The prices of gas in particular are skyrocketing. Time to take action to save on energy costs. You can also save while cooking. Saving energy in the kitchen is how you do it
The first question that naturally arises is which is cheaper:cooking on gas or electricity? And what about induction cooking? Until recently, gas cooking was the most economical way to cook. This was because the gas price was relatively cheaper than electricity. At the moment, however, the gas price is very high, which makes it cheaper, especially for people with solar panels, to cook on electricity. Although there are also some snags here, but more about that in a moment.
Cooking on induction is another way of cooking with electricity. This way is actually the cheapest. This is followed by cooking on a ceramic hob followed by cooking on a regular electric hob.
A lot of energy is needed during cooking. Depending on the dish you are making, it may just happen that the oven or gas stove is switched on for a few hours. Fortunately, there are also ways to save on this without having to forego tasty food. Because let's be honest:good food, especially in these times, is and remains a must.
Whether you're cooking on gas or electric, there are ways to effectively reduce cooking time. Or at least limit the use of energy. You can do this by:
Note:cooking with a regular deep-fat fryer is expensive! If possible, switch to an alternative. For example, you can use an Airfryer or just throw your snacks and fries in the oven.
TIP! You don't have to buy a special oven or Airfryer fries. The regular bags of fries can easily be made in the oven or Airfryer. I have not yet tested that with the snacks, I do buy oven snacks for that, although I think they should also be able to go in the oven/Airfryer.
In addition to the above methods, there is another, somewhat playful way to cook your food. You do this by using a hay box or a hay lady. This actually works very simply:you bring the pan with rice, potatoes, stew to the boil. As soon as it boils, remove the pan from the heat and place it in the hay box or the hay madam.
Don't have either of these at home? No worries! You can easily solve this by placing the pan on a trivet. Then put a sleeping bag or a thick blanket over it. The sleeping bag or blanket ensures that the heat is retained and the food cooks automatically. With stew you can check in the meantime and bring the food to the boil again if necessary. That way you only use minimal energy, while the food is just being cooked.
Most people use several pans for different products. That is often not necessary at all! Why not boil eggs in the pan with vegetables? You only have to cook once and that makes a difference.
Do you have a fireplace? You can also just use it for cooking. In this way you use the fireplace doubly:as heating and as a stove. Ideal if you want to make dishes that can simmer for a whole day, such as soup or stews.
You can also think outside the box. There are people who use the kettle to boil eggs or noodles. Not sure if that's a good idea, but it seems to work. You can also fry eggs with a sandwich/grilla prepared. Incidentally, the sandwich maker is also suitable for grilling steak and other dishes quickly and easily. Is it warmer? Then you can let dough rise quickly and easily in a warm car.
Keeping dishes warm does not have to be on the stove. You can solve that better with a rechaud. Then choose a simple model with tea lights that keep the food warm for a longer period of time. Maybe not very conventional, but very common in other countries:just cook on fire. Many people know a fixed barbecue or pizza oven in the garden. But cooking on fire can be much easier. You don't need more than wood and some firebricks and a grate. In India and Suriname they use a chulha for this (see videos below).
As you can see, there are several ways to save energy while cooking. From very obvious things such as the use of a lid to out of the box ideas through the use of other kitchen appliances. You can also use a hay lady to cook your meal faster.
How do you save energy while cooking?
