Cooking is something that many of us do every day. It is so routine and so natural, that we often put ourselves on autopilot, without much thought to resources. But what if there were things we could do – little things – that would help save energy without affecting the quality of our meals? There are. Here are 10 easy, common sense ways to save energy while cooking.
Turn off electric elements early. If you use an electric stove, turn off the burner a couple minutes before you are finished. Electric elements stay very hot for an extended time, and will continue to cook even though they have been turned off.
Use lids. When bringing something to a boil, always place a lid on your pot or pan to help hold in heat that would otherwise escape into the air.
Use a broiler oven or slow cooker. For long-cooking roasts or stews, consider using a slow cooker or broiler oven rather than your regular oven. These appliances have smaller space to heat, and therefore use less energy.
Piggyback your oven use. When using your oven for a roast, for example, why not also use it for your veggies rather than using your stovetop as well? Just put them in an oven-safe container and pop them in for the last half hour or so.
Only boil as much water as you need. When boiling water to cook vegetables or pasta, only use as much water as you really need. Boiling excess water uses excess fuel.
Cool leftovers before putting them in the fridge. Don’t put steaming hot leftovers directly into the refrigerator. They will bring the temperature of the fridge down, and cause it to work harder than it should have to. Instead, let your leftovers cool down a bit and place them in the fridge when they are still a little warm.
Make double batches for long cooking recipes. If you’re going to be using your oven for something that needs to cook for a long period of time, consider making two, or a double batch. You can freeze the rest for dinner another night. The energy it will take to reheat it will be much less than to cook a second one.
Serve raw sides. Consider occasionally serving a raw side dish that requires no cooking. Veggies and dip, gazpacho, or a nice green salad are full of taste and nutrition and don’t require any heat energy to prepare.
Center pots over burners. Make sure pots and pans are always centered over the burners to achieve maximum contact and get the most advantage from the energy being burned.
Skip the preheat stage when possible. When you’re not baking something that needs to start hot to be good, consider skipping the preheat stage and start the cooking right away. This may take five to ten minutes off your total prep and cooking time.