Eco living: Keeping it green in the kitchen

If you enjoy cooking up a storm at home, why not go eco in the kitchen and cook with a clear conscience that you’re not impacting on the environment?

This week in Design Everyday, we’re exploring a few of the options out there for eco friendly cooking – from ovens, to pots and pans, to some basic utensils.

As the world is becoming more and more eco conscious, it’s no surprise there are plenty of green manufacturers out there competing for your eco dollars.

Choosing an eco oven

When it comes to the oven, gas and convection ovens are topping the environmentally-friendly charts.

Gas ovens use less energy than electric ovens because the fuel is used directly for cooking. Convection ovens, meanwhile, are able to cook food much faster. 

A microwave is also an eco-friendly choice. They are energy-efficient because they cook food quickly. But they should be unplugged when not in use, because their clocks and digital settings consume electricity when the cooker isn’t in use.

Eco friendly pots and pans

If you’ve got the eco oven sorted, you don’t want to let it down by using pots and pans that have had a negative impact on the environment.

GreenPan™, for example, has perfected the eco cooking pan. They claim their products promote “constainability”, ie. convenience and sustainability. Rather than using PTFE (PolyTetraFluoroEthylene), the traditional synthetic substance used to make pans non-stick, GreenPan™ uses Thermolon™. Thermolon™ is a non-stick substance that does not release fumes when it is overheated, as PTFE can. 

GreenPan™ has all pots and pans covered, from frying pans and saucepans to skillets, woks and casserole pots.

Cook with green utensils

Finally, we’ve got some sustainable cooking utensils to recommend, for that finishing touch to your green kitchen.

The humble wooden spoon is a great place to kick off your eco friendly utensil collection. Anything made from wood is biodegradable.

Kitchen wares company Joseph Joseph has produced a wide range of BPA-free cooking utensils. BPA, or Bisphenol A, is used to make plastics, but has been associated with health concerns when used in cookware.

We love the Joseph Joseph nest of multi-coloured utensils, available from Shop Naturally.

Sign up for more eco news

Sign up to the free Light Home monthly newsletter to keep up to date with the latest Light Home eco news – as well as reports on some of Australia’s latest sustainable home designs, tips for green living and questions and answers on all things sustainable.