One of the staples of most human diets are raw fruit and vegetables. Plucked from the vine, bought at the farmers market or grocery store, a lot of fruits and veggies are served just as they are.
This is not so for meats, poultry and fish. With some exceptions to the rule, most of these items are cooked before serving. Although cooking may be an afterthought to most people, it is a very real energy-wasting activity in its own right. Stove elements burn between 1500 and 2500 watts each and oven elements burn from 2500 to 3500 watts of power every time they are turned on.
Unless we all adapt to a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle and decide to eat little other than raw fruits and vegetables, everyone is going to be cooking at some time or another. My own stove, although energy-efficient, is still used for big holiday meals, but that is about the only time I use my stove/oven for cooking. And when I do use it, I follow a few simple rules that save a little energy.
When cooking anything on the top burners, cover the pots. The heat is trapped inside instead of being released into the air. The cooking will go faster when pots are covered, and that saves time as well as energy. And because the pots are covered, you can turn off the burner a few minutes early and allow let the trapped heat inside finish the job for you.
Here’s a real energy waster: don’t preheat your oven. Instead of preheating, just add an extra five minutes cooking time to your dish. It cuts down on oven run time and the food will turn out just as good.
Don’t use the automatic oven cleaner. Automatic oven cleaners work by heating up the oven insides up to incredibly high temps. This literally burns up all the residue into ash which can then be easily wiped away. Instead of worrying about cleaning, become proactive and lay down some foil on the bottom of the stove. Almost 90 percent of all oven cleaning takes place because of drips falling to the bottom. The foil will catch these drips, and then can be removed and recycled at your convenience.
Use your microwave more than your stove. Microwaves burn between 700 and 1000 watts, which is far less than any stove or oven burner. For heating leftovers or canned goods, a microwave is a better alternative.
Counter top appliances give you the most cooking power for the least wattage. A standard famous name counter top grill (paging Mr. Foreman) will cook things like burgers, chicken breasts and thighs, or pork chops in just five or 10 minutes using only about 750 watts to do it. Even crock pots that burn a measly 220 watts, will cook an entire meal in four or five hours that a stove and oven might take 45 minutes. Doing the math, 5 hours at 220 watts is far far less than thousands of watts with a stove/oven combination.
So, there you have it. Limit cooking on your stove or in your oven, and when you must, take steps to be as efficient as possible by covering pots and not preheating. Use countertop appliances where you can to be as energy efficient as possible, and allow your microwave to become your best cooking partner, Because Action speaks louder than words!
Source: BecauseAction.com
