As long as you are going green in the kitchen, why not include the events that come out of it? For your next dinner party, try an eco theme. Here are some ideas for throwing a green dinner party, starting with invitations and going to favors.
We’ve all heard about conserving water on the evening news. Water shortages and drought conditions in several counties across the country and local municipalities invoking rate hikes and water restrictions that can affect you and your family. Whether or not you live in an affected area, there are several easy steps families can take to reduce their water consumption just in the kitchen alone.
Countertops play an important role in your kitchen. You want them to be functional, withstanding accidental knife cuts and too hot pans, and beautiful at the same time, as you tend to see so much of them. The better the countertop, the higher the value of your kitchen and your home. Granite is a huge favorite for an upscale look nowadays. However, as people become more and more environmentally conscious some are looking at other options.
Typical oven cleaners contain multiple chemicals, some quite dangerous, such as sodium hydroxide (commonly known as caustic soda or lye). According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, oven cleaners containing this dangerous chemical can cause burns if they touch your skin, and inhalation of them can cause respiratory irritation, such as frequent coughing. And anytime such a cleaner is used, sodium hydroxide and other chemicals get into the environment.
Also, most commercial oven cleaners come in aerosol cans. Environmentalists have been concerned for some time about the ozone depletion caused by pressurized spray cans. Thankfully, there are more eco-friendly ways to clean the tough grease and build-up that ovens can accumulate.
1. Baking Soda (sodium bicarbonate)
The kitchen may be the most energy-hungry room in the house. You may waiting and saving to buy more energy efficient appliances, but in the meantime try these cooking tips for everyday savings.
#1 Use the right size pan for the cooking job and make sure to match it to the right sized burner. It may sound silly but you can waste a lot of time and energy trying to boil a giant-size pot of potatoes on an itty bitty burner. And you can waste a tremendous amount of energy warming up a small pan of sauce on a giant burner. If you can see more than a half inch of overlap, either the pan overlapping the burner or the burner overlapping the pan, see if there’s a better fit.
Additionally, if you only have to boil three potatoes you don’t need to get out the giant 5-quart pot. And if you have to boil twenty potatoes, you absolutely do need a large pot with an appropriate amount of water – just enough to cover the tops so you don’t have to spend too much time and energy warming all that water.
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