Cooking Through a Power Outage

Built for where power isn't

Cook a hot meal through a power outage.

The same gear that cooks at camp cooks at home when the grid goes down. Thirty minutes of heat in. Up to eight hours of cooking out, with nothing plugged in and no fuel burning.

Will it work in my home?Shop RockPot
7QT RockPot Bundle with RockTablet, inner pans and storage bag

The short answer

If you have a gas range, a propane or butane camp stove, a wood stove, or a fire, you can cook a full meal during a power outage. Heat the RockTablet for about 30 minutes, set it in the bottom of the RockPot, add raw food to the inner pot, and latch the lid. It cooks for up to 8 hours with no power and no fuel burning during the cook. Electric coil, glass and induction cooktops need power, so in an outage those homes heat the RockTablet on a camp stove or a fire instead.

Will it work in my home during an outage?

It depends on what you can heat the RockTablet with when the grid is down.

Gas or propane rangeYesMost gas ranges light with a match when the igniter is out. Heat 30 minutes minimum; go longer on a weak burner.
Camp stove (propane or butane)YesOutdoors only, per the stove maker. One 30-minute heat-up, then the stove is off.
Wood stove or fire pitYesOver a fire, the stone is ready when it turns white.
Electric coil or glass cooktopNot during an outageWorks when the power is on. In an outage, heat the stone on a camp stove or fire.
Induction cooktopNoThe RockTablet does not heat on induction, power or not.
OvenNoNever heat the RockTablet in an oven.

Why stored heat beats a running burner

In a multi-day outage, fuel is the constraint. A stew simmered on a camp stove burns fuel for hours. The RockPot burns it for 30 minutes, then the burner goes off and the stone does the rest. That leaves your fuel for coffee, boiling water and the next meal. And nobody has to stand over a flame.

Simmer on a stove for 8 hours
Burner on the whole cook1.1 to 1.9 lbpropane
RockPot, one heat-up
Burner on 30 minutes, then offAbout 4 ozpropane

On a standard 10,000 BTU camp stove, one 1 lb cylinder heats the RockTablet about four times. A 20 lb tank covers about 85 meals. That is one-fifth to one-eighth of the fuel an all-day simmer burns.

Burner on high Propane per heat-up Per 1 lb cylinder Per 20 lb tank
10,000 BTU/hr camp stove ~3.7 oz ~4 heat-ups ~85
15,000 BTU/hr range burner ~5.6 oz ~3 ~57
30,000 BTU/hr outdoor burner ~11 oz ~1.4 ~29
Butane single burner (7,650 to 10,000 BTU/hr) ~3 oz 2 to 2.5 per 8 oz can n/a

Estimates from rated burner output and propane at about 21,500 BTU per pound. Real burners vary with altitude, wind and cold. A weaker indoor burner needs a longer heat-up. 8-hour simmer assumes 3,000 to 5,000 BTU/hr.

How to cook through an outage

  1. Heat the RockTablet. 30 minutes on high over a stovetop, or over a fire until the stone turns white. Treat 30 minutes as a minimum.
  2. Prep while it heats. Cut root vegetables to 1 inch or smaller. Thaw frozen food first; the stone has a fixed amount of heat.
  3. Load and latch. Move the stone into the vessel with the hook. Inner pot on top. Use the glass lid. Latch the lid closed. 
  4. Leave it closed. Up to 8 hours of cooking. Every peek lets heat out.

Your outage cooking options, side by side

An honest comparison. Each one is the right tool for someone.

RockPot Camp stove alone Insulated cooking bag Power station + plug-in cooker
Fuel or power during the cook None after a 30-min heat-up Burning the whole time None after boiling on a stove Drawing battery the whole time
Raw food straight in Yes Yes No, boil first Yes
Needs tending No Yes No No
Battery left for lights and phones All of it All of it All of it What cooking didn't use
Capacity 7 qt, feeds 6+ (Mini: 1 to 3) Your pot Your pot Varies

Go deeper: RockPot vs. Wonderbag · RockPot vs. 12V slow cooker · RockPot vs. Dutch oven

Food safety in an outage

Thaw food before it goes in. Keep the lid latched. Use a food thermometer to confirm doneness. For what to keep or toss from the fridge after an outage, follow FoodSafety.gov guidance.

The outage cooking kit

7QT RockPot Bundle7QT RockPot Bundle
$269.99 · feeds 6+ 4QT RockPot Mini Bundle4QT RockPot Mini Bundle
$199.99 · feeds 1 to 3 RockTablet stone, top viewSpare RockTablet
From $64.99 · back-to-back meals RockPot silicone hot padHot Pads
$9.99

Also on the checklist (not ours): a camp stove and fuel for all-electric homes, a lighter, a headlamp, water.

Questions people ask

Can I use a RockPot if my power is out?

Yes, if you can heat the RockTablet on a gas range, a camp stove, a wood stove, or a fire. After a 30-minute heat-up, it cooks for up to 8 hours with no power.

Does it work on an electric stove during an outage?

No. Electric coil and glass cooktops need power. Heat the RockTablet on a camp stove or a fire instead. Induction never works with the RockTablet.

Can I use it indoors?

Heat the stone on your indoor gas range as normal. Never run a camp stove or a fire indoors.

Can I cook frozen food from my thawing freezer?

Thaw it first. The stone holds a fixed amount of heat, and a frozen block uses it up before the food cooks.

How many meals can I cook?

One per heat-up. Each meal takes another 30 minutes on the burner. A second RockPot lets you cook two at once.

Is it a slow cooker?

It cooks like one, but it is outdoor gear that runs on stored heat. Nothing plugs in.

Bought for camp. Ready for the next outage.

Thirty minutes of heat in. Up to eight hours of cooking out. Patented. Handcrafted in Utah. Limited Lifetime Warranty. 30-day returns.

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