Save by not pre-heating the oven
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Description
For some people, it is normal to preheat the oven before something is put in. However, if you think about it, it is a waste of energy and time because the oven is already generating heat while it warms to its target temperature. Why not use that heat to start cooking sooner? It does not have an impact on most food and gets them cooked faster.
Go ahead and try putting whatever you are baking in the oven right away and then turn the heat on. You can easily save 10% of the heating time, if not more.
Go ahead and try putting whatever you are baking in the oven right away and then turn the heat on. You can easily save 10% of the heating time, if not more.
Tips
• Experiment a little bit at first to figure out the exact time different items need to be in the oven. Naturally, it will be a little longer than the recommended cooking time alone.
• After experimenting, if you find certain items do not cook as well (more the exception) then simply go back to your preheating approach for those.
Here are a couple of advanced suggestions to try once you get the timing down:
• Turn off the heat early and keep the oven closed. The temperature will not fall by much in the first minutes and you can use that heat without needing extra energy.
• Heat rises, so using the upper baking rack makes use of the higher temperatures there. This can help you cook even faster or allow the oven temperature to be set lower. Keep a watchful eye on your dish the first time you try this. It can be surprising how much hotter the top part of your oven is than the middle.
• After experimenting, if you find certain items do not cook as well (more the exception) then simply go back to your preheating approach for those.
Here are a couple of advanced suggestions to try once you get the timing down:
• Turn off the heat early and keep the oven closed. The temperature will not fall by much in the first minutes and you can use that heat without needing extra energy.
• Heat rises, so using the upper baking rack makes use of the higher temperatures there. This can help you cook even faster or allow the oven temperature to be set lower. Keep a watchful eye on your dish the first time you try this. It can be surprising how much hotter the top part of your oven is than the middle.
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Photo Credit
Photo by Andrew Valdivia on Unsplash