At Healthy Home 365, our main concern is making sure that our environment is treated well, and we aim to carry out this goal with all of the products and services that we offer Richardson homeowners. Whether if it’s our LiquidKool insulated paint or our SolarKool attic ventilation systems, we have developed products that not only help you save money on your energy costs, they also help you consume less energy. For more information about our attic ventilation systems, insulated paint and other products, contact Healthy Home 365 today!
The holiday season is among us, and with the holidays comes an increase of just about everything. From increased travel to increased time spent with friends and family, the holidays are a busy time for us all. Whether we’re entertaining guests or attending gatherings at the home of a friend or family member, one part of the home that gets a lot more attention during the holidays is the kitchen. One of the best parts of the holidays is the time we get to spend with our friends and family, and sitting down with them to share a meal is one of the highlights of the holidays. With this in mind, we’ve put together this helpful blog with some tips on how you can conserve energy in your kitchen during this busy time of the year. Let’s waste no time at all and get into it!
Think Outside of the Oven
Nothing says the holidays like hot, home cooked meals, and when we think of holiday foods, we think of things like turkey, ham, casseroles, and other items that are served hot. While these are fantastic and certainly make up a large portion of holiday food items that we love, there are plenty of delicious dishes that can be prepared that require little to no cooking. Cold salads, for instance, can provide your guests with a fantastic side dish for your meal that requires no cooking. Appetizers, too, can be made with minimal or no cooking. You can never go wrong with a great taco dip, and nothing says class like a well-balanced cheese plate. While main courses may be trickier to avoid using your appliances, limiting your use even slightly will make a difference and cut down on overall cook times.
Utilize Your Slow Cooker
While many of us spend hours upon hours in our kitchens during the holidays, one of the unsung heroes of any kitchen is actually your slow cooker. While it’s development in the 70s came from a place of convenience — it is, after all, something that can do the cooking for you while you’re away — slow cookers can also provide us with some incredibly convenient dishes that are quite delicious, as well. Things like soups and stews can do wonderfully in a crockpot, as do casseroles, and meats. Meals aside, the best part about the crockpot has to do with its energy consumption. Unlike our ovens which can easily consume more than 1000 watts on the highest setting, your slow cooker only consumes a modest 250 to 300 watts of power. A delicious meal with just a fraction of the power consumption? It’s the truth. This holiday season, take your slow cooker for a spin, you’ll be surprised at the results.
Be Smart When Cooking
We aren’t saying that you need to completely avoid using your stove and oven, as some foods can only be prepared this way. One thing that you can do to save energy, however, is to be more conscientious when using your oven and stove. For starters, when cooking on your stove, use the lowest possible heat setting to save energy. While in some cases this may make your food take a little bit longer to cook, you can cook at ease knowing that your food runs a lower risk of burning or overcooking. When cooking on the stove, be sure to use lids on pots and pans to hold in the heat and only use the necessary amount of energy to cook. Furthermore, making sure that you match the proper sized lid to the pot and pan will ensure that no heat escapes through the sides of the pot, again making sure that you will not have to use any more energy than is necessary to cook.
There are also a handful of things that you can do to save energy when using your oven. Cooking with glass cookware will ensure that your foods cook faster, as glass retains heat far better than other kinds of cookware. Cook as many items as you can in the oven as possible to not only cut down on cook times but also reduce the amount of energy consumed. Finally, try to limit the amount of times you open the oven door while your items are cooking. Every time you do this, the temperature can drop noticeably, causing your oven to use additional energy to bring it back to the required temperature. Finally, by turning off your oven 10 minutes prior to taking your food out, you will not only save energy, you will also ensure that your delicious creations won’t burn.
Those are just a few ways that you can save energy in the kitchen this holiday season. At Healthy Home 365, we work hard to provide Richardson homeowners with products and services that help you consume less energy and make more eco friendly decisions. For more information about our energy saving products like our attic ventilation systems, insulated paint and more, contact Healthy Home 365 today!
