Top advice for an energy-efficient kitchen

The kitchen is often an energy-intensive part of any household. Since there are no energy ratings for cooking appliances, here are a few criteria and tips that you can rely on to make earth-friendly choices.

Among the wide variety of stovetops and ovens available today, the level of energy efficiency can vary significantly. Knowing your options is an important part of making an informed and earth-friendly choice.

• If possible, choose natural gas rather than electricity for cooking, especially for a stovetop. Gas stovetops cost half as much to run as electric ones and yield about half the amount of greenhouse gases.
• Don't buy anything larger than you need. In general, the larger the stove, the more energy it will use.
• Choose a stovetop with a range of ring sizes. This will help you control energy use.
• If you buy an electric stovetop, bear in mind that coil hotplates tend to be cheaper and more efficient than solid or ceramic hotplates.
• If you opt for electricity, consider induction hotplates. These are up to 30 percent more efficient than standard hotplates. Each induction hotplate has a switch and an electromagnetic inductor coil. When a pan is placed on the hotplate, a magnetic field is created and this causes the pan to heat up, but not the stovetop. Little energy is wasted and temperature control is precise.
• Choose an oven with a fan. Fan-forced ovens are up to 25 percent more efficient and produce up to 35 percent less greenhouse gas than ovens without a fan.

There is often more than one way to cook your food and the methods you use can greatly impact your household energy usage.

• Use a microwave for small dishes and reheating. Microwaves use less energy and yield much lower greenhouse emissions than stovetops.
• Invest in a pressure cooker. It will cook food in one-third of the time required by a conventional stovetop, using one-third as much energy.
• To reduce the cooking time of frozen foods, thaw them thoroughly in the fridge before cooking.
• Match the size of your pan to the hotplate and keep the flame as low as possible. If the flame extends beyond the edge of the saucepan base, you are wasting energy.
• Cooking one small dish in an oven is inefficient. If you are going to switch on the oven, make it worthwhile by cooking several dishes at once.
• Avoid opening the oven door as much as possible when cooking. The oven loses about 15°C (59°F) of heat every time you do so.
• If you can cook something using a small appliance – such as a toaster, slow cooker or electric frying pan – rather than a large appliance, do so. A toaster will generate one-quarter of the greenhouse gas emissions produced by an electric grill to do the same job.

The choices you make in terms of kitchen appliances and cooking methods can significantly increase or decrease the amount of energy needed to prepare a meal. So the next time you are purchasing new kitchen equipment or simply preparing dinner, take a moment to consider the more energy-efficient options available to you.