The primary reason for having a standby generator in your home is to live like the power isn’t out as much as you can. Not everything may be able to be powered by the generator, but the essentials can be.

Preparing food is one of the necessary things that you need to be able to do whether the power is out or not. Unfortunately, trying to prepare food when the power is out is something that is difficult unless you have backup power.

Here are some things to know about preparing food when the power is out:

1. You can prepare food using a gas range by simply lighting the burners with a match or lighter. If the burner doesn’t light the first time, turn the burner to off and wait for a minute before trying again. The ideal level to light the burner is Medium High.
2. Try to avoid large poultry or thick pieces of meat. If that’s what you have, then break them up into smaller pieces. However, something like a stove top chuck roast can be ideal for a power outage because everyone can eat from it for a while.
3. You can use your BBQ grill, but this may not be ideal in the winter months because it can be rather cold to stand outside and cook, despite any heat coming off of the grill.
4. Simply use a standby generator system and you’re in business to use your electric stove. If you are limited on wattage, you can use something like a crock pot to prepare meals.
5. You also need to be able to keep your food cold or frozen in order to keep it safe. While you may be able to place food outside in the winter to keep it cold, you can’t do that in the summer.

All in all, a residential standby generator system can save you a lot of headaches during a power outage. You can keep your food cold or frozen and you can use your range or even your microwave to safely prepare food.