Energy- Efficient Cooking

Everyone wants to save on their energy bills. It’s quite easy to reduce your utility or power bills There are a couple of ways to conserve electricity and gas whilst cooking meals and baking muffins or biscuits at home

Cooking is one of the household activities which uses a higher percentage of Fuel accounting to 4% of the average energy bill

     Tips to save time and money in the kitchen

1. Cook in batches. Leftovers can be refrigerated into smaller portions which use less energy to reheat.
2. Use the right size. Use the right sized pan for different meal portions. Using a smaller pot speeds up the cooking process

3. Match it to a suitable burner. To avoid loss of heat, the pot should be heated on the right sized hotplate
4. Put the lid on. Water can be boiled quickly when the stove is on simmer
5. Use the oven timer. To avoid heat loss, open the oven door when necessary
6. Turn off the oven or burner. Turn off the stove during the last part of cooking and use remaining heat to finish up
7. Clean rings. Burnt residual food absorbs heat, making an electric ring less efficient.
8. Defrost food before cooking. Unthawed frozen food will take longer to cook and uses up energy
9. Cut food into smaller pieces. Size boosts up cooking, the smaller the faster.
10. Eat more raw food like salads.  Cold sandwiches, salads, and cold-pressed juices are delicious and energy saving
11. Eat more quick-cook meals. When cooking vegetables cook them for as little time as possible, the less you cook them the more nutrients it will retain.
12. Stovetop vs. Microwave.  Microwaves are efficient than oven baking but less so as compared to stoves
13. Make the most of the small appliances. It’s good to check on the type of oven you have at home as a turbo oven requires more electricity than a conventional one
14. Use the grill or broiler. Some foods can be cooked under the grill just as well as in the oven.
15. Use the BBQ particularly in summer. Warm weather means picnics and BBQ which also saves on energy
16. Using gas is also cheaper in the long run. An induction cooktop is another energy efficient option
17. Consider Fan- forced oven. As it uses less than 20% energy as opposed to a regular oven

Changing the outlook of the way you cook can not only make your life easier but it adds money back into your pocket and is kinder to the environment.

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