No Title 2170
Tools and techniques offer recipes for energy efficiency
Cut energy consumption in the kitchen by using the proper pots, pans, and ovens. But don’t expect big savings on your utility bill. Cooking accounts for a relatively small part of household energy use.
An electric burner edges out a microwave oven or gas burner at efficiently boiling a cup of water. For more elaborate cookery, the energy-saving advantage shifts to microwaves.
Tests show microwave ovens require as little as 20 percent as much energy as traditional ovens to cook or reheat small portions of food. That’s because microwaves focus on the food rather than the cookware or oven, and don’t need preheating.
For larger volumes of food, most cooks turn to conventional ovens. To boost efficiency of either conventional or microwave cooking, consider a convection oven, in which a fan speeds hot air past the food. Moving air heats food faster and cooks it more evenly.
Self-cleaning electric or gas ovens are more energy efficient, but only if you use the self-cleaning feature infrequently.
Think small for kitchen savings
Practice cooking minimalism. Use as small an oven or pan, as little water, and as short a cooking time as possible. Don’t take repeated peeks into the oven.
For more kitchen cost cutting:
- Use the smallest possible appliance. Microwave and toaster ovens and electric frying pans use about half the wattage of a full-scale electric oven.
- Use the smallest pan size possible, but also make sure the gas flame or electric burner doesn’t extend beyond the pan’s edges.
- Use a lid when cooking in a pan. Cooking without a lid can triple energy use.
- Defrost items in the refrigerator before cooking.
- Ensure good airflow inside your oven by staggering pan placement. Don’t line racks with foil.
- Use glass or ceramic pans, which require less heat for cooking.
- Cook double portions and freeze the rest. Reheating takes less energy than cooking from scratch.
- In a microwave, place food near the outer edge of a rotating tray where it will cook faster.
- Keep your oven and stovetop clean. Built-up grunge absorbs heat, cutting energy efficiency.
Invest in cookware
Given the relatively small energy-saving advantages of expensive stovetops, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy suggests you settle for a less fancy model and put the savings into cookware, such as:
- A pressure cooker to reduce the time required for stovetop cooking;
- Flat-bottomed ceramic cookware; and
- Metal pans that are slightly concave on the bottom. As the metal heats, it will expand and the bottom will flatten out, and heat will transfer to food more efficiently than in a cheap pan with a warped bottom.
