Saving Energy in the Kitchen

Use a lid. Water will boil up to 75 percent faster, using less energy, if you use a lid.

Match pan and burner size. Electric stoves generally have two sizes of burners - 6" and 8". Using a small pan on a large burner means that some of the coils being heated aren't even being used, so use the burner that most closely matches the size of your pan.

Run a full dishwasher. Many people are surprised to know that dishwashers are actually more efficient than hand washing. Saving energy in the kitchen doesn't always involve doing more work! Dishwashers use only a third of the water to clean a full set of dishes than if you wash by hand. But make sure that dishwasher is full. The machine will use the same amount of water and energy no matter how many dishes are loaded, so maximize efficiency by running only full loads.

Let dishes air dry. If the dryer function on your dishwasher is a selection, de-select it; if it's automatic, turn off your dishwasher manually when the cycle gets to the drying phase and open the door to help dishes dry faster. Not only is this a great way of saving energy in the kitchen, but your dishes won't burn your hands when you unload them!

Keep fridge and freezer at optimum temps. The recommended temperature for a refrigerator is 37-40 degrees. For the freezer compartment, it's 0-5 degrees. Setting your appliances to keep temperatures lower than that wastes energy and could potentially freeze some of the food in the refrigerator compartment, possibly ruining it.

Give it some air. An easy tip for saving energy in the kitchen is to simply make sure that appliances are placed properly. Both refrigerators and freezers should be pulled away from the wall to allow air to circulate behind their condensor coils. And a refrigerator placed in an air-conditioned space, rather than, say, a garage, will run more efficiently. Also, keep coils clean. If they are exposed on the back of the appliance, vacuum them once a year.

Fill up your freezer. A full freezer is more energy-efficient than an empty one. Every time a freezer door is opened, it loses cold air. According to the California Energy Commission, when there are cold items inside the freezer, the mass of items actually help the freezer recover its temperature faster than if the compartment is empty. Don't pack it so full that air cannot circulate, but keep the compartment occupied. If you don't have enough food items to do the trick, just use some water-filled containers to take up space.

Check seals. Make sure the seals on refrigerator and freezer doors and lids are airtight. If seals are leaky, replacing them is an easy DIY project.

Use a toaster oven. Conventional ovens use three times the energy that toaster ovens use. While you may need the full size of a conventional oven if you're roasting a turkey or baking a cake, if you're just cooking or heating a small amount, use the smaller and more efficient toaster oven.

Give in to the pressure. Other alternative tools for cooking that use less energy than conventional ovens and ranges are pressure cookers, microwave ovens and slow cookers. Pressure cookers and microwaves cook food much faster, making them both time and energy efficient, and microwaves use 70 percent less energy than an electric or gas oven. Slow cookers take longer to cook food, and energy savings depend on the size of the cooker, but most slow-cooker meals are all-in-one affairs, meaning there's no extra time or energy needed to cook sides. In addition, none of these alternative tools will heat up your kitchen, saving you cooling costs.

Make sun tea. Saving energy in the kitchen may mean leaving it! Instead of boiling water to make tea, in the summer, just place tea bags in a clear jug of water and place outside. Let the sun do the work!

How do you save energy in the kitchen?

How do you cook up energy savings in the kitchen? Share your tips with your fellow readers!

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