{"id":12971,"date":"2015-09-15t16:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-09-15t16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dpetrov.2create.studio\/planet\/wordpress\/your-tuesday-tip-cooking-light-on-energy\/"},"modified":"2015-09-15t16:00:00","modified_gmt":"2015-09-15t16:00:00","slug":"your-tuesday-tip-cooking-light-on-energy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/your-tuesday-tip-cooking-light-on-energy\/","title":{"rendered":"your tuesday tip: cooking light (on energy)"},"content":{"rendered":"
by katlyn manka<\/strong> kitchens are notorious for refuse. in my house, our only trash bin was in the kitchen. most people don\u2019t realize that their kitchen waste stretches beyond trash. more specifically, kitchens are energy sinks. on average, the kitchen accounts for 13%<\/a> of a household\u2019s energy use, not including energy used to heat water. including the energy used to heat water, the kitchen is responsible for up to 22% of all home energy costs. other than electronics, it’s the biggest energy use in the household.<\/p>\n worry not, we have some tricks you can use to cut energy use and get the most out of your cooking.<\/span><\/p>\n 1. cook in bulk and consolidate dishes. instead of cooking tiny portions regularly, prepare dishes together or double the amount you cook. freeze or refrigerate what you don\u2019t use immediately.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n skip the stove and choose a smaller device to create a hot meal. the bonus with the slow-cooker is the recipes are usually pretty easy and you come home to dinner already cooked. (f\u00e6\/creative commons<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n 2. consider alternatives to the stove\/oven. smaller cooking devices, such as microwaves<\/a>, crock pots<\/a>, toaster ovens<\/a> and rice cookers<\/a> use much less energy than conventional ovens and cooktops. if you think a rice cooker is only for rice and a toaster oven is too small, think again! these tiny machines multitask more than you may think (more toaster oven<\/a> and rice cooker<\/a> recipes).<\/p>\n <\/em><\/p>\n skip the heat altogether and serve more raw foods. (marisa demeglio\/creative commons<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n 3. on the cooktop, cook smart. use those burners in the most efficient way.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n if you’re renting, you might not think about things like refrigerator coils, but keeping them clean uses less energy. check with your landlord to see who should do this maintenance. (mark florence<\/a>\/flickr)<\/em><\/p>\n 4. refrigerate smart! cooling food uses as much energy as heating it, maybe more.<\/p>\n remember, next time you cook, cook smarter. it\u2019ll be gentler on the environment and lighter on the wallet.<\/p>\n (sources: u.s. energy information administration<\/a>, energystar.gov<\/a>, thetinylife.com<\/a>, mother earth news<\/a>, thegreenists.com<\/a>, besthealthmag.ca<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n
\nplanet forward intern\/marymount student<\/em><\/p>\n\n
\n
\n
\n