How to save energy as you cook

Cooking is responsible for 6-8 percent of our total energy consumption in the home, with ovens and hobs accounting for about half of this, and kettles up to a third. With cooking taking most of energy we consume in the kitchen, there are some simple measures to keep waste to a minimum.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Use the right size pan for your food, and the right size ring or burner for the pan.

2. Put a lid on saucepans for faster cooking, which also uses less energy. With a tight-fitting lid, you can turn the heat right down.

3. Use the kettle to boil water for cooking, rather than heating it up in the pan - the only time you shouldn't do this is uf you are boiling cold eggs from the fridge, as these may crack from the shock of having boiling water poured over them.

4. Don't overfill the pan with water, just enough to cover the food is fine, especially if you use a lid to catch evaporation.

5. Only fill the kettle with as much water as you need right then.

6. Pasta will cook without being held at a rolling boil. Add pasta to hot water, bring it back to the boil and then turn off the heat and put on a tight-fitting lid. After the normal cooking time, you should find the pasta is ready to eat.