Turning off the heat
Sometimes it seems that being more ‘green’ requires a lot of effort and I sometimes feel that I don’t have the energy and time to fit into my day. But, what I am realising is that there are a lot of really simple, easy and quick ways to make a difference. Although many may think, “what difference is my tiny effort going to make?”, imagine the result if every human being on the planet was saving just that little bit of energy?
I found some useful tips on saving energy in the kitchen, and they really aren’t very hard at all!
Stovetops: With an electric stovetop, make sure your pan completely covers the heating element. With gas burners, make sure the flame is fully below the pan; otherwise, you’re paying to heat the air around the pan, not just the pan itself. Also, use the appropriate size pan for your meal. Smaller pans are easier to heat up.
Keep appliances clean. Clean surfaces maximize the amount of energy reflected toward your food. This applies to microwaves, toasters, ovens and other appliances.
Keep a lid on it! Covered pots retain heat and help cook food more quickly.
Take advantage of residual heat. Turn off the oven or electric stovetop several minutes before the recipe indicates. Both will stay hot enough to complete the cooking process.
Don’t preheat the oven unless a recipe requires it.
Use the right cookware. Glass and ceramic cookware conducts and retains heat better than metal. If a recipe calls for a metal baking pan, switching to glass or ceramic allows you to lower the oven temperature by 25 degrees.
Don’t peek. Opening the oven door can lower the internal temperature as much as 25 degrees. Use a timer to set the cooking time, and be sure your oven window is clean enough for you to see how your dish is progressing.
(courtesy of www.treehugger.com)
I think that even in my busy day I can make these small changes!
