My microwave oven is the workhorse of our kitchen. Between heating up leftovers, my coffee and keeping my boyfriend fed, I would say it is the most used appliance in my kitchen, other than my refrigerator.
During the summer months, I use the microwave much more than usual since it uses less energy and doesn’t heat up my kitchen like my stove does.
This week, I’ve used it to heat up soup for lunch. We went to dinner over the weekend and the microwave heated up my leftovers for dinner the next day.
Using smaller appliances in the summer goes a long way in saving energy. If I’m not heating up a quick microwave frozen dinner, I use my air fryer for chicken. I use my programmable pressure cooker to make homemade soups and stews that I later freeze and heat up later. I use my crock pot for pulled pork or chili. I also have an egg cooker for hardboiled eggs, and an electric kettle to quickly boil water. Lately, I’ve been using the kettle to make iced tea.
I also like to experiment in the kitchen, so I look online to find recipes that use these small appliances. This way, I can try new meals without standing over a hot oven.
Lisa, an Avista customer, bought her 1910 house because she loved the old-world character, some of which doesn’t make her house very energy efficient. Lisa is sharing her experience on taking some simple do-it-yourself improvements to inspire others to do the same. You’ll find her stories right here every Tuesday morning.