I have 4 oil lamps but usually only light 3. I keep one in the bathroom one in the kitchen and one in the livingroom and an extra one that I havent had to use yet in the bookcase. I also keep a box of matches and a bic next to them. I made a small frame that I can set over one to use for cooking if I need to. So far I only used one for making coffee during hurricane Ivan, but it worked great for that so i'm sure you could cook on them.