by Julie Hall

For those of us pressured by hungry kids and/or tight schedules, being efficient cooks can quiet the storm and conserve resources like energy and water. Here are fifteen effective ways to make your cooking more efficient so you can get the food on the table and relax:

15 Tips for Efficient Cooking

1. Think through the major steps of your meal from the beginning. Start preparing the things that take the longest first and save the quickest for last.
2. Preheat. Think ahead and get that oven warming or that water boiling while you do the prep work.
3. Use the toaster oven instead of the large oven for baking or warming small items.
4. Use lids to conserve energy and speed up the heating process.
5. Tidy up as you go. This helps clear space for cooking, keeps you organized, and reduces clean up time later.
6. Choose the right size burner for your pot. Putting a small pot on a big burner can burn the edges of your pot and waste energy, while putting a big pot on a small burner slows cooking time.
   

   Putting a small pot on a large burner wastes energy and damages the pot.

7. If you are heating up the oven, consider adding other items you might be needing to make in the next day or two to conserve heat energy. For example, if you’re baking up a pasta dish why not bake some potatoes or cookies too?
8. If you’re washing lettuce or other produce for your meal, wash enough for the next day too to save yourself the trouble then.
9. Conserve water as much as possible as you rinse and wash.
10. Keep a compost bucket next to the sink for fruit and vegetable cuttings.
11. Choose the right tool for the job. For example, a flimsy turner doesn’t help much with heavy food, and a small cutting board isn’t big enough for preparing a vegetable stir fry. For more specific suggestions, read Cooking Tip: Use the Right Tool for the Job.
12. Use the pot or pan sized for the job.
13. Avoid boiling more water than you need.
14. Turn off the oven or stove top early and let food continue cooking from stored heat. You can save energy cooking a pot of rice, for example, by boiling the water, simmering the rice for 5 minutes, and then turning off the burner and leaving the lid on. Even brown rice will cook completely on the stored heat in the pot.
15. Organize your kitchen so you can access your most important cooking tools quickly. Burying your favorite spatula or hot mitt in an overloaded bottom drawer is an aggravating waste of time. You might want to hang your best pots and pans within easy reach and put your favorite spoons and spatulas in a countertop container for easy access.

Image by Julie Hall.

©2009 ProgressiveKid

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