Julie's Blog

One Million Women "Save" campaign. Save carbon emissions, save money, save our precious Earth.

We all know that saving power equals financial and environmental savings as well.  This month One Million Women are focusing on saving power.  I have a few tips to help you save in the kitchen!  Of course, there are the obvious things like switching to low-energy lights,  turning off the exhaust fan/lights when they are not necessary, and the things most of us have already thought of.  Below are a few ideas about how to get your power working as efficiently as possible for you.

Cooking methods

The appliance you use, actually does not have too much impact on the amount of energy you use.  For example, I had assumed that cooking rice or steamed vegetables in the microwave would be more efficient than doing it on the stove top.  After looking into it though, the difference is quite negligible.   More important is what you cook and the method you use, rather than the appliance.

Certain foods take less energy to produce.  Meat takes a great deal of energy, so eating more vegetables and grains and less meat will save on energy consumption in the world.  Eating raw vegetables (salads in summer, as an example) save energy in your own kitchen.

Raw veggies-on their own, in dips, salads, chilled soups - a great energy saving choice.

When buying food, use the guidelines to reducing kitchen waste in general – packaging takes energy, processing takes energy – not in your own kitchen but in the world.

Methods such as stir-frying take less energy than oven roasting, purely because the food cooks very quickly.

My mum never turns the oven on to only cook one thing, purely from a power-saving perspective.  She always makes bulk batches of whatever it is she’s cooking – biscuits, cakes, roasts, stews.  Use all the shelf space in your oven every time you turn it on.

Cook more than one batch. Not just to save energy, but because you will want to eat more than one batch.

If you cook a double batch of dinner, for example, tomorrow night you’ll only need to do a quick reheat rather than have the oven on for a long period of time.

The same goes for the stove top or slow cooker– bulk batches of spaghetti Bolognese, curries, stews and soups will mean less energy used on cooking from scratch every day.

A family favourite - we cook huge amounts of this spaggy bol at a time.

In summary:

- Replace light bulbs with energy savers.
- Turn off appliances at the wall to reduce stand-by power usage.
- More vegetables, less meat, less packaging = less energy consumption in production.
- Eat more raw food – salads etc.
- Quick cooking methods like stir frying use less energy than oven-roasting (an exception is slow cookers which are efficient to run).
- Cook in bulk batches where possible.
- Keep the oven door clean, so you can see what’s happening inside without opening the door.

Beautiful vegetable curry.

Fridge and Freezer

The fridge is one of the most energy-hungry appliances in the home, and it’s not as if you can just switch it off, unless you live in some snow-bound environment.  But there are ways to make it as efficient as possible.

To begin with, when buying appliances, always look for the most energy-efficient.  There’s a convenient star rating system in Australia which makes this particularly easy.  Here are some more tips on how to make you fridge and freezer more efficient.

- Don’t overcrowd them.
- Keep them clean and organised, so when you go to get something out, you’re not standing there with them open searching for stuff.
- Keep the seal around the doors clean so that they shut properly.
- Make sure food has cooled down before you freeze it.
- Open them as little as possible.  (This is difficult with teenage sons who have a tendency to open the fridge and stare into its depths waiting for some delicious snack to leap out onto a plate)

For many more energy-, money- and environment-saving tips, go to www.1millionwomen.com.au.  Sign up to this great cause, and add your voice to the tens of thousands of Australian women who have decided to live with awareness and take everyday actions to reduce their carbon output.

Having a laugh with Natalie Isaacs, wonderful founder of 1 Million Women.

1.    I like to plan meals ahead, so I only buy what I will use in the coming days.  Shopping without a plan can lead to over-buying of fresh ingredients which will ultimately go to waste.

Shopping with a plan reduces wastage of beautiful fresh produce.

2.    I got so tired of throwing away half-used bunches of fresh herbs I decided to grow my own.  Live herbs in pots cost about the same as a cut bunch in a plastic sleeve and if they’re planted will give for weeks or even months.  They can be grown in pots, garden beds, anywhere there’s a little bit of dirt!

The chooks have run amok in the herb garden.

Ribeye with chimichurri – a fresh herb sauce

Fresh herbs from the garden.

3.     To reduce waste of fresh produce I have a few recipes up my sleeve for fruit or vegetables that are starting to turn and may not be appealing to eat as they are.   Overripe tomatoes become chutney or pasta sauce, apples and bananas become cakes, stonefruits become jam.

Bruised apples are still good to use!

4.     I like to buy and cook in bulk and freeze meals.  This means I can take advantage of bulk buys, and I avoid wasting electricity, time and effort.  Foods that freeze really well include Bolognese, casseroles/braises and curries.  Food keeps for 3 months in the freezer so labelling it with the date is important so we use it before it’s too old.

Eggplant and sweet potato curry - delish.

5.    We compost our organic waste (whatever we don’t feed to the chooks, that is!)  It saves room in the bin and provides great fertiliser for the garden.

How did that happen???

6.  Once our bread is too stale to eat, I put it in the freezer.  When I have enough crusts or bread, I process them into breadcrumbs, then I keep these in the freezer.  They are good for sausage rolls and meatloaf, Christmas pudding, and of course schnitzels and crumbed fish – or try my Italian -inspired stuffed zucchini flowers.

Crumbed using leftover stale bread.

7.   I look for products that have minimal or no processing or packaging.  Generally, the more processed, packaged and handled food is, the more expensive it is.  (Compare the cost of a cabbage and some carrots gram for gram with a bagged, pre-made coleslaw mix for example.)  It saves money, and the environment, and is nicer to eat!

Unprocessed and unpackaged food tastes better and reduces waste.

8.    Food storage is hugely important in minimising waste.  Fruit and vegetables can last much longer in the fridge if they are stored properly.  Bananas shouldn’t be kept near other fruit as they speed ripening.

Overripe bananas make great muffins.

9.    I like to make use of leftovers but I find that if they are not stored properly they don’t last long and they don’t look appealing.  So, I transfer them to a smaller, clean container before storing in the fridge.

10.    Leftover rice and pasta can be dry and unappealing when it’s reheated.  I put a couple of spoonfuls of water into the container before reheating and they come up as good as new.

Simple Milanese risotto.

For loads of other tips on how to reduce waste, and save money AND the planet, got to www.1millionwomen.com.au .