8 Ways To Reduce Your Eco Footprint When Cooking
The typical “enemies” of the green movement are things like car driving and old-style electric light bulbs. But while cooking dinner recently I got thinking about how easy it would be to use fewer resources while still preparing delicious, nutritious meals.
Here is the list of ideas that I came up with. If you can think of any I missed then please leave a comment at the end of this article with your own ideas.
Reduce Water Use
If you are boiling something, try to only use as much water as you need. For example if cooking mange tout, the beans only need ot be just covered in water so just a centimetre or two should be enough rather than filling up the whole pan.
Not only will you be saving water by doing this but the smaller amount of water will also warm up quicker meaning you use less gas or electricity to cook your food.
Re-Use Cooking Water
After boiling food in water, don’t just tip the water down the drain. The water will likely have nutrients in it so when it is cooled down, why not consider reusing it such as for watering your garden?
Don’t Overcook Food
Experiment with cooking vegetables for different periods of time to see how long you *really* need to cook them for. Many people are surprised at how much they enjoy crisper vegetables and how little time they really take to cook to this stage.
Slice Your Food Thinly
One of the real benefits of stir frying is that all the items of food are cooked so thinly. I stands to reason that meat or vegetables cut into thin slices will cook far faster than a great hunk of meat or a whole parsnip. So experiment with different chopping techniques and learn to love thinner pieces of food.
Use The Sauce Pan Lid
When boiling food, try placing the lid on the pan rather than leaving it off. You will find that not only does the water boil quicker, but of course less escapes in the form of steam. So you waste less water, waste less energy, and also reduce the risk of damp and mould appearing in your kitchen thanks to the humid environment.
Reduce Your Reliance On Meat
Increasingly meat is being seen as a luxury these days due to the carbon footprint of stock animals such as cows. Typically vegetarians (and especially vegans) have a far smaller carbon footprint than meat eaters. So consider buying a vegetarian cookbook and learning to cook some delicious meat-free meals.
Try Raw Food Diets
Many dieters swear by raw food diets. They claim they help weight loss and help them to feel more energetic and alert. And of course you save on fuel costs. So why not investigate this option. You’ll also save yourself all the time and hassle of cooking 
Try One-Pan Meals
Many meals can be cooked using a single pan if you get organized and indeed there are a number of books which focus especially on this form of cooking. One-pan cooking means you only need to heat one pan rather than a number and also saves on washing up.
Related Eco Friendly Articles:
- 10 Ways To Make Your Bathroom Greener
- 12 Effortless Ways To Reduce Your Carbon Footprint Today
- 5 Ways To Use Your Garden For Recycling
Other Eco Friendly Articles We Recommend:
loading...
