Being Green in the Kitchen
Greening Up Your Kitchen Routine
Cooking you own food at home is not only cheaper than going out, it is also relaxing and allows you to choose all your own ingredients. It is also a great activity to do with kids. According to Stephanie Gallagher, who created the Cooking for Kids Guide for About.com, teaching children to cook has a number of benefits, like increased self-esteem as well as the chance to put reading, math and even chemistry skills to practical use. Cooking with natural and organic ingredients also teaches kids about making healthy food choices. Here are a few tips to be a greener chef in the kitchen:
Buy Local and Organic
When you buy locally it not only helps out the economy in your community, it also reduces the transportation involved with importing products, saving money and energy. When you buy fruits and vegetables in season, it can also bring your costs down. Choosing organic foods, which are produced without pesticides and other harmful chemicals, is best for you and the environment. Farmer’s markets can be a great resource for organic produce and can be cheaper than grocery stores.
Save Energy While You Bake
If you love to bake, here a couple of hints to minimize energy use. First, when using the stove to melt ingredients such as chocolate, sugar or butter, use the smallest burner you can. A lot of energy is wasted by using a burner that is bigger than your saucepan. Second, when you are baking delicious treats in the oven, resist the urge to peek! Every time you open the oven door, the oven temperature is lowered by about 25 degrees, making your oven work overtime while adding to your electricity costs. You can also skip the muffin and cupcake liners, which are made out of paper and aluminum foil that need to be disposed of, if you use a natural canola oil spray instead.
Reduce Waste When Cleaning Up
Use cloth kitchen towels to clean up your kitchen counters and appliances that can be thrown in the wash, instead of using and throwing away paper towels. I also like to tear my old, ratty towels into strips to make rags that can be used again and again. There are also several new mops on the market with removable, washable tops. This is a greener alternative to mops and brooms that use disposable cloths that need to be thrown away. Don’t forget to use non-toxic disinfecting sprays and cleaners in the kitchen, too, that are better for the air you breathe as well as for the environment. Many grocery chains now offer generic alternatives to name-brand green cleaning products, which are cheaper too.
Comments
-
January 12th, 2010
-
January 12th, 2010Trackback from : Thirteenth Carnival for Green Living | Green Your Apartment
Lately, I have gotten into making my own bread, but I know that I am not being very efficient with my energy usage. Not only have I not been able to resist the urge to peek, I also frequently let the oven preheat for too long. This is something I have been trying to get better about, but it is a work in progress.
One thing I do do, however, is after I get done baking, I shut off the oven and leave the door open for a few minutes to help heat the kitchen.
I know this wastes a little electricity with the light, but I look at it as heat that would otherwise be wasted. Not sure if this actually helps though, but it kind of makes sense…
This heavy snow has seen us having to shop locally. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality / price of the produce especially the vegetables.
I for one love baking and I am definitely guilty of peaking! I didn’t know that it could waste so much electricity just by peaking. Also more recently I have started to frequent farmers markets by my house and I must say I love it! With farmers markets, it feels more personal like those people actually appreciate that you are purchasing from them and you know where your fruits and vegetables come from so I think that’s always great.
Walmart is pushing for green products. i hope other store start stocking Green products
One thing my dad has always done to save energy is to turn off the oven before the actual time limit of cooking something, and he will let the heat slowly cook the remaining minutes, and just leave whatever he is cooking in there extra, really saves alot of energy.
Till then,
Jean
Good and simple tips.. I need to make a point to go to the local Farmers Markets I have near where I live, probably 4 or more days of the week you can find one with in 15 minutes or so!
I’m so lucky we live near a half a dozen farms and a couple of them have gone organic!
Thanks for the comments!