Save Energy in the Kitchen, Keep a Lid on It

October 1, 2009

Softly clattering, my pot lid clicks and knocks in its effort to restrain the heat inside. In a last ditch effort to escape, heat from the pan skirts through the crack between the lid and the skillet…  a mist, a vapor; a hot, wet cloud.

Hearing these metallic, clinking, kitchen sounds conjures memories from my childhood. I still have visions of hot, sticky southern Sundays; grownups in the kitchen, matching each pot’s rant with their own clucking and easy-natured fussing. Pots danced on the stove, each one popping, and dancing like a steam induced folk dance.

Cooking with the lid on. Many of my grandparents ways are coming back into practice. They didn’t think of these ways as being eco-friendly, just efficient. However, I often find myself reverting to some of those same habits out of a desire to live more sustainably.

Cooking with the lid on your skillet seems like a such a small thing. A thing that would go un-noticed, something you would just naturally do. And, it has gone unnoticed in my house until just recently. I read that cooking with the lid on your skillet is an easy way to reduce energy consumption in the kitchen. It seemed like an easy endeavor. In fact, I would have sworn to you that this was a practice that I already embraced. I even remarked to a friend, “oh yeah, I always cook with the lid on.”

However, awareness of the more engery efficient “lids on” practice has led me to realize that I really DON’T like to cook with the lid on. Never having considered myself a cook, it surprised me to find that I cared either way about the pot lid.

Today, after a long day at work, I was cooking up a little zucchini sauté in the skillet when I remembered about the lid. Dutifully, I rummaged through the cabinet, found the correct lid and in place it went. The zucchini and cnions and garlic didn’t cry out in protest, but I could have sworn I heard them call my name. With wooden spoon in hand, I hovered about the stove. Had  those veggies been long enough under the lid, that I could now peek inside and indulge my desire to smell, and stir, and  covertly steal a small sliver of  food from the depths of the skillet? It was difficult to leave the side of the stove, I was afraid I might miss another opportunity to inhale that fine aroma.

But in the end, I did cook with the lid on (except for a small peek and stir, or two.) Did it save much energy? Probably not. But the thought that I was conscious enough to give it some thought was good enough for me. Never mind that the veggies were a bit soggy, a tad overcooked from all of that trapped heat and steam, I had saved a small bit of energy… made a conscious decision… brought to light fine memories of people and places past… and enjoyed an intimate dinner shared with my daughter. Not bad results for so small an endeavor as cooking with the lid on.

Filed under: Eating Well,Saving Energy,Tiny Green Tips,Uncategorized

Tags: Eating Well, eco-friendly, energy conservation, Lifestyle