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Step 1
Use the microwave for cooking whenever possible. Microwaves use a lot of energy to operate. However, since the cooking time is greatly reduced, the microwave uses about 2/3 the amount of energy used to cook the same meal in the oven.
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Step 2
Match the method of cooking to the meal. For example, if the item you are cooking is small enough to cook in the toaster oven, cook it that way instead of heating the large oven. Crockpots and rice cookers can also be an economical alternative.
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Step 3
Purchase sturdy, flat-bottomed pans made of a highly conductive material. A flat-bottomed pan makes even contact with the burner and heats the food quicker and more efficiently. Pans with copper bottoms heat up quickest.
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Step 4
Use a pan the right size for the burner you are using. If the pan is smaller than the burner, you are wasting energy. For example, using a 6-inch pan on an 8-inch burner wastes 40 percent of the energy generated.
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Step 5
Choose glass or ceramic cookware instead of metal when baking in the oven. With glass or ceramic pans, you can lower the temperature of the oven by about 25 degrees and cook the food just as quickly.
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Step 6
Reduce your cooking time and your energy usage by thawing frozen food in the refrigerator before cooking. You can also reduce cooking time by keeping your stove top and oven clean and shiny. If your burner pans and oven get blackened from use they absorb the heat reducing efficiency. Shiny surfaces reflect the heat.
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Step 7
Plan ahead. Take advantage of the oven being on and cook multiple items at the same time. Another good idea is to double the size of the meal you are cooking and then freeze half of it for another time. That way when you want to eat the second meal, all you have to do is warm it up.
