Green Tips For The Kitchen

The following are several tips for greener ways to cook and clean up.

• A full freezer is an energy saving freezer, so one of the best ways to save is to buy in bulk whenever possible and fill your freezer with what can not be used immediately. This is great for buying fresh vegetable and fruit in season and freezing them. We love to go to a local farm and pick strawberries and blueberries in the spring and early summer and freeze large quantities for use during the long winter months until it is time to pick a fresh batch the next year!
• We have also learned to practice no waste when undertaking baking by using silicone baking mats on baking tray instead of parchment or foil and we also use silicone muffin holders rather than the paper ones that always seem to stick to the muffin or cupcake.
• Another way to save energy in the kitchen is when you are needing to boil a pot of water to put a lid on the pot to prevent the heat and therefore energy from escaping. Doing this not only saves energy but also money with the high costs for electric and or natural gas these days.
• Another item that bears watching also with regard to pots on the stove is their size in relation to the size of the burner on which they are placed. Quite naturally large pots require more energy to heat than smaller ones, so make sure that the pot is always centered on the heating element or flame to get the most benefit from the energy expended. Whenever possible use the same pot for cooking multiple foods.
• Another money saving tip is to avoid opening the oven while baking. As tempting as it is to open the oven door to check and look at what you are cooking the temperature of the oven can drop from 25 to 50 degrees in that period of time, so resist the urge and save energy and also money.
• Running a dishwasher when it is totally full without pre-rinsing the dishes uses less water than hand washing them. To make the most of the energy expended run the dishwasher only when completely full and skip the heat drying cycle and air dry them.
• Unplug and turn off electric switches and appliances when not in use. It may seem insignificant but the savings can add up. Always be sure to turn off things like lights and ceiling fans when you leave a room and are not coming back to it in the next few minutes. a Pulling out your small appliances when they are not in use is another way to save electric, as they still draw a very small amount of current even when they are turned off.

The above items are all things that we have implemented ourselves and have found that they do work and do save energy and in turn money! We hope that if you are not currently doing these things that you will try them. With all the money and time that you will be saving, it will give you plenty of time and money to spend shopping at Two Artisan Sisters.

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