Kitchen

Cooking Tips

For more efficient stove use, plan your meals so that several foods cook at the same time in the oven.
If you cook with electricity, turn the stove-top burners off several minutes before the recommended cooking time. The heating element will stay hot long enough to finish the cooking without using more electricity. The same principle applies to oven cooking.
Induction heat ranges use electromagnetic energy to create direct heat in your pot without heating the cook-top surface, and it's nearly 90% efficient.
Keep range-top burners and reflectors clean; they will reflect the heat better and you will save energy.
Match each pot or pan to the appropriately sized heating element on your stove. A six-inch pan on an eight-inch element, for example, wastes 40% of the element's output.

Don't use the "rinse hold" setting on your dishwasher if you're washing only a few dishes. It uses 3 to 7 gallons of water with each wash.
If your dishwasher allows you adjust your water temperature, set it at a lower temperature to save hot water.
Instead of rinsing large food pieces and bones off your dishes, scrape them off. In general, soak or pre-wash only burned-on or dried-on food.
Let your dishes air dry. If you don't have an automatic air-dry switch, turn off the control knob after the final rinse and prop the door open slightly so the dishes will dry faster.
When washing dishes, always run a full load for maximum savings, or set the controls for smaller loads.

Cover liquids and wrap foods stored in the refrigerator. Uncovered foods release moisture and make the compressor work harder.
Don't overfill your refrigerator or freezer. Cool air needs to circulate freely. To make it work more efficiently, vacuum the condenser coils once a year (according to the safety instructions in your owner's manual) unless you have a no-clean condenser model. Your refrigerator will run for shorter periods with clean coils.
If you have a manual-defrost refrigerator or freezer, defrost it regularly - frost buildup increases the amount of energy needed to keep the motor running. Don't allow frost to build up more than one-quarter of an inch.
Make sure your refrigerator door seals are airtight. Test them by closing the door over a piece of paper or a dollar bill so it is half in and half out of the refrigerator. If you can pull the paper or bill out easily, the latch may need adjustment or the seal may need replacing.

Refrigerators use more energy than any other single appliance in your home. If your refrigerator is 10 years old or older, consider replacing it with an Energy Star-qualified refrigerator; it will use less than half the energy of your old unit.
Setting your refrigerator or freezer temperatures too cold wastes energy. For better efficiency, keep your refrigerator at 37 degrees Fahrenheit to 40 degrees Fahrenheit for the fresh food compartment, and your freezer at 5 degrees Fahrenheit. If you have a separate freezer for long-term storage, keep it at 0 degrees Fahrenheit.
When buying a new refrigerator, look for one with automatic moisture control - it prevents moisture from accumulating on the cabinet exterior without having to add a heater.
Your refrigerator cools food but heats your kitchen, so keep the door closed as much as possible.