Cooking
* Covered pots or pans will boil or steam faster, allowing lower temperature settings.Also, caulk cracks around masonry fireplaces and keep the damper closed when not in use. Weather-strip and insulate attic doors and pull downs.Most of the energy in a washing machine is used to heat the water. Use warm or cold water when possible, and always rinse with cold water.4. A cappuccino machine. While the plunger and the percolator are all very well for making my morning cup of coffee, it's often nice to have something a bit fancier. The steam nozzle for frothing milk can be used to froth children's hot chocolate for a treat.A gourmet is someone with a discriminating palate who is savvy when it comes to fine food and drink. The word comes from the French word groumet which defines a person in charge of the wines at a meal. While this definition is a start, most people think they have a discriminating palate, but discriminating between a Big Mac and a Whopper probably doesn't count. What exactly are gourmets discriminating about? Who decides what is and isn't gourmet? From my research, I have come up with three things that qualify a person to call themselves a gourmet. While not an exhaustive list, qualifying in each of these three categories is a good indication that you can call yourself a gourmet.The last area that defines a gourmet is drive. This means wanting to constantly learn more about fine foods and wines. Taking vacations to France and Italy are a start as well as visiting wineries, fish markets and farmers markets everywhere you go. Food should be an obsession, not just a past time. Magazines such as Saveur, Cuisine, Cook's Illustrated, Fine Cooking, Gourmet and Bon Appetit should dot the landscape of your home. You should also have a strong desire to take cooking classes and cooking vacations and your ultimate dream would be to one day attend "Le Cordon Bleu" cooking school in Paris. Yes, knowing French is a strong plus.The energy conservation methods worked. Even accounting for a milder-than-normal winter, many customers saved energy and money. Do the same this year. Now is a good time to prepare for the change of season by checking your home's insulation and plugging leaks to the outside.* Use warm or cold settings to dry, especially for permanent press clothes.Caulk cracks around window and door moldings, and weather-strip around door frames and at the top of the bottom of window sashes.Use caulk or expanding spray foam to seal around popes and wires that lead from the attic or crawl space into the home.* Reduce the thermostat setting when everyone is asleep or away from the home. Consider installing a programmable thermostat.* In the oven, cook as many dishes as possible at one time. Foods with cooking temperatures within 25 degrees can be cooked simultaneously at the same temperature.Laundry* It takes energy to heat water so use as little as possible. Most frozen or fresh vegetables can be cooked in a quarter cup of water. Even eggs will cook in this reduced amount if the pan has a tight-fitting lid.* Don't line oven racks with foil. It blocks the heat flow and makes the oven work harder to cook food.If you still don't own a blender because you are saving up for a Waring or refuse to brown your bagels in anything other than a Dualit toaster, you are good in the first category of gourmet, knowing your equipment. Note that I don't say you need to own this equipment to be a gourmet, just know what it is and have a sincere desire to own it all someday, like when you win the lottery and can actually afford it. A few of the necessities in a gourmet kitchen include a Cuisinart food processor, Emilie Henry bakers, All-Clad pots and pans, Viking range, SubZero built in refrigerator, Kitchenaid mixer, Espressione espresso machine, Wusthof knives, and a Polder thermometer and timer. You will also need to include fine china, silver cutlery and beautiful table linens. Doing some calculations from the Williams Sonoma site (which should be one of your favorite places to shop), a fully equipped gourmet kitchen including service for 8 would come to over $25,000.00 This figure doesn't even start to cover the many food items you should have.6. A toasted sandwich maker. Toasted sandwiches can be made under the grill or by a combination of the microwave and the toaster, but a toasted sandwich maker compresses the bread over the filling so it doesn't come to pieces. I had one of these at home when I was a teenager and used it all the time for after-school snacks, lunches, etc.* Cook outdoors, (Yes even in the winter) use a microwave oven, or prepare cold meals to avoid heating up the kitchen and adding moisture to the air. Microwaves use less than half the power of a conventional oven and cook food in about one-fourth the time.* Seal around areas where heat can escape such as windows, doors, bathroom vents, and chimneys. Insulate attics and walls.7. A Popsicle making set. Nothing electric - just the sort you fill with fruit juice or whatever you fancy, shut the lid and pop in the freezer. I have a diabetic in my household, and this means we'd still be able to have low sugar ice-cream easily by filling the compartments with yoghurt, pureed fruit, fresh-squeezed orange juice, etc.Dominion Gas customers saved an average of 4-6% on their heating bills last year thanks to energy improvements and conservation methods.* Don't overdry clothes.Conservation leads to savings* Close the damper on your wood stove and/or fireplace when not in use.* Preheat the oven only when necessary. Many foods don't require it. Use your self cleaning function while the oven is already hot.2. A clothes dryer. While on the whole, sunshine and line-drying is the best way to get clothes dry (it's better for the environment and cheaper to do, too), during weeks on end of winter rain and drizzle, it's nice to be able to get clothes dry quickly, especially if you get to the stage when all the drying racks are full, some items (e.g. bathmats and jeans) have been hanging on the drying rack for at least a week and someone needs sports gear clean and dry in a hurry. The smell of a dryer on a cold, miserable day is quite cosy, too, and the clothes come out feeling all snuggly, warm and fluffy - luxury!Use a pressure cooker. It cuts cooking time to one-third that of conventional methods. Use a pressure cooker if possible. Here's my favorite tip: If you're going to clean your oven using the self cleaning function, do it while the oven is already hot!* Invest in energy efficient appliances. Look for appliances with the EnergyStar label.* Don't use more detergent than you need. Too many suds may require extra rinsing.* Clean warm-air registers, baseboard heaters, and radiators as needed; make sure furniture, carpeting and drapes do not block them.* Install storm windows and lock your windows to create a tighter seal; use drapes and shades at night to conserve heat.If you can say you qualify in even two of these categories, I would say you are a budding gourmet. Three would mean you are definitely a gourmet. Now that you have qualified yourself as such, don't hesitate to share it with others. Remember, however, that they may want you to actually cook something for them since they assume all gourmets can cook. This, however, was not one of the qualifying factors, so don't feel pressured if actually using your gourmet items scares you. Instead invite them to a gourmet restaurant and correct their pronunciations of items on the menu. Knowing the equipment, understanding the names and tastes of the foods and having the desire to cook someday is all you need to be a gourmet. Besides, who has time to cook when you are so busy learning to be a gourmet?* Properly maintain your heating system - have it inspected and cleaned annually; replace furnace filters once a month during the heating season, or as needed.When natural gas prices reached record highs in 2005, customers responded by insulating and weatherizing their homes and by turning down their thermostats to conserve energy.Heating* Do your heavy summer cooking in the cooler early morning or evening hours. Try to use the range top more, the oven less.* Use small appliances like a toaster oven or electric skillet. On average, they use half the energy of a full-size oven.* Turn off the surface element or oven a few minutes before cooking time is up. The pot is still hot enough to continue cooking.
Under your house, put a polyethylene vapor barrier on the ground. This will keep a lit of moisture from getting into your home.
Author: Cecilia Sherrard
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