These easy tips will not only make you a kinder cook, they’ll also help boost your nutrition.
What better time than spring to think about how small, sensible changes can help us eat better and be healthier? And with Earth Day coming up, it’s also a good time to think about changing some of our cooking and eating habits to better our environment.
These nine tips will help you conserve water and energy; reduce waste at home; and help boost your nutrition when you cook, too. Do what you can-every small change will make a difference!
Your ‘cookprint’ is the energy needed to prepare and cook food. According to Save On Energy, a program by the Government of Ontario, using lids while you cook-say, while boiling a pot of water-can decrease your energy use by up to 14 percent. Use smaller, energy-efficient appliances such as a slow cooker to make just about anything from appetizers to stews. You can also cook in your toaster oven; it’s perfect for mini-pizzas or roasting veggies. And don’t be afraid to use a little elbow grease. If you can, use a hand egg beater, manual can opener or hand-held juicer instead of the electric ones.
To conserve water, steam vegetables with a small amount of water instead of boiling them in a pot full of water that you’ll throw out afterwards. The bonus with steaming is that veggies stay tender-crisp, and few vitamins and minerals are lost in the cooking water. I stack a few bamboo steamers that I bought in Chinatown so I can steam dim sum and veggies all at the same time-and I only need to use one burner on the stove.
Another way to conserve water is to avoid defrosting food under cold running water or in a sink of water. Just one minute of running the tap sends an average of 13.5 litres of water down the drain. Instead, plan ahead when you can, and put frozen meat in the fridge to defrost a day or two before you need it. For example, plan on approximately 10 hours per kilogram (or five hours per pound) when defrosting frozen poultry. Or thaw frozen meat in the microwave.
If you want to make a cup of coffee or tea, fill the kettle with just enough water to do the job, rather than wasting the energy needed to heat the full kettle. If you do have extra water left over, use it for cooking or washing fruit and vegetables. Some kettles now have a built-in temperature setting so the water doesn’t have to reach boiling each time. That’s a handy feature for green-tea lovers like me, since it is best made with water that is a few degrees below boiling (175°F/80°C); making green tea with boiling water burns the leaves and gives it a bitter taste.
Enjoy a bowl of yogurt with granola for breakfast. Have a peanut butter and banana sandwich on whole-wheat bread for lunch. For dinner, have a tuna salad wrap with carrots.