Tip 1: Let products come up to room temperature
Take your ingredients out of the freezer or fridge in time so you don't have to defrost them in the
microwave, pan or oven before you can start cooking. Cooking and frying food at room temperature not only saves energy, it also tastes better. This is because the heat penetrates to the core faster, so your food is less likely to dry out. Meat stays extra tender and vegetables crunchy.
Tip 2: Cook with the lid on
Cooking with the lid on the saucepan reduces energy consumption. As heat cannot escape, you bring water to a boil faster. Of course, you can also use a lid on a frying pan to cook your food faster.
Tip 3: Use the right sized pan
When you cook with a small pan on a large gas burner or cookingzone, a lot of heat is lost. If you are cooking on gas, make sure the flame stays below the bottom of the pan. Are you cooking on an electric hob? Then use a pan with the same sizedbase as the cooking zone.
Tip 4: Reusing water
Boiled water is great to re use for another ingredient. If you are cooking potatoes and vegetables, for example, then use the same saucepan. Put the ingredient that needs to cook the longest in the pan first and add the faster-to-cook ingredients later. This will save energy and water.
Tip 5: Make one-pot dishes
Another handy tip for saving water and energy: casserolesor one-pot dishes. For stews, you only need one pot and therefore only one burner or cooking zone. Cooking in one pot also saves on washing up, which means you also use less energy and water. Even more sustainable!
Tip 6: Switch off your hob or oven earlier
Are you using a ceramic hob or making an oven dish? If so, turn off your hob or oven a few minutes earlier. After cooking, the pan will stay hot for a while and the oven will also take a while to cooldown. You can use this 'residual heat' to keep your food warm. A few minutes every day saves a lot of energy on an annual basis!
Tip 7: Use high-quality and durable pans
Besides practical tips on how to cook efficiently using less energy, it is also important to use a quality pan. The better a pan distributes heat, the faster your food cooks. You also don't want your food to burn and end up in the bin. All the more reason to choose a pan with a good ceramic non-stick coating.