| The kitchen, with all its appliances, gadgets and heat, is | | | | When done with the oven, open the door to allow any |
| a real hot spot for potential energy saving. As the | | | | leftover heat to warm the home. |
| oven uses the most energy and creates a vast | | | | Pasta cooking water can be left out until it has |
| amount of heat while cooking foods, it is a good place | | | | completely cooled - so that the heat and moisture are |
| to start. | | | | released back into the air. Before pulling the plug, |
| For instance, when baking cookies use two trays. | | | | consider leaving hot dishwater (and bath water) until it |
| While one is in the oven baking, the other one is | | | | cools. Why pay to heat up your sewer pipes? When |
| prepped with raw cookies - ready to replace the tray | | | | cooking vegetables, consider steaming instead of |
| in the oven with no wasted heat and some time | | | | boiling. When steamed, more nutrients are retained in |
| saved. When we bake bread we also fill the oven with | | | | the food, and because it requires less water to heat - |
| foil wrapped potatoes. The potatoes can be stored in | | | | there is less energy used. |
| the fridge without the foil and used throughout the | | | | In summer, consider cooking on the barbecue to help |
| week in a myriad of recipes, or as a side dish. This | | | | keep the house cool. Most barbecues now include side |
| method can be applied to a menu plan in that if you | | | | burners that make outdoor cooking all that much |
| are baking one dish, try to include a side dish that is | | | | easier. |
| baked as well. | | | | All these methods are relatively easy to adopt and |
| By turning off the oven a minute or two before the | | | | when added up, the savings in energy and time really |
| dish is done, the residual heat will finish the cooking. | | | | do make a difference. |