3 tips for cooking energy-efficiently with a cooktop

Use these tips if you want to cook energy-efficiently:

Tip 1. Use the right cooking zone size. Tip 2. Put a lid on the pan. Tip 3. Don't use too much water.

With a gas or ceramic cooktop, it's important to choose the right size cooking zone. If you place a pan on a cooking zone that's too large, you'll lose heat. With gas, the flames don't go under the pan. A part goes alongside it. A ceramic cooking zone heats up completely, even the areas where the pan isn't placed. This isn't a problem with induction, where the cooking zone only heats up under the pan.

Keep the lid on the pan as much as possible and only lift it when stirring or checking if your rice, potatoes, or vegetables are done. This prevents hot air from escaping. Because the temperature in the pan remains higher, you can lower the setting or the gas. This saves energy.

The more water there is in the pan, the longer it takes to boil. Most people fill the pan generously with water. If your potatoes, pasta, and rice are just covered, that's enough. More water just uses more energy while heating up.

The 3 tips above are specifically for cooktops. There are also other tools that make cooking more energy-efficient. For example, you can heat water more energy-efficiently in a kettle, as this is much faster than in a pan. It's also important that your ingredients are completely thawed before cooking. This also significantly reduces the warm-up time.