Cooking can be a great area in which to save energy. The Energy Education Council recommends keeping these energy efficient tips in mind while preparing your holiday meals this year:
- Think small—opt for a smaller appliance, such as a toaster oven or microwave, whenever possible. They have smaller spaces to heat, so they require less energy.
- Turn the oven or stove burners off a few minutes before your food is ready. They will remain hot enough to finish cooking the food.
- Don’t preheat the oven unless a recipe requires it.
- Self-cleaning ovens use less energy for normal cooking because of the higher insulation levels built into them. If you own one, plan to clean it right after you have finished baking something so it does not have to heat up a second time.
- Don’t peek. Opening the oven door lower the internal temperature and requires more energy to reheat.
- Don’t cover oven racks with foil. This reduces heat flow and increases cooking time.
- Make sure your pan covers the coil of your range. If you can see coil peeping out from the sides of your pan, you need a bigger pan (or a smaller burner).
- Put a lid on it. Cover pans while cooking to prevent heat loss.
- Plan ahead. Defrosting food in the microwave may be convenient, but it costs nothing more to defrost in the refrigerator.
These steps are easy to follow and come at no extra cost. Making a habit out of them will save you both energy in the kitchen and money on your energy bill.
Visit EnergyEdCounil.org for more information.
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