Still, I always ask myself one question when loading the refrigerator: is it wiser to leave the door open until everything is put away, or do I close it and open it again in between? I just do it this way, this way. In general, from a purely energetic point of view, I am far too little concerned with refrigerators and freezers. I know the veggies go in the vegetable drawer, otherwise it’s not called that, and it’s cooler in the back than the front. Honestly, I don’t think too much about it when I unload my groceries there. And the things I put in the back don’t necessarily go there because they have to be kept in the coolest place, but because I hide them from the teens, who usually eat the fridge empty, front to back, within a maximum of three days.
Then there is the temperature issue. I usually have mine at a good 5.5 degrees. When I read that 7 degrees is enough, I set it like this. Two days later, the cream cheese on the top shelf was already starting to mold. Sorry, but the energy balance can’t get much better if I keep throwing things away.
I think the cooker is the tool that – at least as far as I know – helps me get a lot right on the energy front. Where possible I boil water with the kettle instead of in the pan, and where possible I put a lid on it. And some time ago I discovered casserole dishes, which are dishes in which, for example, pasta or rice is cooked directly in the sauce. Even if I admit that in all these things the idea of saving energy is not at the forefront, but efficiency: it just goes much faster.
To me, on the other hand, the oven is this famous book of seven seals. For example, preheating. The frozen pizza my kids put in the oven as a snack says “in the oven preheated to 200 degrees”. Of course they just do it that way. Me too, why else would you be standing there? Why preheat or not preheat an oven? No plan. And then all the functions. Pizza is for pizza and grill is for grill. Convection is better than top and bottom heat in terms of energy, but I’m not sure why. If air circulation in the base is so much better, why do you still need top and bottom heat? As you can see, cooking (and especially baking) is far too little for me to answer all these questions.
The last energy building site in my kitchen: the dishwasher. I must confess that I often let it run half – or shall we say, to ease my conscience – three quarters full. On the one hand because I intend to use my favorite pans and pots again, on the other hand because the thought of dirty dishes floating up in front of me gives me stress. Cleaning isn’t really my thing either. I just do it one way or another. Don’t know if you can do that in a way that saves energy? You see, if you look up “super housewife” in the dictionary, it’s definitely not my picture. But I am more than willing to learn. That probably doesn’t make me a better housewife, but it does make me a better energy saver.
Eva Geilinger, a specialist for energy-efficient appliances and lighting, and Lukas Trümpi, a specialist for buildings at the Federal Office of Energy, explain:
“Temperature adjustments pay off especially with refrigerators. The federal government recommends a refrigerator temperature of 7 degrees and a freezer temperature of minus 18 degrees. For every degree warmer that you set the fridge, you save about 7 percent energy. The temperature zones must be used correctly so that the food in the refrigerator can be stored at higher temperatures: it is cooler downstairs than upstairs and cooler at the back than at the front. Food that spoils quickly belongs on the bottom shelf. Of course, a higher temperature can shorten the shelf life, so you need to take that into account when planning the menu and shopping. Allowing hot and warm foods (leftovers) to cool down before putting them in the fridge also saves energy.
A kettle uses only half the energy of a hob. Incidentally, insulating pans are also very energy efficient, because they ‘extinguish’ the last 15 minutes without a hob. Cooking with a lid saves 40 percent energy.
As for preheating the ovens, modern ovens heat up so quickly it’s not worth it. Those who do without save up to 20 percent energy. Baking with circulating air instead of top and bottom heat saves up to 15 percent, because circulating air transfers the heat more efficiently to the baked product.
To the dishwasher. The most important thing is: never pre-rinse with hot water and always choose the Eco programme, it takes longer, but uses 30 to 50 percent less energy. And of course if you run the dishwasher half empty, you waste 50 percent of the energy – then you might as well run the machine empty every other time.”
And how is your energy balance in the kitchen? Do you have any additional tips? Bring it on in the comment columns.
