How to Save Energy in the Kitchen
If your energy doesn’t come from solar panels, wind energy, or another renewable source, that means all your energy comes from burning fossil fuels like coal, petroleum and natural gas. Using fossil fuels for energy is uber unsustainable because they take millions of year to replenish (read: we’re running out of them dang quick), and burning fossil fuels sends a bunch of nasty emissions, the things that are causing climate change, in the atmosphere.
Although we most def need to switch to using renewable energy sources (and you should definitely be pestering your representatives to make this happen), you can also make individual changes to save energy and money in the kitchen. In this post, I’ll tell you all my favorite energy saving tips for cooking and baking.
Use small appliances
Smaller appliances use less energy than larger appliances simply because they have less square footage to heat or cool. This means that using the toaster or the microwave in place of the stove or oven, or investing in a smaller fridge or freezer can help you save energy (and $$$) in the kitchen. I'm not asking you to go full cake mug— I'm just asking you to use smaller appliances when it doesn't affect the result of your cooking too much. Here are two of my favorite small-appliance swaps:
Invest in a tea kettle
Waiting for water to boil over the stove is heckin’ boring and also wastes a lot of energy. If you invest in a good, speedy tea kettle, you'll never have to wait longer than a few minutes to reach that rolling boil we all know and love. Because tea kettles are speedy quick, boiling water in tea kettles requires way less energy than boiling over the stove.
To make sure the kettle water maintains a boil when I transfer it to the stove, I like to put a pot with just a bit of water in it on the stove over medium heat while the kettle does its thang. Once the kettle water is boiling, I then transfer it to the pot on the stove, which is already hot, and immediately pop a lid on that puppy. Using this method, the water comes back to a boil in no time.
Embrace the Instant Pot
Like tea kettles, Instant Pot pressure cookers save energy because they cook things a lot quicker than stoves or ovens, which means that they spend less time using energy. I know that the Instant Pot gets a bad rap from some (pretentious) chefs, but these pressure cookers can actually make some dang tasty meals if you use well-tested recipes. Melissa Clark is the queen of the Instant Pot, so be sure to check out allll her books and other content to help you master the Instant Pot.
Invest in Energy Efficient Appliances
Buying energy efficient appliances (hello, Energy Star) is really a no-brainer way to save energy in the kitchen. Energy Star is a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) program that helps companies design more energy efficient appliances and electronics. Energy Star claims that in 2016 their appliances saved about 400 billion kWh of electricity, which is associated with a 320 million metric ton reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, a 300,000 short ton reduction of sulfur dioxide (the stuff that causes acid rain), and a 23,000 short ton reduction of fine particulate matter (stuff that causes major respiratory problems). These energy and pollution savings are nothing to sneeze at, so be sure to invest in products labeled with the Energy Star logo once your old appliances go to the big kitchen in the sky.
Unplug Phantom Energy
You've heard the rumor and I'm here to tell you that it's true: leaving your small appliances plugged in when they're not in use can waste a bunch of energy. Unplugging that blender, toaster, tea kettle, Instant Pot, and all your other gadgets when they're not in use can save "phantom energy," which is the energy that appliances pull from outlets even when they are off or not in use. If you have trouble remembering to unplug (like my roommate…) you can buy a special power strip that prevents power from going to phantom energy users when they are not in use.
Keep Your Fridge and Freezer Full
It seems a little counter-intuitive, but keeping your fridge and freezer full can actually decrease the amount of energy needed to keep your foods cold. This is because it takes a lot longer for your foods to warm up if you open the fridge door than it takes empty air to warm up when you open the door. Packing your foods tightly can help them retain their cold-ness, which means your fridge or freezer doesn’t have to work as hard to cool them down.
Cook in Bulk
Cooking more food at once can reduce the number of times you need to cook, which reduces the amount of energy needed to cook the same amount of food. For example, if you know you're going to want pasta and roasted vegetables for two nights in a row, you can save energy by simply making two servings of pasta and veg at once. This way, you only need to bring one pot of water to a boil and heat your oven one time. Alternatively, you could make huge batches of food and store them in your freezer for another time. This will help you keep that freezer full and allow you to cook in bulk without letting food go to waste. Win-win city.