Of course we need to cook much of the food we eat, but there are ways to do so which reduce the amount of energy required. This page is therefore dedicated to green cooking methods, which can save you energy as well as time. This green cooking information covers simple energy saving tips as well as different ways of cooking food, which can dramatically reduce energy consumption.
Simple green cooking tips include reducing heat loss of the food you are cooking. Making sure that pans have well-fitting lids and opening the oven door as little as possible, for example, will reduce the amount of energy required. You can also turn the oven off a few minutes before the end of the cooking time, but without opening the door. The heat contained within the oven will be enough to continue cooking the food for a few more minutes.
There are also other green cooking methods you can employ, which will also save you considerable amounts of time. Microwave ovens can be very energy efficient as they cook food very quickly (but don’t leave the microwave on when not in use as the clock and light can use more energy than cooking)! Alternatively, consider using slow or pressure cookers. Slow cookers take longer to cook food but use a much lower heat thus reducing energy use. Pressure cookers will cook food very quickly (a quarter to a third of normal cooking times) and, once pressure is reached, the heat can be turned down low. These are great for all kinds of foods including casseroles, soups and vegetables, with pressure cookers reducing energy consumption by up to 70%. If you are cooking more than one type of vegetable, you could also steam one variety over the top of another. This means that you are only heating one ring on the cooker and not using additional water.
These green cooking methods are very simple to incorporate into your everyday cooking, and even slow and pressure cookers don’t take long to get used to, also reducing the time you need to spend preparing your meals.
