A bitchen kitchen isn’t one that simply looks great- it’s one that works efficiently too. The thing is, kitchen appliances can work efficiently without being energy efficient. And when this happens, your appliances are needlessly destroying natural resources and polluting the earth. Although I would hardly classify myself as a tree-hugging hippie, I am proud to care about the environment and happy to help others protect our Earth easily (without giving up most of their creature comforts). One such way to do this is to purchase Energy Star appliances for your home. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as Energy Star stoves or ovens at the moment, but by following these simple guidelines, you can ensure that your kitchen will be as energy efficient as possible.

1. Whenever possible, use a toaster oven or microwave to heat up your food. These ovens are significantly smaller than conventional ovens and use considerably less electricity. Microwaves alone use only 1/3-1/2 of the energy of standard ovens.

2. Use the burner size that is closest to the size of your pot. Although many cooks are tempted to use the biggest flame in the hopes of cooking their food the fastest, this practice causes much energy to be wasted.

3. Cover pots and pans on the stovetop to help cook (or boil) your food faster.

4. Consider gas stoves and ovens instead of electric, as they use a tad less energy. There may not be any Energy Star stoves and ovens, but we can do our best to create our own!

5. Those who are truly dedicated to the cause can use solar ovens to cook their food. Heated by the sun, these ovens can reach temperatures of up to 360-400 degrees. Worried about a lack of sun? Consider a hybrid model that combines the heat of the sun with an energy –efficient electric backup.

6. Use an oven with a glass door so that you can monitor the progress of your food without opening the door (which causes heat/energy to escape needlessly). In fact, 20% of the oven’s heat is lost every time the oven door is opened.

7. Turn off the oven a few minutes before the food is ready and let it cook the final few minutes in the residual heat of the oven. Cutting down on even a few minutes of oven usage can do a lot to conserve energy.

8. Purchase a gas stove with an electric ignition rather than a pilot light. You can waste a lot of energy keeping a pilot light running when the oven is not in use.