How to conserve energy when cooking and frying

Cooking and frying require a lot of energy. A conventional electric cooker, for example, has the highest connected load of all household electrical appliances – around 8,000 to 10,000 watts. If you heed some of the following tips, you will be able to save yourself cash. You will achieve economical use

• if you use cookware or fryware made of appropriate materials with excellently worked bases
• if your pots and pans rest flat on the hotplate during the cooking or frying process
• if pot or pan base matches the hotplate diameter (see Table 1) or, when cooking on gas, the flame size is adjusted accordingly
• if the stoveware is placed at the centre of the source of heat or if there is no flame flash-over on gas
• if you choose the size of pot or pan to suit the quantity that you wish to prepare
• if the pot or pan lid fits perfectly
• if you choose the right temperature for a particular cooking or frying process (see Table 2) and reduce the energy supply in good time
• if, during the continuous cooking stage, the saucepan contents simmer gently without overcooking and only a weak plume of steam exits from the lid
• if you do not fill the saucepan with more water than is actually needed
• if you lift the lid as little as possible during cooking or frying
• if you use residual heat, i.e. switch off the energy supply in good time before the end of the cooking time
  
• if the oven is not pre-heated for too long or is not pre-heated at all.

Table 1
When cooking and frying on electric stoves, the hotplate diameter should, for better energy use, be the same as the diameter of the pot or pan base. Our stoveware can be used optimally on the following hotplates:

Pots

Pans

Please be sure to note the following:

It is not the upper pot or pan diameter that should correspond to the hotplate diameter, but the diameter of the pot or pan base that is relevant to the choice of hotplate.

Table 2
In order to cook or fry well and in an energy-conserving manner, you need to select the correct stove setting. In principle, it is advisable to cook delicate foods and small portions on a lower cooking level, but larger quantities on a higher cooking level. The following table provides a brief overview. Please note that these are only guidelines, as each stove behaves differently, depending on stove manufacturer and stove model. Your stove's instructions for use will provide further information.