Eco-Friendly Cooking: How to Cut Energy Use in the Kitchen

The holiday season finds many of us spending more time in our kitchens baking goodies, preparing feasts for family and food to share at potlucks. For electric stove users, this not only means delicious food and tasty treats, but an increase in our electric bills. In the average household, approximately 15% of the electric bill is generated by the kitchen. 

The challenge is to find ways to prepare and cook food in an eco-friendlier way, reducing energy use in the kitchen without sacrificing time or flavor. Fort Worth power company Pronto Power offers the following suggestions for saving energy in the kitchen to keep your electric bill affordable.

Upgrading to energy efficient appliances

Sometimes, spending a little money upfront helps to save money over time. Consider upgrading your big-ticket appliances (refrigerator, range, oven, dishwasher) to those with the highest Energy Star rating within your budget. Energy Star rated appliances reduce your carbon footprint and use less energy because they operate more efficiently. You may also think about purchasing smart appliances that you can control through a home hub and track energy use. 

Changing up your cookware

That old set of pots and pans you’ve been using for the past 15 years are no longer the most efficient tools for cooking. Cookware has been redesigned to improve heat conductivity and maintain consistent heat. Make sure that you use the appropriately sized burner for the vessel you use. A 12” skillet shouldn’t be used on your smallest burner. It will require more time and energy to heat up and will not keep the heat even for cooking. 

Non-stick and ceramic cookware require less energy as they heat to cooking temperatures quickly. Newer cookware allows for more residual cooking because they maintain heat longer. Use lids on your cookware to conserve heat. This will allow you to cook at a lower temperature. Turn off your burner right before your dish is done, and let the cookware do the rest of the work while you save electricity.

Using alternative appliances

Crockpots, pressure cookers, toaster ovens, waffle makers— the list is almost endless. Consider big batch cooking to conserve energy in your kitchen. Instead of heating up the entire oven to bake biscuits or a side dish, use the toaster oven. Most waffle makers have a flat griddle side. Use that to make a delicious grilled cheese instead of using the range. An electric kettle will use less energy than boiling water in the microwave or range top. Smaller appliances draw less energy and frequent use will make a visible difference in your energy bill.

Decreasing cooking time

One of the easiest and less expensive ways to conserve energy in the kitchen is to make ingredients smaller so they take less time to cook. Once again, using pot covers will help retain heat and allow items to cook faster. Cook more than one dish at a time in the oven to reduce the amount of time it’s on. Avoid opening the oven door during cooking. Heat loss is dramatic when you open the door and the oven must use additional energy to bring the interior back up to the desired temperature, which increases cook time.

Being diligent in your kitchen and having appliances and cookware geared towards eco-friendly conservation will help you achieve your energy bill reduction. You can also save on electricity by switching to Pronto Power, a Fort Worth prepaid power company with the lowest rates in Texas. Call us today at 1-844-621-2852 or contact us online to get started.