Green Living

Oven-wise practices cut down on home energy consumption

Yesterday, I gave my granddaughter a lesson in slow food. Instead of dinner in a bag, drive-by-style, or something from the frozen food section, we pulled out flour and eggs, we cut up vegetables, we measured ingredients, we stirred them together, and stir-fried, steamed, toasted, and baked away the afternoon. The result? A healthy, tasty, inexpensive gourmet meal.

            Okay, it was only a tuna casserole, broccoli, and salad. But you have to start somewhere. In the process, I followed some advice I’d read recently—particularly relevant during winters like we’re experiencing in the Midwest: When done baking, leave the oven door open. This lets heat to escape and warm up the house, allowing your furnace a little respite, however brief.

            It reminded me that lots of little habits can build up to make a big impact. Like covering pots on the stovetop so they reach boiling point faster, turning off the oven a couple minutes before your dish is done, and resisting the temptation to open the oven door and peek on the progress. One other tip that’s great: When doable, use a toaster oven or an electric skillet or crockpot rather than the stovetop or oven. The smaller appliances eat up less energy (unless you’re using them all at once).

energy, food

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