One of the thornier problems during a power outage is how to cook.
Relatively few food services can function in an outage, and
it's presumed the reader has a fridge full of good food.

Those with old-fashioned gas stoves and ovens won't be much
bothered, but that's becoming an antique exception more than
the prevailing rule. Gas appliances which use only electric
ignition can be lighted with a match, but if electric controls
are employed it's unlikely they'll be usable in an outage
without hard-wired backup power.

Electrically heated cooking appliances have rather high peak
power draw: Toasters, coffee makers, electric skillets, hot
plates and microwaves are all over 1kW each. A generator big
enough to run all of them is relatively cheap, but the fuel
consumption that results makes for fuel storage problems. Counter- 
top appliances can be run one at a time using a 2kW generator, 
with enough reserve to cool the fridge and run a light or two.
This makes preparing a multi-person meal during an outage a
significant problem. A slow-cooker might be the worst of 
both worlds, high peak power and long cooking times. 

The simplest solution to this dilemma, already on hand in
most cases, is a propane barbecue. Equipped with an iron
or steel skillet a great deal of oven-style cooking can 
be done by using indirect heat and water or wine in the
skillet. Lining the barbecue with aluminum foil improves
efficiency and uniformity. It's wise to practice beforehand,
cooking behavior will be considerably altered and the last
thing you want in an outage is a failed meal or, worse,
a runaway food fire. 

Dry baking can be done by placing a baking pan on top of 
spacers over a heat shield to avoid direct contact
between baking pan and shield. Most anything can be used
for a shield: cookie sheet, sheet pan, pizza stone. Just
make sure it's clean, any residues will char and smell.  
A piece of aluminum foil might work, but won't last.

The absolute efficiency of propane cooking appliances
is relatively poor but the combination of high peak
power output and relatively short usage over a day makes
them useful adjuncts if trying to minimize generator fuel
consumption overall.

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