Habit Changes For Saving Energy In The KitchenLet's face facts. Energy costs seem to keep climbing and climbing. Whether it's electricity or gas, the problem is the same. How do you cut back on those mounting bills? Well, it might surprise you to learn just how many habit changes there are that could help you in saving energy, especially in the kitchen.If you love to cook, don't sacrifice it. There's no reason not to cook, regardless of the rising energy costs. All you have to do is sacrifice how you go about the process. Change your routine just a bit and you might find yourself eating meals that are even better while also having bills that are even lower. Start Small:There are several small changes that you can make, to begin with. For example, rearrange your kitchen for maximum time and energy efficiency. One way to do that is to make sure that you have free counter space next to your fridge. That will allow you to take everything that you need out of the fridge, set it down quickly and then shut the fridge door.Multiple trips to the fridge or leaving the door open for two long just lets all of the cold air out and makes the fridge work harder.
Speaking of the fridge, another small change that you can make is to take food out of the freezer ahead of time. Allow it to defrost in the fridge before you try cooking it. That will give you foods with better flavors and allow those foods to cook faster. Cooking Mixed Foods And Bulk Foods:It's also important to cook more mixed foods. In other words, combine several ingredients in one pot. Some examples include:Soup Any of those things can be cooked all in one pot. Some of them can even be cooked in crock pots or slow cookers, which are much more energy-efficient than stove tops. Not only that, but you can cook those things in bulk and freeze them in single-serving packs for later on. That will reduce the number of times that you have to cook each week, saving both time and energy. It also helps to cook certain foods, such as pasta, in large amounts. Pasta will keep in the fridge for a while, especially if you toss it with some healthy vegetable oil or Italian salad dressing to keep it moist. That can keep you from having to waste the time or energy to boil several pots of water. Use Small Appliances For Small Jobs:It also helps if you use small appliances for small jobs. For example, a toaster oven can be a very efficient cooker. A Breville toaster oven or a Cuisinart, such as the Cuisinart TOB-155 can easily cook a meal for one or even two people and in much less time than a large oven. A simple Internet search can help you to find the best rated toaster oven to suit your needs. Cookware Choices:There are three things to consider, when making cookware choices. Those are:Size Size is mostly important on stove tops. So is shape. You see, you need to get a good heat transfer between your chosen pot and the burner that it is on. You might lose as much as 40% or more of the heat, if your pot is too small for your burner. As for the shape of the pot, it should be flat on the bottom. That will help it to get the most contact with the burner. However, do keep in mind that pots change their shape when they heat up. If you start with a slightly concave pot, it should flatten out during the cooking process. Materials matter both on cook tops and in ovens. For instance, a pan with a copper bottom is going to conduct heat better than a pan with a different type of bottom. That means that copper pots heat up faster. The same thing is true of glass or ceramic pans in the oven. They heat up much easier than their metal counterparts. Time Is Money:What it all comes down to in the kitchen is the fact that time is money. If you can cook faster, you'll cut back emissions and save energy. That will keep you from wasting money or time that you could be spending elsewhere.Return to "Going Green" from "Saving Energy". Return to "Alternative Home Energy" from "Saving Energy". | ||
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