Create a green kitchen

Whether you are a wannabe Michelin-starred chef or more of a ready-meal connoisseur, there are many things you can do to green up your kitchen practices.

Firstly, look after your fridge. Fridges are one of the most energy-hungry electrical appliances around, but there are lots of things you can do to diminish their appetite, such as:

• Keep the temperature between 3 °C and 5 °C – keeping a fridge below 3 °C is unnecessary and wastes energy
• Keep coils free from dust – when dust gathers on the condenser coils at the back of your fridge energy consumption can rise by 30% (source: www.greenconsumerguide.com)
• Buy a fridge saver plug – you can save 20% of your fridge's running costs by fitting one of these devices, which cut power to the fridge's motor when it doesn't need it. (Source: www.doctorenergy.co.uk)
• Free stand your fridge – keep it away from cookers or boilers and in a cool environment if possible
• Buy an A grade fridge – fridges are graded A to G according to their energy efficiency, so if you're buying a new one, go for an A grade

Dishwashers versus washing by hand

The dishwasher is another energy-consuming appliance sitting in many kitchens. You may think that doing away with it altogether and washing your dishes by hand is the greenest thing to do, but this is not always the case. According to a study by the University of Bonn in Germany, used carefully, a dishwasher can be just as efficient as hand washing dishes. Used carelessly, however, it is much worse.

To be as green as possible, don't turn your dishwasher on after every meal. It will use roughly the same amount of energy regardless of what you put in it, so only turn it on when it's full. Scrape and rinse plates and pots with cold water to cut out the pre-wash cycle, and open the door to air dry everything rather than use the drying part of your machine's cycle.

The most damaging part of a dishwasher is probably the petrochemical detergent tablet and rinse aid you use. Instead, use phosphate-free and chlorine-free tablets and rinse aid – these can now be bought in most supermarkets.

If you do wash up by hand, don't do it leaving the hot tap constantly running. Fill the basin up, add some eco-friendly washing-up liquid, and away you go.

Cooking

Your cooking practices can also save energy. Even a simple thing like putting a lid on a saucepan when you're boiling water will save energy. Steaming vegetables is better than boiling them as it uses less water and energy – it also helps the vegetables retain more nutrients. And where possible, simmer, rather than boil – some dishes, such as soups, will taste better cooked like this anyway.

Although the favourite of the ready-meal user, microwave ovens actually only use 20% of the energy required to heat food in a full-sized gas or electric oven (source: www.consumerreports.org), so if you've got one, use it.

Finally, a word of warning about non-stick frying pans. The WWF and others have blamed the deaths of pet birds, such as canaries, on fumes given off by Teflon frying pans. Although there is no evidence that these gases are harmful to humans, to be safe, always add water or oil to the pan when you turn on the flame, to absorb the heat, and never use it on anything more than a medium-high setting.

Because the harmful chemicals can escape when the non-stick surface degrades, get rid of your non-stick pan if you see scratches or particles flaking into food. If in doubt, you could try frying your egg in a pan made from some other material, such as cast iron or stainless steel.

Related information:

Green driving – be green on the road too

Home insulation – ten ideas on how to keep heat inside your four walls, saving energy and money

Wired for safety – how to reduce the risk of electrical accidents at home