Challenge: Cook More Efficiently
Buying
a new, energy-efficient stove isn't the only way to use less energy in
the kitchen: improving your cooking habits is the best way to conserve
energy. Understanding the best ways to heat and cool food makes an
enormous difference, and the habits outlined here are simple to do. And
during the holidays, you'll likely have plenty of chances to practice
these new ways to work with food.
What You Should Know- The average American household bakes with an oven 185 times a year.
- Some facts about ovens:
- Electric
ovens have to heat up approximately 35 pounds of steel and four cubic
feet of air before they can start cooking the food. In fact, the food
absorbs only about 6% of the total heat produced by an oven.
-
Natural gas ovens (with electric ignitions, not pilot lights) are
almost twice as efficient as electric ovens because they use their fuel
directly to cook the food. The downside is that natural gas fumes are
combustible and therefore must be ventilated to the outside, which also
takes energy.
- An
oven with a convection setting has an internal fan that circulates the
hot air while baking, allowing the food to cook much faster and
therefore saving energy. It also costs 30% less to operate than a
regular electric oven over its lifetime, despite its higher price tag.
- Compared to a conventional oven, a pressure cooker cooks food 10 times faster and uses up to 75% less energy; a toaster oven uses 60% less energy; and a microwave uses around 25% less energy.
Easy Things You Can Do
Cook with the smallest appliance that can do the job:
As a general rule, smaller appliances use less energy than larger
appliances. Try always to use a pressure cooker, Crock-Pot, toaster
oven, microwave, or stove (in that order) before resorting to an
oven--especially if you're cooking smaller meals
Size your pan to the burner: Always match the size of the pan you're cooking with to the size of the burner, to prevent heat loss into the surrounding air. Use
glass or ceramic pans in the oven instead of metal ones. They hold heat
better. This means you can turn down the temperature about 25°F and
the food will cook just as quickly.
Don't peek during cooking:
Every time you open your oven door to check on food, or lift a lid off
a pot on the stove, as much as 25% of the heat escapes. Use an oven
light, timer, and meat thermometer to monitor your food instead. On the
stove, a lid on the pan will reduce cooking time by 65%. Try to use
pots with clear glass lids so you can watch the food while it cooks. Watch water boil:
Once water (or any liquid) begins to boil, it won't get any hotter.
Turn down your stove's burner a bit once boiling has begun--you'll
maintain the boil and save some energy. Play with knives: Cut up your food into smaller pieces before cooking--it will cook up to twice as fast. Thaw it right:
If you can, thaw your frozen food in the refrigerator a day ahead of
when you need it. This will give your fridge a break since the frozen
food will help to cool the other food in the fridge.
Cover liquids and wrap foods
in your fridge, since uncovered liquids and foods release moisture,
making it harder for your fridge to cool down. Also, wrap foods with
aluminum foil or plastic wrap instead of wax paper. Paper acts as an
insulator, so it keeps food warm longer. Keep it cool:
When you're having company over, fill a cooler or bucket with ice so
your guests don't have to keep opening and closing the freezer. In the
summertime, fill a pitcher with tap water and keep it in the fridge so
you don't have to let the tap water run while you wait for it to get
cold.
Source: 51 Easy Ways You Can Prevent Global Warming (and save money!), by Jeffrey Langholz, Ph.D., and Kelly Turner