15 Energy Saving Cooking Tips For the Holidays

The winter holidays are upon us, and for many that means spending a signifigant ammount of time in the kitchen, preparing feasts for friends and family. That does not mean, however, that your energy bill has to suffer because of it. If we are smart about how we use our energy, we can cook that turkey and not kill our wallet!

1.Defrost frozen food in the fridge overnight: defrosting food in advance typically halves the cooking time.
2. Cover pans while cooking to prevent heat loss.
3. Make sure your pan covers the coil of your range. If you can see coil peeping out from the sides of your pan, you are losing energy and you need a bigger pan!
4. Just before your food is cooked completely, turn off the oven or burner and allow the heat in the pot or pan to continue the cooking process for you.
5. The less liquid and fat you use, the quicker the cooking time.
6.Use glass or ceramic dishes: they're the most efficient to use in the oven and can reduce the temperature required for cooking.    
7.If you have one, use a pressure cooker. It really saves on energy.
8. Keep the Oven Door Shut -It's hard to resist cracking the oven to check the status of a roasting bird , but doing so causes the oven to drop its temperature, meaning it will require even more energy to stay constant. Resist opening that door! Instead of, turn on the oven light and monitor items through the window.
9. Stuff the Oven -Whenever possible, put several dishes in the oven at once, which can cut down on the amount of time the oven stays on throughout the day.
10.Fire Up the Microwave -Microwaves use just a fraction of the electricity that ovens do, and, of course, can dramatically reduce cooking time.
11.For soups and stews that require long cooking periods, using a crockpot will save a significant amount of energy.
12.Use a steamer to cook vegetables, that way you can layer a number of vegetables on top of each other and still use one ring, or use a pan with a divider.
13.Let your leftovers cool down Let food cool slightly before storing inside the refrigerator, so it won’t have to over compensate.
14.Lower your thermostat Are you expecting a lot of visitors?  Cooking food and a crowd can quickly heat up the room, so adjust accordingly.
15.Load the Dishwasher - When faced with a mountain of holiday dishes, using the dishwasher is usually more energy-efficient. Scraping plates rather than rinsing them will also save water, as will the low-heat and energy-saver options on your machine.

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