Green, lean and clean in the kitchen

Make It Last
Choose durable cookware and utensils that won’t have to be thrown away with your leftover casserole. That means get rid of the Teflon. While debate about the health hazards of non-stick surfaces continues, there’s no doubt Teflon has a limited useful life. Go for stainless steel or cast iron instead – a good cast iron skillet will last for generations. Choose sturdy utensils; low-quality wooden spoons can rot, and plastic will melt if left on the stove too long. Buy high-quality knives you can sharpen by hand, and use long-lasting cloth towels instead of paper.

Gas vs Electric
It’s a tough choice between gas and electric; natural gas is a fossil fuel but most electricity comes from coal-burning power plants. Many cooks prefer gas because it’s easier to control temperatures, offers instant-on heat, and doesn’t waste heat when the cooking is done. If you’re a gas devotee shopping for a new stove, know that the lower the BTU output, the more energy-efficient the stove.

The most efficient electric stoves use induction elements that transfer electromagnetic energy directly to the pan, leaving the cook-top relatively cool, and use less than half the energy of standard coil elements. Standard spiral electric coils are the bottom of the barrel for energy efficiency. If you go for an electric stove, choose the most efficient model and buy green power from clean, renewable sources.

The stove you choose will depend on price and lifestyle, but the greenest choice is one you’ll keep for at least a decade, saving materials and resources.

Love Your Appliances
Energy-efficiency upgrades to appliances are constant. An efficient dishwasher uses less water than washing dishes in the sink. But before you buy, make sure a repair isn’t in order and when it’s time to replace your old-faithful, look for the Energy Star rating.

Energy-Efficient Cooking
Cook more than one thing at once in the oven. For small dishes, using a toaster oven or reheating in a microwave saves energy. Energy Star estimates you can reduce cooking energy by 80 per cent using the microwave instead of the oven. When cooking on the stove, using a properly sized pot for the burners makes a difference; on an electric stove, for example, a 6-inch pot used on an 8-inch burner wastes more than 40 per cent of the heat.

Make sure pots and pans have close-fitting lids, and use them; it helps reduce cooking time. Pressure cookers reduce cooking time by up to 70 per cent.

Salads, chilled soups and dishes that need little prep and can be eaten cold. The popularity of raw food is growing — don’t be afraid to try something new!

Do It Yourself
Avoid pre-prepared, frozen foods; there’s no reason to thaw and rehydrate food when you can buy and cook fresh. Then you know exactly what’s in your food, and if you’re diligent about sourcing it, where it came from. This also reduces the energy used in processing and transportation. If you can, grow your own fruits and vegetables, using composted kitchen waste as fertilizer.

Keep it Clean
What goes into petrochemical-based dishwashing liquids, detergents and floor and surface cleaners is enough to turn anyone’s stomach. Fortunately there are many natural cleaning companies producing non-toxic, biodegradable, plant-based detergents at competitive prices. You can also create your own cleaning products using household ingredients such as vinegar and baking soda, which combine to make a great all-purpose, non-toxic cleaner.