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Holiday meals are an important part of the celebrations you share with family and friends. All of that cooking and baking, however, can add a significant amount to your utility bills! These simple, cost-saving holiday cooking tips will help you enjoy the festivities while trimming your energy budget:
- Preheat the oven to the exact temperature required; preheating is not necessary for foods that cook for several hours.
- Limit the number of times the oven door is opened; opening the door lowers the temperature as much as 25°F.
- Glass and ceramic baking dishes retain heat better than metal. If you cook with glass or ceramic dishes, you can reduce the oven temperature by 25°F.
- Conserve energy by baking several batches of cookies, or more than one pie, at a time.
- For range top cooking, match the size of the pan to the size of the burner; using a small pan on a large burner wastes energy.
- Keep pots and pans covered to prevent heat loss and reduce cooking time.
- Clean burners after every use. A clean burner heats more efficiently, using less energy.
Additional Energy-Saving Holiday Cooking Tips
Slow cookers, electric skillets, and toaster ovens are great for heating leftovers, and use a lot less energy than conventional ovens and range tops. Microwave ovens also use 50 percent less energy than conventional ovens. To save energy, reheat food in the microwave instead of on the range top or in the oven.
*This article previously appeared in the PSE&G EnergeLink newsletter, and is used with permission.
photo by bengt-re
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