Whether you love cooking, or you just do it because you’d prefer not to eat everything raw, you must know that cooking appliances and methods can be energy saving – or not. In fact, some of your food-related apparatus could be the biggest power-guzzlers in your home.
And we all want to be good, conscientious planet-lovers, right? So how do we cook up a storm without using up more than our fair share of electricity?
Here are some simple, some clever and some common sense tips to use power efficiently.
Have you heard of Wonderbags?
They’re genius energy saving devices. Get yourself one.
Once the rice you’re cooking reaches boiling point, turn off the hotplate, cover with a lid and come back in 20 minutes. It’s cooked through!
Which is the most energy saving appliance? Pick the right one for the right job.
A microwave oven uses the least power, – in fact two thirds less than a regular oven – so use yours whenever possible. Yes we know, it’s not the best for everything. But be clever: for baked potatoes, try microwaving them for a few minutes, then finish off with 10 minutes in the oven, for a crunchy skin.
Don’t put a small pot on a large oven plate – you’ll waste a lot of electricity or gas.
And use the smallest pot necessary.
Don’t heat up the oven for one small piece of fish or chicken. Use a pan.
And we all want to
save power and do good by
the environment, right?
Turn the oven off a few minutes before the end of baking or roasting time. Your food will continue cooking in the residual heat.
Don’t cook in little ‘bits and pieces.’ Cook a big batch of whatever you’re making, – more than you need – then refrigerate or freeze meals.
Turn down the heat once boiling point is reached. Simmering is your friend!
Cook veggies in a steamer – that way you can do several layers at once.
Use just enough water to keep vegetables submerged – they’ll cook faster.
Defrost frozen food completely before reheating or cooking; you’ll use much less power.
Use ceramic and glass ovenware instead of metal – it’s far more energy efficient.
Here’s a no-brainer: cover a pot of water and it will boil sooner, using less energy.
These are just some useful tips. There are heaps more, but follow these and you’ll be doing a great job. (Pat yourself on the back.)
