Saving energy in the kitchen: these tips will help.

With rising electricity prices, it is advisable to save electricity when cooking and baking. You don’t have to buy a new, more efficient electric cooker to do this. If you keep a few things in mind, you can reduce your energy consumption.

With these tips you can save electricity & energy in the kitchen

Whether it’s jacket potatoes or a hot soup – as soon as we fire up the oven, energy consumption increases. We have summarised some helpful tips that will help you reduce electricity consumption in the kitchen for you here.

• Use a kettle to boil pasta water, for example. This is quicker and uses less electricity than using the cooker. Only use as much water as you actually need. At the same time, you can heat a small amount of water in the pot and add it to the boiling water from the kettle.
• Generally, when cooking, you should only put as much water in the pot as potatoes, pasta and co. actually need, because keeping the water hot all the time costs extra energy.
• According to Stiftung Warentest, you can also save electricity with the right cooking accessories. Make sure that both pots and pans are the same size as the hob you are using. In addition, the bottom of the pot or pan should be level to prevent heat loss.
• If you then use a lid on pots and pans, you can also save up to 30 percent energy. Glass lids are practical. This way you can always keep an eye on the dish without having to remove the lid and losing heat.
• A pressure cooker is even more economical. Since the cooking time is shorter than with a normal pot, the electricity consumption is even reduced by up to 50 percent.
• Keeping liquids warm works very well with the help of thermal dishes, such as thermos flasks. It is always a good idea to use thermos containers if you are preparing food one after the other, but ideally want to eat it at the same time.
• The festive roast is wonderful cooked in a roaster with a lid on the hob instead of in the oven. The meat cooks at lower temperatures than in the oven, which saves electricity. You should note that the highest setting should only ever be used at the beginning, one of the medium settings is usually sufficient for the actual cooking process.
• The hot plates can also be used to quickly warm up food shortly before serving. The residual heat is perfectly sufficient for this and you save a reheating process. Or you can use the heat for quick dishes such as an egg, recommends WWF.
• Also, always keep in mind any kitchen appliances you have: Do you have a microwave or a toaster? These appliances may be even more suitable for reheating food than the classic cooker or oven. In addition, you generally save energy when using microwaves, as they work differently from ovens.
• Cooking frozen food is also a waste of energy, as it takes longer to heat up and defrost. Food such as meat or vegetables should therefore be defrosted gently in the refrigerator or at low room temperature (follow the respective hygiene rules). They can then be prepared as desired.

You can also reduce energy consumption when baking

If you are baking a lot of biscuits or use the oven frequently during the rest of the year to prepare pizzas, casseroles and the like, you can also save electricity with simple tricks.

• The best way to bake is with circulating air or the hot air setting. A fan distributes the hot air so that several baking trays can be placed in the oven at the same time. This can save you more than 30 percent energy.
• You can switch off the oven just like hot plates a few minutes before the end of the cooking time. The residual heat is sufficient to finish cooking the food. The Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection recommends switching off the oven 5-10 minutes beforehand. If you are still unsure whether the residual heat is sufficient for cooking, you can consult a meat thermometer, for example.
• Do not preheat the oven. In most cases, it is sufficient to switch on the oven only when pizza, casseroles and cakes go in. However, the baking time is then a little longer than stated on the packaging or in the recipe. You can usually add about 10 minutes, but to be on the safe side, you should check regularly if you are using an unfamiliar recipe.
• But be careful: If possible, you should check the oven from the outside, because opening the oven door usually results in a large loss of energy, as the heat escapes into the colder kitchen. After baking, it is advisable to keep the door open because you can use the residual heat for heating.
• The right baking utensils also make a difference: Black lacquered and enamelled baking dishes store energy better and heat up faster. In addition, you should never just leave trays in the oven that you don’t need at the moment. They then have to be heated as well and consume energy.
• For baking bread rolls or leftover yeast plait, a toaster is just as effective as the oven – but saves electricity.