GREENER GADGETS

It might seem to defeat the point to shell out on more equipment when

you’re trying to save money on fuel, but if you

are considering an upgrade, here are some energy-friendly options. Buying second-hand will

reduce the carbon footprint, but make sure all electrical items have

been professionally checked for safety. Many charity shops do this as standard.

• Pressure cooker

Pressure cookers cook very quickly, in 30 per

cent of the time of conventional cooking, says the pressure-cooker pundit Catherine Phipps, “and you use even less

fuel as some of the cooking is off the heat”.

Phipps, who uses her pressure cooker to make

everything from cheesecake to chilli, points out that coupling the pressure cooker with an induction hob makes for the optimum efficiency.

• Slow cooker

Dust down your slow

cooker: with a power usage of about 110 watts on low settings and

180 watts on high settings, it means that even cooking a casserole

for six hours on low should use about 660 watts and cost only about

9p, if your electricity costs 15p per kilowatt. In comparison, cooking the

same casserole for 1.5 hours on a low hob

uses about 1500 watts (using the estimates by

the Centre for Sustainable Energy) or about 22p – more than twice as much.

• Stacking steamers

A set of stacking steamers is a simple way

to cook a whole meal on one ring, and uses only a

fraction more energy than steaming one item.

•

Induction hob

Induction hobs heat the pan more efficiently than

gas or electric and use 30 per cent less power.

Early models were irritatingly glitchy but new ones are much more

user friendly, and are increasingly popular in

restaurant kitchens.