Alert: Planned Site Outage Tonight: Tue. July 28th, 9pm-Midnight PST
my care2
make a difference
healthy & green living: more than 5,000 ways to enhance your life

customize your free newsletter

Customize your Healthy & Green Living newsletter now


Save Energy in the Kitchen: 10 Cooking Tips

posted by Annie B. Bond Jul 18, 2003 6:20 am
Save Energy in the Kitchen: 10 Cooking Tips
70 comments

Inspired by The Green Kitchen Handbook, by Annie Berthold-Bond (Harper Perennial, 1997).

These 10 tips are worth their weight in gold, especially with energy bills being what they are! And they are so brilliantly simple that you’ll find them easy to incorporate without feeling put-upon or strained in any way.

Find out the ten simple cooking tips that will save you some energy in the kitchen, right here:

1. Cover pans while cooking to prevent heat loss.

2. Make sure your pan covers the coil of your range. If you can see coil peeping out from the sides of your pan, you are losing energy and you need a bigger pan!

3. Try one-pot cooking. Stews, soups, and other great peasant meals only take one burner to cook and they are so nourishing and satisfying! We have lots of great one-pot recipes in our Care2 Green Kitchen channels.

4. Just before your food is cooked completely, turn off the oven or burner and allow the heat in the pot or pan to continue the cooking process for you.

5. The less liquid and fat you use, the quicker the cooking time.

6. Always make more food than you plan to use and freeze it for your own “fast food.”

7. Leftovers take less energy to reheat on top of the stove rather than in the oven.

8. Most of us eat a lot of pasta. Make extra, toss with olive oil, and keep in the fridge so you don’t have to heat an entire pot of water to the boiling point every time you want some.

9. If you have one, use a pressure cooker. It really saves on energy.

10. Try using a solar box cooker.

More on Reduce, Recycle & Reuse (220 articles available)
More from Annie B. Bond (3248 articles available)

70 comments

Go to the Source

The Green Kitchen Handbook

Practical advice, references, and sources for transforming the center of your home into a healthful, livable place.buy now

70 comments

add your comment »
70 comments add your comment
Olivia Rosa

Good ideias! Thank you :)

Elizabeth Irving

I think the tips are great, but why not mention using a microwave. They use one-tenth the energy of a typical range and oven. They also kill 98% of germs (like e-coli and other bacteria) in foods. I do use most of the tips, and we have an electric kettle for boiling water (another energy saver), but microwaves not only save time, but also are not guzzlers of energy like a conventional stove.

Therese D.

When using your oven, fill itup. Make your granola,bake a few patatoes or a crumble when you are making your stew or lasagne. make double portions of stew, curry or lasagne and freeze half of it.
When boiling a ham throw in some carrots, parsnips, celary or cabbage towards the end and have one saucepan less.
Smells in your kitchen? - boil a drop of vinegar in a small amount of water.

Ayla Montgomery

Edge Hog, if you have no pot or freezer then try a raw food diet. Nuts and fruit. When we go camping we dig a hole for our cheese. I think it is unfair to say the article was targeted to middle class Americans. Reading this is supposed to wake up your creativity. Good luck!

Amanda Mitchell

Thanks for the tips!!!

Silvia Lacherre

I allways make more food than I need and then I freeze it. My family says that I'm crazy but now they know that I'm right.

Linda Blackshaw

I do a lot of this already (and I live in Australia not US) also I boil my water in the kettle first to help quicken the cooking time on the stove top. By just using one pot whenever I can I have less wasing up to do too! Good reminder that a little ccan make a difference.

Ericka o.

Cool! A solar box cooker, I`m going to see if I can make one :D !

Edge Hog

All people do not have a freezer. All people do not have a suitable pot. All people do not even have leftovers.
This seems like a good-conscience tip for wealthy Americans. No problem there, only it does not necessarily apply to all people outside the U.S.
But middle-to-upper class Americans are the target group, right?

Rhiannon Myst

Quick easy good tips.

Please enter your comment.
Or, log in with your
Facebook account:
1500 characters remaining

who's talking about this story?

Disclaimer: Care2.com does not warrant and shall have no liability for information provided in this newsletter or on Care2.com. Each individual person, fabric, or material may react differently to a particular suggested use. It is recommended that before you begin to use any formula, you read the directions carefully and test it first. Should you have any health care-related questions or concerns, please call or see your physician or other health care provider.

2023

Copyright © 2009 Care2.com, inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved