10 Energy-Saving Cooking Tips For A Green Kitchen

Who doesn't want to save money on energy bills AND move towards a green or zero waste kitchen? Here are 10 Energy-Saving Cooking Tips that will set your kitchen up to be green in no time.

All of us rely heavily on a number of people working to get our food from the farm to our table, people like farmers, processors and shopkeepers.

But once the food arrives in our kitchen it's completely up to us how you store it, prepare it, cook it, clean up after it and dispose of it. We each have the individual power to make a difference in the kinds of energy we use (and waste) in the home and the kitchen is one area where we can have a pretty big impact.

On average, each Canadian produces 22 tonnes of greenhouse gas per year – which is the highest among all G20 members and nearly three times the G20 average of eight tonnes per person.

If you use a gas stove, these tips won't really add up to much as gas comes from fossil fuels and it's important to note that there are a lot of variables going on in the kitchen when it comes to energy use. We certainly can't be perfect, but we can make small shifts that will save energy and money!

Heating Up Leftovers

If you have a leftover meal to heat up, don't use the stove. The microwave in this instance is better. If you don't have a microwave [like me] then use the small pot on the smallest burner. Matching pot size to burners is a great way to reduce the amount of energy you are using when heating up or even cooking your food.

Frying vs. Grilling

It's more energy effect to fry rather than the grill. Grilling uses a lot of energy and most of that gets wasted into the kitchen itself. Use a really good pan, like cast iron, where you don't have to use a great deal of oil. And if you can use a toaster instead of the grill, then do that!

Don’t overfill pots with water

Follow the cooking instructions, normally it’s enough to just cover the food.  I also recommend you keep the lids on pots and pans. If you need to boil something you can boil the water in the kettle, a Kettle is more energy-efficient than a stove.

Keep the stovetop clean

Lots of build-ups can make the burner work more making it less efficient by using more energy.

Use high-quality cookware

That is made from highly conductive materials typically allows you to get the same results while using approximately 25% less heat. Glass or ceramic pans are better in the oven, and pans with a copper bottom are better on stovetops.

Try smaller appliances

Like slow cookers and pressure cookers, they use way less energy and will save you money on your energy bills.

Optimize your preheated oven

By cooking several items in a row.

Steaming food

Is a great way to save energy, you can steam all kinds of foods, not just vegetables.

Cut food into smaller chunks

Smaller chunks will cook much faster than bigger ones and will help you to save a little more energy.

Try energy-saving cooking

Instead of cooking a whole chicken, with roast potatoes, steamed veggies and bread, which takes about 1.5 hours to cook.

Try cutting up the chicken into eight pieces and arrange those in the baking pan with the veggies and potatoes, this will take about 50 mins to cook and save a ton of energy.

Instead of baked salmon try poaching it instead, you will save about 15 mins.

These types of actions help to reduce the amount of energy and carbon your home uses. Two things that contribute to climate change.

Do you have any tips for saving energy in the kitchen, share in the comments below!