'just quickly' in the kitchen. With that said, a small stove turns a power cut from cold beans to hot dinners and tea.
Fuel decides the stove. Screw-thread gas canisters (EN417) are the versatile default — fast, clean, easy; note butane-heavy mixes weaken in cold weather, so look to propane blends for winter. Spirit (meths) burners like the Trangia are slower but mechanically indestructible with fuel from any hardware shop. Solid-fuel tablets are the glove-box emergency layer: slow, smelly, but they always light.
Boil time tells you about efficiency, but stability tells you about safety — a wide-based stove that takes a real saucepan beats a fast tower that tips. And store fuel sensibly: canisters keep for years somewhere cool, outside living areas, away from the boiler.
Top pick: MSR PocketRocket 2 Stove. A genuinely excellent, proven little stove: 73g, packs tiny, and brings a litre to the boil in around 3.5 minutes. Like any gas burner it is for outdoor or fully ventilated use only, never inside a tent, home or garage, because of the carbon monoxide risk.
| Stove | Type | Fuel | Boil time | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSR PocketRocket 2 StoveTOP PICK | Upright canister-top stove | Screw-thread isobutane/propane gas canister (EN417) | 3.5 min | £40.00at usual price | Check price → |
| Trangia 27 Spirit Stove Set | Alcohol (spirit) stove cook set, 1-2 person | Methylated spirits (denatured alcohol) | 10 min | £50.00at usual price | Check price → |
| Jetboil Flash Cooking System | Integrated 1L canister stove system | Screw-on gas canister (isobutane/propane, e.g. Jetpower 100g) | 2 min | £125.00at usual price | Check price → |
| Coleman Portable Butane Stove | Single-burner tabletop camping stove | Butane (220g cartridge) | 5 min | £35.00at usual price | Check price → |
| Portable Single-Burner Butane Camping Stove | Single-burner cassette (tabletop) stove | Butane (220g cassette cartridge) | 5 min | £18.00at usual price | Check price → |
| Esbit Solid Fuel Pocket Stove | Folding solid-fuel pocket stove | Esbit solid fuel tablets (14g) | 8 min | £13.00at usual price | Check price → |
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MSR PocketRocket 2 Stove
Who it's for: A featherweight, dependable burner for boiling water and simple cooking in a grab-bag or camping kit.
A genuinely excellent, proven little stove: 73g, packs tiny, and brings a litre to the boil in around 3.5 minutes. Like any gas burner it is for outdoor or fully ventilated use only, never inside a tent, home or garage, because of the carbon monoxide risk.
- Very light (73g) and packs down small enough to sit inside a mug
- Fast, reliable boil (about 3.5 min per litre) with good torch-to-simmer flame control
- Simple, robust MSR build with a hard carry case and no fiddly parts to fail
- No built-in igniter, so you must carry a lighter or matches
- Small pot supports and only a modest wind clip mean performance drops in strong wind, and output fades in the cold as the canister empties
Don't buy if You need to cook indoors or in an enclosed space — never use it inside a tent, home or garage due to carbon monoxide. Also skip it if you want an all-in-one integrated boil system or need to feed a large group, where a wider-based or windproof stove suits better.
Trangia 27 Spirit Stove Set
Who it's for: A near-indestructible backup cooker for power cuts and camping, using cheap, widely-available meths.
The Trangia is the sensible-shoes choice for household resilience: the integrated windshield means it works in a stiff breeze where gas struggles, and there is almost nothing to break or go wrong. It burns fuel and must only ever be used outdoors or in a well-ventilated space, never inside a closed room, tent or garage, because of the carbon monoxide risk.
- Exceptionally reliable and simple - no valves, jets or piezo to fail, and the burner is near-silent
- The built-in aluminium windshield shrugs off wind that would defeat an open gas burner
- Runs on methylated spirits, which is cheap, stores safely and is easy to source from hardware shops
- Slow to boil (around 8-10 minutes for a litre) and you cannot instantly cut the flame like a gas tap
- Spirit gives less heat per gram than gas, so it is less efficient for big or repeated meals
Don't buy if You need fast boil times, cooking for a large group, or a stove you can safely run indoors - like all fuel-burning stoves this is strictly for outdoor or fully-ventilated use only, due to carbon monoxide.
Jetboil Flash Cooking System
Who it's for: Boiling water fast for hot drinks and freeze-dried meals when the power's off or you're outdoors.
A fast, fuel-efficient all-in-one that boils 500ml in about two minutes and packs into its own 1L cup, making it a tidy back-up for hot food and drinks in a power cut. Like any gas stove it burns fuel and produces carbon monoxide, so it is strictly for outdoor or well-ventilated use only.
