Saving Energy in the Kitchen: The Way You Cook
These days, due to rising costs and concern for the environment, we’re all trying to save energy where we can. There are a number of ways to reduce personal energy use, however, when it comes to meal prep, food storage and general kitchen tasks, energy conservation isn’t considered as much. But according to the U.S. Department of Energy, the kitchen accounts for 15% of energy used in the home, making it a great place to save.
No, this isn’t another re-hash of that old tip about only putting enough water in the kettle to make as many cups of tea as you need, although it is still a good one. Instead, what we are about to suggest is to approach cooking and using the kitchen in a more energy efficient way.
If you can’t stand the heat, don’t get out of the kitchen. Look around and see what you can do to save energy. Here are some ideas to try.
1. For instance, when baking cookies use two trays. While one is in the oven baking, the other one is prepped with raw cookies ready to replace the tray in the oven with no wasted heat and some time saved. “Preheat your oven” is an old wives tale. Preheating is a cook-time saver but otherwise is little more than an energy waste. Don’t keep opening the oven door to check how things are going. The temperature immediately drops by about 15°C, extending the cooking time.
2. When we bake bread we also fill the oven with foil wrapped potatoes. The potatoes can be stored in the fridge without the foil and used throughout the week in a myriad of recipes, or as a side dish. This method can be applied to a menu plan, in that if you are baking one dish, try to include a side dish that is baked as well.
3. By turning off the oven a minute or two before the dish is done, the residual heat will finish the cooking. When done with the oven, open the door to allow any leftover heat to warm the home. Similarly try turning the burner off on your electric stove a little while before your vegetables are fully cooked. The residual heat will keep the water hot for a surprisingly long time. If you leave the pan covered they will finish cooking for free. With a bit of experience, you’ll get judging when to turn the element off down to a fine art. But do make sure everything is properly cooked before you serve it!
4. Defrost food first before cooking it. You can do it in a fridge overnight or in a microwave if you want the defrosting done quickly.
5. Use the right size pan for the cooking job and make sure to match it to the right sized burner. It may sound silly but you can waste a lot of time and energy trying to boil a giant-size pot of potatoes on an itty bitty burner. And you can waste a tremendous amount of energy warming up a small pan of sauce on a giant burner. Additionally, if you only have to boil three potatoes you don’t need to get out the giant 5-quart pot. And if you have to boil twenty potatoes, you absolutely do need a large pot with an appropriate amount of water – just enough to cover the tops so you don’t have to spend too much time and energy warming all that water.
6. Use your microwave. Microwaves use almost 50% less energy than ovens. If you haven’t gotten into the habit of relying on your microwave to cook and defrost foods, you’re missing an opportunity to save on energy. Once you become familiar with a few basic principles, you’ll appreciate the fact that microwaves cook food fast and produce less heat in your kitchen.
7. Pasta cooking water can be left out until it has completely cooled, so that the heat and moisture are released back into the air. Before pulling the plug, consider leaving hot dishwater (and bath water) until it cools. Why pay to heat up your sewer pipes?
8. When cooking vegetables, consider steaming instead of boiling. When steamed, more nutrients are retained in the food, and because it requires less water to heat there is less energy used.
9. In summer, consider cooking on the barbecue to help keep the house cool. Most barbecues now include side burners that make outdoor cooking all that much easier.
All these methods are relatively easy to adopt and when added up, the savings in energy and time really do make a difference.
10. When using small amounts of water be sure to use only cold. Placing the lever in the hot position uses energy to heat the water even though it never reaches the faucet.
11. Put a lid on all food stored in the fridge. Uncovered food releases moisture which makes the compressors work harder.
12. There are several ways in which we can save electricity and energy in the kitchen. One way is to see if we can reduce the cooking times. Another way is to see if a different appliance does the same job and yet uses less energy.
Some of the biggest energy hogs in your home are in your kitchen. Modifying some of your current cooking habits and getting into conservation mode can help you prepare food more efficiently. That’s good for your wallet and the environment.
