Revisiting Energy Efficient Cooking: A Technology Tuesday Series

The SJVCEO is no stranger to “Clean Cooking.” In fact, in November 2022 and November 2023, we published an entire Technology Tuesday series covering all different avenues of energy efficient/clean cooking. We wanted to revisit this series in celebration, learn more below!

Technology Tuesdays: Energy Efficient Cooking Part I, Induction Cooktops

Although, induction cooktops are not as common as they should be, they are worth a closer look! As I said in the above linked article, they really don’t have any disadvantages other than price. Since they are a relatively new technology, they are more expensive than the other, more traditional cooktops. However, that will not be the case for long as more and more people begin to adopt them.

The advantages, however, are numerous. Many people are hesitant to convert their natural gas cooktop because natural gas heats evenly giving you more control over how delicious your food turns out. An induction cooktop has the same ability to heat your food evenly. Another consideration is if you have ever had to clean a natural gas cooktop, you understand what a job that can turn out to be.

Technology Tuesdays: Energy Efficient Cooking Part II, 5-in-One Ovens

One energy efficient solution is the 5-in-One oven. A 5-in-One oven is an oven that can be used as a convection oven, a toaster oven, a warming/proofing oven, a precision cooking oven, and a microwave. It sounds too good to be true, but it is not.

Why are 5-in-One ovens important? Well, this is the second installment of our 5-part series on energy efficient cooking. Last time, we discussed induction cooktops. Induction cooktops are a wonderful solution for those that would like to enjoy many of the advantages of cooking with a natural gas stove without many of the disadvantages of both natural gas and traditional electric stoves. However, an energy efficient kitchen is only as good as the sum of all of its parts.

Technology Tuesdays: Energy Efficient Cooking Part III Convection Ovens

Not to worry, there are still energy efficient solutions for those who may not want to take the leap to a 5-in-1 oven. A convection oven may be a better option. What is a convection oven and what makes it so special?

The efficiency with a convection oven is due to its fan technology. A convection oven operates just the same as a traditional oven. However, a convection oven employs a fan that blows the hot air around the food instead of simply heating the cooking space. This results in faster cooking times which, on average, will save roughly 20% on your energy bills

Technology Tuesdays: Energy Efficient Cooking Part IV, Warming Drawers

Warming drawers are great and can offer a lot of functionality to the average kitchen but why are we really talking about them? Well, they can be a great energy efficient addition to your kitchen. This is because they use less energy than your oven. As I mentioned before, generally, warming drawers heat from about 80 degrees up to about 200 degrees Fahrenheit. The lowest temperature on your average oven is 200 degrees Fahrenheit. In the event you need to warm up food that has already been cooked; a warming drawer will save you energy. Why not just use a microwave to reheat food? Well, believe it or not, a warming drawer is even more energy efficient than a microwave. How is this possible? Well, warming drawers generally use between 450 and 600 watts. Microwaves use between 600 and 1,200.

Technology Tuesdays Energy Efficient Cooking Part V, Energy Efficient Cooking on a Budget

We have discussed a lot of newer technology over the past few weeks, particularly, technology that is new to residential kitchens although it may be standard in many commercial kitchens. We have covered induction cooktops, 5-in-one ovens, convection ovens, and warming drawers in recent weeks. While these are all excellent technologies that will save energy and money, they all have one thing in common: they are all relatively expensive.

We are facing unprecedented times with inflation running rampant and with the holidays looming, there may not be a ton of extra room in the budget to update large-ticket appliances. Does that mean you can’t have an energy efficient kitchen? Absolutely, not! Here are some items you may have seen on Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales and did not think to consider.