- Boils 500ml in roughly two minutes and stays efficient in wind thanks to the FluxRing heat exchanger
- Very frugal with fuel — one 100g canister boils around 10 litres, so a couple of spare canisters go a long way
- Compact and self-contained: burner, stabiliser and canister nest inside the 1L cup
- Built for boiling, not cooking — it's poor at simmering, so don't expect to make proper meals in it
- Standard isobutane canisters lose performance in near-freezing temperatures
Don't buy if Don't buy it expecting a stove you can safely run indoors during a power cut — like all fuel-burning stoves it must only be used outdoors or in a well-ventilated space because of carbon monoxide risk. Also skip it if you want to actually cook rather than just boil water, or if a basic £20–30 camping stove would do the job for less.
Coleman Portable Butane Stove
Who it's for: A cheap, simple back-up hob for camping and short power cuts, used outdoors.
A well-priced, widely available butane stove that is easy to light and takes a decent-sized pan, though it is one of the slower stoves to boil. Like any fuel-burning stove it must only be used outdoors or in a well-ventilated space because of the carbon monoxide risk.
- Inexpensive, simple and very widely stocked in UK camping and hardware shops
- Butane cartridges are cheap and easy to source; push-button ignition on most versions
- Compact with a carry case and a stable base that holds a full-size pan
- Modest 7,650 BTU output makes it slow to boil - one independent test measured about 16 minutes for a full litre
- Butane performs poorly in the cold (below roughly 5C), so it is a weak choice for winter resilience
Don't buy if Do not buy this to cook indoors during a power cut - like all butane stoves it is for outdoor or well-ventilated use only because of carbon monoxide risk; and if you need a reliable stove for cold-weather emergencies, a propane or dual-fuel model copes far better than butane.
Portable Single-Burner Butane Camping Stove
Who it's for: A cheap, packable back-up hob for camping or a power cut.
A dependable, low-cost way to boil water and heat food when the mains are out. It runs on widely-sold 220g butane cartridges and packs into its own case, but it burns fuel and must only be used outdoors or in a well-ventilated space, never in a closed room, tent or garage, because of carbon monoxide risk.
- Inexpensive and widely stocked, with cheap, easy-to-find 220g butane cartridges
- Simple one-turn piezo ignition and a stable pan support; packs flat into a carry case
- Enough output (typically ~2.2kW) to boil a litre in roughly 4-6 minutes
- Butane performs poorly in the cold, losing power below around 5C
- Generic build quality varies; the plastic case and igniter are the usual weak points
Don't buy if Do not buy if you might be tempted to cook indoors during a power cut. This is an outdoor/ventilated-use-only appliance because of carbon monoxide risk, and if you need cold-weather or winter reliability a propane or butane/propane-mix stove is the safer choice.
Esbit Solid Fuel Pocket Stove
Who it's for: A tiny, foolproof backup boiler for a grab bag when the power's out.
A cheap, near-indestructible standby that folds flat into a grab bag and boils a mug of water without gas, batteries or moving parts, with fuel tablets that store for years. It's slow and the tablets have a distinct smell, so treat it as an emergency backup rather than a main camp stove.
- Very cheap and packs down to pocket size, so it's easy to keep in every grab bag
- No gas canisters, batteries or moving parts to fail; tablets store 10+ years and light in cold and wet
- Simple and near-indestructible galvanised steel body
- Slow: roughly 8 minutes to boil 500ml from one 14g tablet, and no real simmer control
- Fuel tablets have a noticeable smell and leave some residue on pots
Don't buy if You need to cook proper meals or boil water fast for a family (a gas stove is far better) - and never use it indoors, in a tent or an enclosed porch: like any fuel-burning stove it produces carbon monoxide and is strictly for outdoor, well-ventilated use.
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Common questions
Can I use a camping stove indoors in an emergency?
No — not in a power cut, not briefly, not with a window cracked. Fuel-burning stoves produce carbon monoxide, which is invisible, odourless and kills in enclosed spaces. Cook outdoors and keep a CO alarm in the home regardless.
Which gas canister do I need?
Most modern stoves take EN417 screw-thread canisters; some budget single-burners take clip-on bayonet cartridges instead. Check your stove's fitting and keep a spare canister — an empty on day one is the classic kit failure.
How much fuel should I keep for three days?
For boiling water for drinks and rehydrating meals for two people, a 230g gas canister is a reasonable three-day allowance with care. Double it for winter, bigger households, or actual cooking rather than boiling.
Why does my gas stove fade in cold weather?
Butane stops vaporising near freezing. Winter blends with more propane keep pressure up — or keep the canister in a coat pocket until the moment you cook. Spirit and solid-fuel stoves shrug the cold off entirely.
Gas, spirit or solid fuel?
Gas for speed and control, spirit (like the Trangia) for simplicity and fuel you can buy anywhere, solid-fuel tablets as the always-works backup. A household kit is well served by gas plus a pocket solid-fuel stove as insurance.
Can I just cook on the BBQ in a power cut?
Outdoors, yes — a charcoal or gas BBQ boils a kettle perfectly well. The same CO rule applies with extra force: never bring a BBQ inside or into a garage, even 'to finish off', and never use one to heat a space.