Cooking Hot Meals with Less Heat
Greentips: October 2011
Whether you are preparing dinner for your family or just reheating
a slice of pizza, the appliance you choose for the job—and how you use it—can
have a significant impact on your energy consumption.
Size Matters
In general, the smaller the appliance, the more efficient it is. For example, heating water in a 900-watt microwave oven for five minutes consumes about half the electricity of heating it on an electric stovetop. Similarly, a slow cooker or toaster oven is more efficient than a conventional oven.
Fuel for Thought
Conventional stovetops and ovens are inherently inefficient because of the energy needed to build heat before cooking can begin, so none are eligible for an Energy Star label. However, natural gas is a more efficient fuel than electricity since gas is burned inside your range; with electricity, fuel must first be burned at a remote power plant and then transmitted over wires (which results in a loss of about two-thirds of the fuel’s original energy). And new electric-ignition gas ranges are about 30 percent more efficient than older models with a continuously burning pilot light.
If you’re shopping for a new range, consider a model with one or more of these energy-conserving features:
- Self-cleaning oven. These models are better-insulated, allowing for faster heating.
- Convection oven. Circulating heated air around the oven cooks food faster and at a lower temperature, reducing energy use up to 20 percent.
- Induction stovetop (electric ranges only). A magnetic field causes the molecules in your pans to vibrate, making them the heating element. Induction stovetops are expensive (about $1,500 or more) and require iron-containing metal cookware (if a magnet sticks to the bottom of the pan, it will work on the stovetop), but are 40 to 60 percent more efficient than conventional models¾liquids boil 50 percent faster¾and, because they remain cool to the touch, are safer as well.
Smart Cooking Tips
- Use the right cookware. Glass and ceramic pots and pans retain heat better than metal.
- Match pots to burner size. A six-inch pot on an eight-inch burner wastes about 40 percent of the heat.
- Don’t peek. Keep pots covered and the oven door closed to retain heat and cook food faster. Opening the oven can lower its internal temperature by 25 degrees, so make sure your oven is clean enough to see through the door.
- Take advantage of residual heat. Turn off the oven or burner several minutes before the recipe indicates. Both will stay hot enough to finish cooking the food.
