Cooking is an energy-intensive activity so it makes sense to try and save yourself time and money with these simple ideas when cooking on the hob:
- Use the correct size pan for the amount of food you are cooking to help cook food evenly and save energy.
- You only need just enough water in the pan to cover vegetables.
- Boil your cooking water in the kettle first to save time and money.
- Cook more than you need so you freeze extra portions. Less energy is needed to reheat a dish than to cook the same meal again.
- Burnt foodstuff absorbs heat making an electric ring less efficient so keep your hob clean.
- If you're using an electric hob, use flat-bottomed pans so the pan is in full contact with the ring.
- Choose the right size of burner or ring for the pan. If you can see the ring, you are wasting energy and need a bigger pan or use a smaller ring or burner.
- Always use lids on the pans to keep the heat in and energy consumption down as you'll be able to turn down the ring.
- Once the correct cooking temperature or state is reached, turn down the ring or burner so that you're simmering food rather than boiling it.
- Cook vegetables using a steamer so that can layer a number of vegetables on top of each other and still use just one ring, or use a pan with a divider.
- Use a pressure cooker to speed up the cooking process when cooking pulses, and even joints of meat, whole meals, or stews.
- Certain pan types are better at conducting and retaining heat – copper-bottomed pans heat up quicker than stainless steel and cast-iron pans retain heat more efficiently , so you won't need the heat to be turned up so high.
What are your top tips?
Please share your helpful hints in the comments below.
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