When the power goes out, keeping warm and fed becomes priority number one. In Part 1 of this series, we covered backup electricity and battery systems. Now it’s time to get into the meat and potatoes of off-grid living — heat and cooking. These aren’t luxuries in an emergency; they’re survival essentials.

Cold kills faster than hunger. If the grid goes down during winter, you need a plan for warmth that doesn’t rely on an outlet. In my own tiny house, I’ve experimented with a lot of options — some worked great, others… not so much.

If you have access to land and trees, wood heat is king. A properly installed wood stove or fireplace can keep you going indefinitely, and even if you never plant a single tree, nature has a way of replacing what you burn. For efficiency fanatics, a rocket mass heater is the Cadillac of wood-burning options, but you’ll likely have to build it yourself.

If wood isn’t practical for you, there are other solid options:

Mr. Buddy heaters – Small, efficient, and reliable. Run them on a 20 lb propane tank with an adapter to save money.

Kerosene heaters – Great heat output, but skip the overpriced pre-packaged kerosene. Fill up at a local gas station for better value.

Whatever you choose, avoid the temptation to run electric space heaters off your backup batteries — you’ll drain them in no time.

A hot meal in a cold, powerless house is a morale booster like no other. I’ve cooked with just about everything over the years, and some setups are far more efficient than others.

One of my favorites? A butane camping stove. For under $30, you get a reliable cooking tool that can be used indoors and packs enough heat to boil water or fry up breakfast. Skip the big-box store prices on fuel canisters — check local international markets where you can often find them for a dollar apiece.

Other reliable cooking methods:

Grills – Propane grills work great if you’re already storing tanks for your heater. Charcoal grills are solid too, but stock up on charcoal or be ready to cook over hardwood coals.

Pocket rocket or Jetboil stoves – Perfect for quickly boiling water for coffee, tea, or instant meals.

Dutch ovens & percolators – Old-school gear that works over any fire source.

And yes, I still think a French press and boiled water beats plugging in a coffee maker when you’re running off limited backup energy.

The magic happens when your heating and cooking systems share fuel sources. If your grill, heater, and camp stove all run on propane, you’ve simplified your storage and resupply needs. Same goes for wood or charcoal — one fuel, multiple uses.

When you’re ready, scale up your storage so you can weather longer outages. Rotate your fuel to keep it fresh, check your gear regularly, and make sure every member of your household knows how to use it safely.

Backup heat and cooking solutions aren’t just for the apocalypse. They make you more resilient during ice storms, hurricanes, power grid failures, or even when you just want to save on utility bills. In a crisis, they can mean the difference between riding it out in comfort or struggling to get by.

If you missed Part 1 of this series, go back and catch it for my breakdown of generators, solar setups, and battery systems. And if you’re ready to take your prepping to the next level, consider joining the Survival Punk Army — get exclusive episodes, community access, discounts, and more.

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