Saving in the kitchen

Discussion in Home & Garden started by Peninha • Apr 16, 2014.

  1. Peninha

    PeninhaWell-Known Member

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    Do you have some special attention in saving when you're working in the kitchen, meaning, cooking? Some quick tips on how to save: use the microwave to heat small meals; cook larger portions; cook with the pot Lids on; let the food defrost naturally and so on and on. Do you do any of these? Any others you want to share?
     
  2. megshoe

    megshoeMember

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    I do all of these, but I personally never thought about them as energy saving. We have other little ways we try to save on money and energy, like not rinsing the dishes before they get put in the washer, putting all the electronics on powersaving mode, only running the dishwasher when it is full, etc.
     
  3. Strykstar

    StrykstarActive Member

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    I've been cooking larger portions as well, not only does it save money, it more importantly saves a lot of time the next day when you don't have to cook.
    Also try to see if you have any ingredients that are approaching the expiration date, then plan your meals around that, this way you can avoid ever throwing any food away because it went bad.
     
  4. Lostvalleyguy

    LostvalleyguyActive Member

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    One thing that I do is turning off the automatic drying cycle on the dishwasher. The dishes are somewhat warm at the end of the rinse cycle anyhow - if you open the dishwasher a crack and let the steam out and let the dishes sit, you will have clean dry dishes without the heating element being used to dry them. This actually can save a fair amount of power.

    Another energy savings can be from not putting hot foods into the fridge directly. Letting them cool for a short period of time before putting them in the fridge is actually safer for the items already in the fridge as the fridge air will warm up if hot foods are added.
     
  5. DDavies

    DDaviesActive Member

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    I cook multiple meals at once. I try to plan meals so I can do that. For example, plan a few meals you need rice for. Cook all the rice at once. Some foods don't hold up well, but many will keep for a few days or longer.

    I also bake several meals at once if they have similar degree requirements and freeze them.

    Another thing you can do is turn the oven off 10 minutes before the food is done. Don't open the door, the temp will stay hot enough to finish the food. This doesn't work as well with cookies, cakes and bread. But works great with meats and casseroles.
     
  6. Annabell

    AnnabellActive Member

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    I do all of them myself, and since I'm running such a huge household, large portions is kind of the standard around here. I would also recommend using the hot water tap to pill your pots, because even if it's only a tiny amount hotter, that's a little less energy you have to use every time.
     
  7. Peninha

    PeninhaWell-Known Member

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    What do you mean pill your pots Annabell? Do you mean putting hot water inside the pots when you need to boil water for cooking? That is a good idea and I do that, I put hot water on the pot and in that way it will take a considerable less time to boil and I'm saving gas I think.
     
  8. lizzief79

    lizzief79Active Member

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    I do some of these. I am trying to save on the cost of electricity at the moment. It occurred to me that when I cook a few different vegetables I cook them all in separate pans, each of which has to be heated separately. I realized that I could cook the vegetables in one pan using only one hob. If the vegetables have similar cooking times I put them all in at the same time. If some cook quicker I add them later.
     
  9. Peninha

    PeninhaWell-Known Member

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    That's a good thing too and I do it all the time, I cook all the vegetables in the same pot, except if I am cooking a particular vegetable that makes my potatoes taste funny, if that happens I prefer to boil them apart, after all, saving money is not everything in life. :)
     
  10. ohiotom76

    ohiotom76Well-Known Member

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    I don't really pay much attention to how much gas or electricity I am using in my kitchen, because I feel the difference in my bills will be negligible. My gas bills are already so low, that even when I am away from home for a week or two and not cooking, my gas bills aren't that much lower. Same goes for my electric bills. I inadvertently save money on them in other ways I suppose. For example, the reason I rarely run the gas to heat my place is because cooking with the oven as well as the dishwasher both give off a lot of excess heat already. The lights around my place give off heat too.

    That said, if I was looking to lower my energy consumption, a high quality toaster oven is a great way to cut back on wasted energy, especially if you are just cooking for yourself. It heats up much faster and uses less energy to stay at temperature during the cooking process. Electric food steamers are also a great choice because they start steaming the food within 15 seconds, instead of waiting 10-15 minutes for a pot of water to start boiling. Electric pressure cookers are another great choice since you can cook stuff that would normally take several hours, in about an hour or less. Plus the heat is all self contained, as opposed to all the wasted heat your burners give off.
     
  11. nwitt

    nwittActive Member

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    I would say yes. I mostly plan all of my food cooking and buying around saving money. I try to make a few portions at once, I wrap up leftovers instead of wasting, and I try to use up all food items. I don't really focus on saving money with gas/electric.
     
  12. Peninha

    PeninhaWell-Known Member

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    Sure, if I have to use the oven I use it, but I always notice how fast the gas meter runs (yes, it's an old kitchen and the meter is visible in the kitchen right in front of my eyes), so I'm well aware of how much it consumes. Heating does the most consuming and bathing too that's a fact, the kitchen is not where we spend the most unless we cook a lot.