Considering the environmental impact of your daily habits and the potential for utility savings, you may find it worthwhile to adopt more energy-efficient cooking methods. Using appliances like air fryers, toaster ovens, and crockpots instead of a traditional stove or oven can make a big difference.

Cooking with an air fryer, toaster oven, and crockpot can maximize sustainable home cooking.
All of these countertop appliances require significantly less electricity than an electric stove, and they enable you to cook without using your gas stove. Look for models with energy star ratings for the greatest energy conservation.

Because of its small cooking chamber and super-convection, an air fryer cooks food much
faster than a traditional oven – often in about half the time. Air fryers heat up much faster than
full-size ovens. Food cooked in air fryers becomes crispy and flavorful with little or no added oil, promoting healthy cooking. Roast vegetables, cook meat and fish, make french fries and veggie chips, and crisp up leftovers in your air fryer.

Both an air fryer and toaster oven allow for precision cooking and temperature control, so it’s
easy to avoid overcooking food and unnecessary food waste. Their smaller cooking capacity
encourages portion control and minimizes preparing and wasting excessive amounts of food.
When reheating food, using an air fryer or toaster oven is much more energy efficient than
heating up a large oven. Use a toaster oven to cook a few baked potatoes, small portions of
pastries, and quickly broil vegetables and fish.

A crockpot is an excellent choice for preparing large batches of food in advance, reducing the
need for multiple cooking sessions and saving energy in the process. Because it is designed to
operate cheaply at low temperatures for an extended period of time, using an unattended
crockpot per manufacturer instructions is generally considered safe. Braise tough cuts of meat, and cook stews, soup, and beans in a large crockpot.

By Bev Harrison