Congrats to the winner: Karen
Last week, I was able to listen in on a “The New Green Kitchen: Top 10 Tips for Giving Your Cooking a Greenover” webinar sponsored by Scanpan. Jackie Newgent, a chef, registered dietitian, and author of Big Green Cookbook: Hundreds of Planet-Pleasing Recipes and Tips for a Luscious, Low-Carbon Lifestyle hosted the call and gave the following tips:
1. Select smart skillets. Rather than using non-stick pans with chemicals, use PFOA-free and recycled aluminum pans, like Scanpan.
2. Practice eco-cooking techniques. Rather than boiling, try lid-cooking (cooking in a covered pan while the burner is off). *Note when lid-cooking: No peeking!
3. Think at your sink. Rather than constantly rinsing, scrub food items in a bowl and toss it with ice. Other ways to save water is to use salad spinner and pasta salad (which does not require rinsing).
4. Take advantage of residual value. Rather than baking, try hyper-baking for dishes that are not temperature sensitive (i.e. cookies). Hyper-baking is baking without preheating and using available heat after turning the oven off.
5. Love your small appliances. Microwaves, toaster ovens and panini grils reduce energy by half to two-thirds. Just be careful to avoid “vampire” energy drain (leaving the plugs in when they are not in use).
6. Beware of your big appliances. For a “friendlier” refrigerator, keep the fridge portion at 34 – 40 degrees Fahrenheit. For the freezer, keep it at 0 degree Fahrenheit. Glass bowls in the fridge and artisanal ice cubes in the freezer also help…as does buying Energy Star appliances.
7. Serve earth-style meals. Instead of lots of dishes, prep, cook and serve all-in-one dishes.
8. Be waste friendly. Produce as little waste as possible. Ideas include using produce skins, seeds., etc; going organic and composting.
9. Green size-it! Rather than meat entrees with veggie side dishes, switch to veggie entrees and meat side dishes. Butterfly or pound meat/poultry to maximize the portions. “Think meatballs, not meatloaves.”
10. Enjoy ecotarian cuisine. Consider a fresh, seasonal, simple plant-based diet approach. A few sites that will help include the following: www.eatwild.com/products; www.heritagefoodsusa.com; www.localharvest.org; www.edf.org; and www.montereybayaquarium.org.
The tips that stood out to me the most were those regarding different boiling and baking techniques. I’m going to try that. I don’t really use my stove a lot, but I will try them out. (I cook practically all of my meats on our indoor grill.)
Speaking of cooking… I was sent a a copy of Jackie’s cookbook and a Scanpan CTX 10” Fry Pan. Scanpan also wants to give one lucky Mom in the City reader this 10” Professional Fry Pan as well. To win, please tell me your favorite green kitchen tip (from above or one of your own) in the “Comments” section below by April 30th. Good luck!
