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How to Green Your Kitchen
Contributed by: by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 02.15.08 Link (30th June 2008)
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1. Make It Last
Choose cookware and utensils that stand the test of time and won’t have to be thrown away with your leftover casserole.
That means you gotta ditch the Teflon. While the debate about the health hazards of non-stick surfaces continues, there is
no doubt that it has a limited useful life. Go for stainless steel or cast iron instead. Though a bit of an investment, a good
cast iron skillet will last for generations. Likewise, choose sturdy utensils rather than cheap ones; low-quality wooden
spoons, for example, can rot, and plastic will melt if you leave it on the stove too long. Buy high-quality knives that you can
sharpen by hand, and use long-lasting cloth towels instead of paper.
2. Energy Smackdown: Gas vs. Electric
When it comes to the stove top, it can be a tough choice between gas and electric; natural gas is a fossil fuel, but most of
the electricity in the US comes from coal-burning power plants. From a straight-up cooking perspective, many cooks prefer
gas because it's easier to control temperatures; it also offers instant-on heat, and doesn't waste much heat when the
cooking is done. If you're a gas devotee shopping for a new stove, know that the the lower the BTU output, the more
energy-efficient your stove will be.
With electricity, the most efficient stoves are those that use induction elements, which transfer electromagnetic energy