Project Envolve™ is a program sponsored primarily by PPL Electric Utilities with the mission of helping us all save more and use less electricity. I’ve been provided with complimentary products as an Ambassador for the program in exchange for sharing these ideas and my own use of them with you. The opinions in this post are 100% mine. You can read my full disclosure policy here.
I think I spend half of my life in the kitchen. It seems like I’m always cooking a meal or cleaning one up and even when it’s not time to eat we often hang out here and I work in my kitchen, too. It’s a real hub of activity so it doesn’t surprise me to learn that the average kitchen accounts for about 15% of your total home’s energy use. Your stove, oven, and refrigerator are large appliances that require a lot of energy. And I don’t know about you but my dishwasher is pretty heavily used, too! I have some really simple tips here for you to help you cut back on your energy usage in the kitchen, also cutting back your energy bill. Sounds good to me!
Energy Saving Tip: Use a smaller appliance to do the job when you can.
A microwave uses much less energy than a stove or oven. I use my microwave a lot for heating up breakfasts and drinks. There are actually a lot of quick and easy one-serving recipes that can be made in a mug in the microwave. I really love this idea not only for saving energy but for saving calories! I think a mug of chocolate cake is probably better than me baking an entire cake, right?! Also try to use your toaster or toaster oven in place of your big oven when you can. The smaller the appliance, the less energy you’ll use.
Here are some quick and easy recipes for you to make in your microwave in a mug.
Breakfast-In-A-Mug: I love this idea for a quick yet hot and healthy breakfast on a school day. I never thought to make an egg in a mug in the microwave.
Tortilla Soup-In-A-Mug: This is a quick and easy one on a cold day, and what I love is that you can make several batches and store them in airtight bags or containers and always have some on hand. Once you have the dry ingredients mixed all you need to do is add water. Perfect to keep on hand at work for a warm afternoon pick-me-up.
5-Minute Browine-In-A-Mug: Hello, beautiful. This one is calling my name. You can make a pie pan of brownies in the microwave?! Perfect!
Chocolate Espresso Cake-In-A-Mug: I love this one, too, and think it’s a great gift idea. You can pre-measure all the dry ingredients and put it in a cute mug or glass jar with the recipes. How yummy would this be to whip up when you need a sweet treat?
Puppy Chow: Not actually for dogs, this yummy mix is a great sweet snack to enjoy over the holidays and you don’t even need to turn on the stove!
Another small appliance that we get a TON of use out of in the winter (and I need to do a better job of using it year-round) is our crockpot. When you only use the amount of heat you need for the size of your meal you’re saving energy. That means you’re saving money!
Kitchen Efficiency Tips: Simple Changes Go a Long Way
Changing just a few of your kitchen habits can add up to a big difference in your energy usage. I have a bunch of tips here that are so simple. Which ones do you think you can adopt right away? Something I’ve tried to be careful of is not opening the oven door to peek when I’m cooking something. That lowers the oven temp as much as 25 degrees making it take longer for your dish to be done.
I did not know this simple tip about bananas! I always end up with a few overripe bananas that I feel like I need to bake something with so I don’t have to trash them. If they lasted a little longer we’d actually get them all eaten up. Genius!
Love this tip to test the seal on your freezer and refrigerator. If they’re leaking cold air, you’re leaking $$.
Bottom line: It’s really easy to make a few adjustments to help cut down on your energy use in the kitchen. Try to use a smaller appliance for the job when you can, and use some of these kitchen efficiency tips to save you even more. Remember if you’re saving energy you’re saving money. And who doesn’t like the sounds of that?!
Do you have a great energy-saving kitchen tip? I’d love to hear it. Leave me a comment!
Natalie says
I love the onion ring trick for frying eggs! I can’t wait to try it this weekend and have my husband and son oohing and aahing over how cool I am!
Lindsay says
Natalie, I never thought to cook an egg in an onion ring either! Such a great idea and I agree…sure to impress! 😉