I try to avoid using the oven to prepare dinner during the summer months. This is because the whole kitchen gets hot when I use the oven. We’ve been having 100°F temperatures, so our air conditioner is working hard enough without me adding heat from the oven!
Electric ovens require a lot of electricity to create this heat, so keeping the house cool isn’t the only reason to avoid using the oven. Using other appliances to cook dinner can reduce energy consumption and save money. Given how expensive everything is right now, I’m a huge fan of approaches that save money!
How much electricity do various appliances consume? Here’s a helpful chart I created after looking into this.
As you can see, cooking a casserole in a slow cooker for 7 hours uses roughly one third of the energy that it takes to cook one in the oven for an hour. Likewise, cooking chicken breasts in the air fryer uses roughly half of what it takes to bake them in the oven. Over time, this energy savings will add up!
Sometimes it is necessary to use an oven when cooking. Thankfully, there are ways to reduce how much energy an oven consumes (source and source).
- Keep the door closed. If you have an oven light, then use this and look through the window to get a glimpse of what is cooking. Otherwise, resist the urge to peek because heat energy is lost each time you open the oven door.
- Cook in spurts instead of daily. It’s much more energy-efficient to cook more than one dish at once, so plan to cook several baked dishes at a time. You can then freeze the cooked dishes and reheat them as needed. Using a microwave for reheating uses a fraction of the energy it would require to bake the dishes.
- Use glass and ceramic bakeware. Metal transfers heat less effectively and evenly. When using glass or ceramic, you can actually turn down the temperature about 25°F and foods will cook just as quickly as they would in a metal pan.
- Choose a self-cleaning oven. Self-cleaning ovens have more insulation and tighter-fitting doors than standard ones. This means less heat will be lost when you use the oven.
- Avoid installing the oven next to the fridge. When possible, it is best to keep the oven and fridge separate in the kitchen. When these appliances are near each other, the fridge must work harder (which means it consumes more electricity) to keep cool when the oven is in use.
Looking at this information, I’m more motivated than ever to use my slow cooker and air fryer when preparing meals! If you would like to find out how much electricity your specific appliances consume, then check out the Appliance Energy Calculator from the U.S. Department of Energy.
Which cooking appliances do you use most often? What are your favorite meals to cook in appliances other than the oven?
I have a gas stove and have started using my microwave more because gas is so expensive!
Hopefully you’ll see a reduction in your gas bill soon!
We tend to use our grill a lot in the summer and serve the heated meat with salads that I can typically stretch to last a few meals.
Sounds like a great approach, Joanne! We don’t have a grill, but I imagine we’d use one quite a bit if we did.