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Surface Cooking
Use lids when surface cooking. A lid traps steam and uses it to speed up the cooking
process. If you have a pressure cooker or vegetable steamer, use it. You’ll waste fewer
vitamins, save time and cut energy costs.
Use medium-weight, flat bottomed pans that match the flame size. Choose pans made
of metals that conduct heat well.
When cooking on a surface burner, use as little water as possible to reduce cooking
time.
Oven Cooking
Preheat the oven only when a recipe tells you. Put roasts and casseroles into a cold
oven; then turn on the oven.
Opening the oven door often to check on foods wastes energy.
Use the oven to prepare complete meals. For instance, start a roast, add vegetables
when the meat is half-cooked, and then warm rolls or dessert after the main dishes are
cooked.
Thaw frozen foods before cooking. Thawed food requires less cooking energy than
frozen food.
Make it a habit to turn the oven off before removing the cooked food.
ENERGY-SAVING IDEAS
