Saving money in the kitchen is always nice. The following ideas are little steps that save a few cents here and there. It may not seem like much, but in the long run they add up.
For the stove top:
- Cook with the right size pot on the right size burner.
If the pan is smaller than the burner, energy is lost. Obviously extra energy is used to heat up a larger burner. So if the pan is small, use a small burner.
- Use pans with flat bottoms. Warped pans let heat escape, causing the food to take longer to cook.
- Cooking time can be reduced by using a lid on your pot; it keeps the heat in.
- If using an electric stove, turn off burners a little before you need to, since they stay hot.
For the oven:
- Don’t pre-heat the oven.
It is usually unnecessary and uses a lot of extra energy. Turn it on and stick that casserole in!
(I guess you do need to pre-heat when cooking pastries)
- Cook back to back. Instead of heating the oven all the way up for a tray of muffins, plan ahead and bake your bread and dinner too. When possible, turn off oven before done, it stays hot for quite a while.
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See what other appliances can do the job; a crock pot may use less energy than an electric oven.
Click here to see the cost of cooking a casserole using different appliances (this link also has some great tips for saving in the kitchen).
Lastly, if you have a wood burning stove - use it!
Soups, stews and beans all cook very well on top of a wood burning stove. Cast iron pots and pans are great for this job.
If you are already using a stove for heat, then this would really save you money. Since it is already in use, why not make it do double duty.
(Of course, if you have small children you must be very careful and take proper precautions).
Here is a link with some tips (and recipes) for cooking on a wood burning stove: Tasty Tips for Cooking on Your Woodburning Stoves
Th above picture was from this morning. Inside the pot....
Rice! It turned out great.
Happy Cooking! |
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