Add Energy Efficiency to Your Thanksgiving Menu

FILADENDRON | ISTOCK.COM

It takes a lot of energy to cook all day and to host a house full of company for Thanksgiving. So while you’re making your grocery list this holiday season, start a list of ways you and your family can cut down on energy use.

Some ideas:

Lower the thermostat. If you’re cooking all day, your kitchen will get really hot. Some of that heat will spill into the rest of the house, so there’s no need to keep the thermostat at its usual setting.

Don’t turn your oven on until it’s full. Cook several dishes at once. If their recommended cooking temps are within 25 degrees of each other in either direction, everything will cook as it should.

Identify dishes that you can cook in the microwave, which heats food faster than the oven and uses about a third of the electricity.

Run your dishwasher only when it’s full. Using the dishwasher uses less energy and water than hand-washing.

Cool leftovers on the counter before putting them into the refrigerator. That will keep the fridge from having to work so hard to cool off hot food. But don’t leave perishable food out for more than a few hours, after which it begins to spoil.

Use a slow cooker, toaster oven or warming plate to do the same job of cooking some dishes but with less electricity. The average toaster oven can use about half the energy of the average electric stove over the same cooking time.

Make sure your stovetop is in good condition. For your stovetop to function effectively, it’s important that the metal reflectors under your electric stove burners stay clean.

Ensure your pots and pans are in good shape. If your pans have warped over time and don’t sit flat on the burner, it may be time for some new ones that ensure heat transfers efficiently from the burner to the pan.