In the midst of rising energy bills, how can you save money in the kitchen?
With the rising energy costs, millions of us are looking at various ways of saving money on a daily basis. We find making small changes is often the best way to save money over longer periods of time.
At SmartMoneySaver we’ve broken down some of our favourite kitchen gadgets, tips and tricks that can help you save the pennies!
Reduce Oven Usage
The oven is easily the most expensive way of cooking your food, in terms of it’s energy consumption, with the microwave being the cheapest! Whilst you’ll always need your oven as your main cooking appliance, you can save a lot of money by introducing other products such as a slow cooker or air fryer.
This helpful table shows just how much you can save, with air fryer and slow cookers starting at around £30, you’ll still be making a massive saving over a period of time.
Air Fryers
AirFryers are quickly becoming a kitchen staple for millions of people, as shown above they’re fantastic energy savers, but they also provide a healthier way to cook. Using considerably less oil than regular frying, they help reduce fat and calorie intake, whilst still producing delicious results.
Best Cheap Air Fryer
- A generous 3.2L cooking basket (many are around 1.5L)
- 60 minute timer & temperature range 80C – 200C
- Automatic shut off feature for safety and power saving
- Massive 4L capacity
- Dishwasher Safe basket and tray
- Automatic shut off feature for safety and power saving
- Free Access to NutriU app, with over 200 recipes
Slow Cookers
Like we showed above, slow cookers use just 20% of the energy that a standard oven uses, but it can save you money in more ways. Because of the low and slow cooking method, you can make cheaper cuts of meat go much further as they’ll fully tenderise, some of my favourite dishes are Beef Bourguignon and Chicken Thigh Curry, both using more budget-friendly meat options and perfect meals as we come into the Autumn months!
Slow cookers are also incredibly cheap to buy, we wouldn’t recommend buying the very cheapest on the market as they often have very low cooking capacity (although they’re still great if it’s just for 1 person), there’s also very little point in spending over £50.
Our Favourite Slow Cookers
- 3.7L Cooking Capacity making it great for family meals
- 190W meaning it’s very energy efficient
- Dishwasher safe
- Fast, Slow & Keep Warm settings
- 3.5L Capacity for couple or family cooking
- Chalkboard exterior
- 170W making giving it excellent energy efficiency
- Dishwasher Safe
- Fast, Slow & Keep Warm settings
Cook Larger Batches and Freeze
Cooking your meals in larger batches can save money and time in multiple ways.
First of all, bulk buying or buying in larger pack sizes is always cheaper by weight, not only that, you’ll only need to use your oven or appliance once, when you reheat, simply chuck the meal in the microwave (the most energy efficient cooking appliance).
We often have “use up weeks” in our house and can make a week’s worth of dinners just using leftovers. Note that meat should generally only be kept frozen for up to 3 months and always store & defrost safely.
Make the Most of Online Shopping Deals
Shopping online has it’s pros and cons, but if you’re smart about it, you can certainly save money. One of the better deals at the moment comes from Iceland who are offering Free Next Day Delivery on orders over £40, this is considerably better than other supermarkets. They’re also stacked with online exclusive offers and deals. Check them out here.
Defrost Fridge & Freezer
All the extra ice on the inside of the doors means your fridge and freezer have to work extra hard to keep things cold. You could save yourself over £100 a year by ensuring there’s as little excess ice as possible.
Wash on a Lower Temperature
Washing at 30C still ensures great results for general clothes washing and can use up to 40% less energy, with the current prices this equates to a huge annual saving.
Most machines and capsules work effectively at 30C, our current favourite is Smol and you can get a FREE pack of their environmentally friendly laundry tablets right here.
