Cooking Appliances

One of the first decisions homeowners need to make when selecting cooking appliances, is fuel preference. The trade-off is that natural gas appliances cost less to operate than electric models, but there is a greater safety risk because of the open flame. Of course, to have any decision you will need access to both fuels coming into the house.

Most people stay with what they're used to, but there could be significant advantages to learning how to use different kinds of cooking appliances.

Induction or convection cooking for example, use much less energy and cook in less time than gas or electric. But you have to adapt to the new cooking time, and learn which foods are best cooked with these appliances.

For all the information you need to know about induction cooking, go to Energy saving induction cooking at Green-Energy-Efficient-Homes.com. Consider this seriously. Once you adjust to it, you will love it.

If your budget allows, you can look at combination units with gas burners and electric ovens. This gives the flexibility of control on the cook top, and the benefit of regulated, even heat in the oven.

New technology has greatly improved the energy efficiency of electric cooking appliances - in some cases, more than 60 percent. Convection ovens use fans to circulate heated air around the food.

This reduces cooking times and temperatures, and allows food to be cooked on several racks at the same time. Quartz-halogen ovens use high-heat light bulbs to cook food faster and more evenly.

Instead of electric coils, induction cook tops use magnetic heat. This type of cooking is very energy-efficient, but may require special cookware. New "rapid-cook" appliances, offered by several manufacturers, combine several of these heating elements, and can cook in about one fourth the time.

Have you ever heard of a cooking sink? Well, it exists. This is one of those energy efficient appliances that allows you to cook rice, pasta, and other dishes right at the sink.

When the food is done, the sink drains with the push of a button - with the cooked food in a removable strainer. Although these energy saving appliances have higher initial prices, they have relatively quick pay-back periods, which depends on how often they are used.

There are several new features available which don't have a bearing on energy consumption, but I thought you'd be interested.

* If you cook at an island, you can get downdraft ventilation to eliminate the need for a hood.
* You can add on grills, griddles, and warming drawers.
* You can have digital controls and electronic memories for storing recipes, and
* You can have double ovens for cooking different temperatures at the same time.

Ovens with a self-cleaning feature have extra insulation, so they hold the heat in better. Sealed burners and electronic ignitions help keep gas ranges operating safely and efficiently.

Smooth top electric ranges heat faster and more evenly than coils, but may require special cleansers to prevent surface scratches.

If you have a large family - and a larger budget - you might be tempted by the restaurant-style or commercial-grade units often shown in decorating magazines and television cooking shows.

Keep in mind that these use significantly more energy than standard models, and often require structural upgrades and expensive ventilation systems.

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