Cooking With Energy Efficiency

Cooking with energy efficiency is on everyone’s mind. This Thanksgiving, try some helpful tips in the kitchen for cooking with energy efficiency in mind. Cooking at home is a great way to have healthy foods and enjoy family time at Thanksgiving. Here are some helpful tips for a more energy-efficient kitchen.

Preheat your oven the exact temperature needed. Remember, preheating the oven is not necessary for foods that cook for hours.
Opening the oven door lowers the oven temp by as much as 25˚ degrees. Try to limit the number of times you open the oven door while cooking.
To retain heat better use ceramic and glass dishes. These will retain the heat much better than other options. Glass and ceramic will allow you to drop the temperature of your oven by as much as 25˚
Food will continue to cook after you turn your oven off. Try turning your oven off 15 minutes before your food is done. It will finish cooking and save energy as long as the door remains closed.
Match your pot to your burner on range tops. If you have a 6-inch pot on an 8-inch burner you waste 40% of the burner’s heat.
Foods cook more efficiently if you cover your pots. This also keeps excess heat out of your kitchen.
On an electric range, turn your burner off before your food is done. Your heating element will be hot enough to continue cooking several minutes after it is turned off.

Ovens that are well maintained, cook more efficiently. Cleaning your oven and range top regularly will help in overall energy efficiency.

Buy Energy Saving Appliances

Energy saved reheating food can add up over the years. Using a microwave rather than a range top or conventional ovens is faster and can save as much as 50% on energy costs.

An Energy Star certified appliance uses less energy than standard appliances. Look for and buy only Energy Star-rated appliances. Energy Star.

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