Why have an alternative cooking source or two? How long do you really want to eat foods that are completely shelf-stable and don’t require cooking? After a major disaster it could be 1-4 weeks before full electrical power is restored, do you really want to eat granola bars and peanut butter and crackers that whole time? By having at least one alternative cooking method, a wider range of foods can be enjoyed during times without electricity, or simply just to save on the electric bill. To see the costs of various fuels involved in powerless cooking, see this post that I did last year. Going solar with solar ovens is the cheapest long term fuel source, but if you decide to go this route, you will probably want to choose at least one other cooking method for days when it isn’t sunny or too windy to use a solar oven.
I personally suggest choosing and having 2 or 3 methods: solar ovens, wood stoves/grills, charcoal stoves/grills, propane stoves/grills, butane stoves, sterno stoves, etc. And learning about each method to see which best suits your needs, storage abilities and usability. In some areas, you can’t store large amounts of any fuel-wood, gas, etc or use them because of housing restrictions. So before you buy, be sure you can use them in a safe manner--most can only be used outside (like charcoal and propane stoves, or like solar ovens).
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