Winter is upon us- as we watch Fall slowly creep away…the brightly orange and yellow leaves are falling from the trees and the air is crisp and cool. Smells from the kitchen linger and more people are starting to use their fireplaces. It’s time to get cozy and settle in for what will soon be another year. Thanksgiving and Christmas are quickly approaching and many of us are starting to meal plan. A lot of us meal plan weekly to save money while shopping at the grocery store. I call it- get in and get out. If I spend too much time shopping- I’ll start to drift from my list. But, drifting away from my list isn’t the point of my post….

It’s the appliances we’re bound to use while making those hearty meals that use up a ton of energy! There are a few alternatives appliances we can use this winter to save energy while saving cents too! Some of us may not have solar cookers so here are a few ways to green your cooking. Did you know that cooking accounts for 10% of your energy bill? Compared to conventional cooking, using alternative appliances can save between 60-70% in energy costs. Why not trim those costs this winter! Besides, with the economy like it is- you never know!

For one thing, I seem to use my crockpot a whole lot more during the winter because meals can sit most of the day and soak up all the ingredients. This is where the kitchen smells come in….gotta love that! I also use my oven too but when it comes to EASY, I like the crock because I can throw an entire meal in and not have to worry until the hubs comes home. It’s nice.

Another great appliance that comes in handy is the pressure cooker. Pressure cookers are fabulous! They can cook meals in minutes. Pressure cookers  usually range from 4-6 quarts so for the average family size a 6 quart is recommended. Look for the stainless steel model rather than an aluminum. Pressure cookers trap steam and they also keep the temperature constant once it reaches a boil. No matter how much heat is applied to the pot it, resulting in a much quicker cooking time. Below, is a picture that depicts how a pressure cooker works!

One of my favorite things to cook in a pressure cooker is artichokes. For those of you who love artichokes, you know, that they take forever to cook!!! Boiling or steaming them can take about an 1hr. or more depending on their size. Pop one into a pressure cooker and you’ve got an artichoke HOT and ready to go in minutes. Not only is a meal done in minutes but the energy output is zero!! And for crockpots well, the energy output is low. A crockpot energy output is between 70-150 watts compared to your coffee maker which takes about 1500 watts to brew. Even your bread maker uses more energy.

You can refer to this handy dandy guide and look up most commonly used appliances and calculate your energy output when using certain appliances. It will also give you the average cost per hour…so if you want to save money this winter think about using the appliances that use less energy because in the long run; you’re not only being energy efficient but your saving money and the planet!  Think twice and think green before using the oven this winter because it uses about 3500-4000 watts of energy! Yikes.

A great site, I often refer to is A Year of Crockpotting- this mom has been crockpotting for us the entire year- from making bread, applesauce, fruit rolls, yogurt, to smoking meats, cooking a whole chicken, melting down crayons, and even roasting pumpkin seeds- she’s really clever with her crocks (she uses more than one)!  I also have the recipe book 101 Things To Do With A Slow Cooker by Stephanie Ashcraft and Janet Eyring  You can check here for recipes to use in a pressure cooker- maybe even some of the recipes from the book mentioned above can be converted to pressure cooking recipes.

I’m hoping to get a pressure cooker and recipe book for one from Santa this year because ours just recently took a dump. I’ve been looking at thrift shops lately but they only have the aluminum kind and that’s what I had before…I’d really like to go stainless this time around since it’s better for your health. I’m planning to take the cooker with us to the recycling center and see they’ll take it to recycle. Can’t hurt, right?

Do you have experience using a pressure cooker? If so, what is your favorite recipe? What about a crockpot?

Happy Pressure Cooking and Crockpotting Folks!