Using slow cookers, microwaves and air fryers when you can, are all great options for low-maintenance, low-cost, low-carbon cooking. Microwaves: When comes to cooking quickly and cheaply, microwaves are going to be your best friend.
Stop using your oven
Using the oven only on special occasions is the single most impactful thing an individual can do.” Microwaves, slow cookers, electric pressure cookers and air fryers all consume significantly less energy than ovens, so using these instead, if possible, will save you money.
Use a slow cooker for some meals instead of the oven as slow cookers are more energy efficient despite being used for longer periods of time. Batch cook meals and freeze or chill the leftovers so that they can later be reheated in the microwave.
Slow Cooker: This is a popular choice for energy efficiency and ease of use. Slow cookers use between 75 and 150 watts of electricity on low and between 150 and 210 watts on high - Opens in new window. Even with the extended cooking time, slow cookers use a relatively low amount of energy.
“While we don't have any claims, it is commonly understood that slow cookers use far less electricity than an oven, despite being on for a longer time, so yes it is much cheaper.” In conclusion, the microwave is the cheapest appliance to use when cooking.
Your fridge freezer needs to stay on all the time, so it typically uses the most electricity of all the kitchen appliances – an average of 408kWh per year.
According to research by consumer expert magazine Which?, cooking in an air fryer is, on the whole, cheaper.
Slow cookers
The savings come from the fact that slow cookers (or crock pots) usually only use around 250 watts of energy in comparison to a 4000-watt oven as well as heating up a much smaller area for concentrated cooking.
Because it's small, using an air fryer can often be cheaper than using your oven for the same meal. This makes it ideal for preparing smaller amounts of food for one or two people.
Stick to quick-cook dishes
Leave stews and casseroles to the slow cooker – dishes which cook quickly are the best economy for hob-cooking. Think pasta, stir fries and fast-boiling veg. The size of your pan makes a difference, too. Using a pan which is smaller than the hob means there's heat escaping and being wasted.
For those who want a quick and easy answer: It's generally cheaper to cook food at home than eat out. The reason so many people can get stuck on the question is the human psychology variable. People don't always spend wisely, and it isn't as if prices are always the same at a supermarket or a fast food restaurant.
To save yourself time and money, try to plan meals with leftovers for lunch or dinner the following day and meals that use similar ingredients to cut down on the number of items you'll need. (Chili and spaghetti sauce both start with onions, ground beef and tomatoes, for example!)
Yes, air fryers are economical – especially when compared to ovens. The average 1,500 W air fryer will cost you around 51p per hour, based on the current electricity rate. Since the average cooking time for air fryers is 30 minutes or less, that means their cost per use is around 17p.
The average air fryer uses about 1,500 watts of power. That's about the same as a coffee maker or a toaster oven. So yes, air fryers do use quite a bit of electricity. But there are ways to mitigate this.
How much energy and money can you save using a microwave? A microwave uses significantly less energy than either a gas or electric oven. To use your microwave for one hour every day would cost you about half the total energy of a natural gas oven and 60% less than an electric oven.
Your dishwasher, microwave, washing machine, tumble dryer and electric oven will all eat up electricity when left on standby. Try to get into the habit of turning them off at the plug to save energy.
The most energy efficient electric ovens are fan-assisted ovens. A fan-assisted oven will reduce energy consumption by 20% as they heat and cool the oven faster than conventional electric models (and they'll cook more evenly, too).
So, the slow cooker is cheaper to use than the oven in most cases, but always factor in: Size of the slow cooker. The meal you are cooking. Cooking time.
If you can invest in one, a slow cooker is even more cost-efficient to run than a microwave. The slow cooking method, simmering food at low temperatures for a few hours, brings out the flavour of cheaper ingredients like root vegetables and budget-friendly cuts of meat.
Saves time and money
Air fryers can cook food much more quickly than your oven. Heating up the air necessary to fry your food takes less energy than heating an oven – fast food just got faster. Reduced cooking time means a reduction in your energy bills, too.
Why you will love it. No effort "roast" chicken - There is minimal prep that goes in to slow cooker rotisserie chicken. Just mix together the seasonings and pour over the chicken and then cook. Cheaper - Using the slow cooker is cheaper than using the oven, so this a budget friendly way to cook a chicken.