How to Use Less Energy While Cooking
68353
Food & Beverage
Feb 29, 2008
stephfoster
How to Use Less Energy While Cooking
There are a lot of little ways to save energy around the house. Most people know the basics, such as turning the thermostat to a lower temperature in winter and wearing a sweater. But it's easy to not think of your energy use when you're cooking. This can seem like a pretty small thing. After all, cooking is not a large part of most people's day. But it is one of those things you can do to make a difference. We'll start with putting a lid on the pan when you're cooking. If you don't need direct access to the food, having a lid on the pan means it will cook faster. This is particularly evident when you're boiling water before adding spaghetti. The water boils much sooner with a lid on. Having the lid on the pan helps to keep your food at the right temperature for cooking, while you can have your stove on at a much lower level since less heat is lost out the top. If you don't like to spend a ton of time in the kitchen, this also translates to a shorter cooking time. Another factor to consider is how long you preheat your oven, or if you even really need to. I very rarely preheat mine, as it takes only a short time for it to reach the required temperature anyhow. I make an exception for anything that is more sensitive to temperature, such as when I bake bread. But meats and casseroles don't need to start out at that perfect temperature. A tool I've been learning to use is my pressure cooker. It takes a bit of practice, but it can cook many foods in under 10 minutes. It's one of the few things that I'm considering finding a cookbook for since I have very few pressure cooker recipes. My slow cooker, on the other hand, is used very regularly. Despite how long it spends cooking, it uses less energy than the oven. It's also very easy to have just about the entire dinner in one pot. Throw in a roast and put the potatoes alongside it. Another favorite way to make quick, just about one dish meals is to stir fry. The chopping takes extra time, but that means the meat cooks very quickly. As a bonus, it's one of the few ways I can be sure that my husband will eat his vegetables. The fact that everything only needs a little cook time really helps. If you need a little more intense cooking time, throw a lid on for a little while and decrease the heat so things don't burn. And of course, there's the microwave. Meats generally don't cook up too well in them, but for reheating leftovers or giving vegetables a quick steam they're very efficient. As you build up your cooking habits to use energy more efficiently, you may come to appreciate how fast many of these methods are. There's nothing like doing something that saves you both money and time.
Stephanie Foster blogs at http://www.greensahm.com/ about being a stay at home mom who thinks about the environment. Get more tips on going green at her site.
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