apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I have a gas stove, which I love for many reasons, but it gives off a lot more radiant heat than an electric.

So I've been experimenting with the small appliances. I have a long-standing love for my rice cooker (you can also bake in it and use it as a slow cooker), but my greatest discovery so far has been the electric skillet.

I got the cheapest ($20) skillet at the big box store when someone drilled into the gas line in our complex. I'm shocked at how much I love it: gets super-hot for stir fries, maintains low temperatures well (Alton Brown uses them for caramelizing onions and poaching fish), and best of all, releases almost no heat into the kitchen.

Recently I roasted pork in a rack in the skillet (my name links to my blog), and it worked fantastically.

I can't recommend it strongly enough to anyone with a small/ non air-conditioned/ energy efficient kitchen.

Living in San Francisco, where "bring sunscreen and a jacket" is the summer mantra, I don't have to worry about keeping the kitchen cool.

Induction cooking is a good alternative to keep you kitchen cool and waste less energy. With induction cooking, energy is supplied directly to a magnetic pan by a magnetic field. Almost all of the energy gets transferred to the pan. With gas or standard electric cooktops the energy is first converted to heat and then directed to the pan. Much of the heat goes to waste heating up your kitchen instead of your food.

According to the DOE typical electric cooktops are 40% efficient while an induction stove is about 84% efficient.

In addition to heating pans quicker and using less energy, it is also much safer because it is the pan itself that gets hot, not the cooktop.

I second the induction recommendation. I purchased a portable induction cooker last year and the difference is amazing. With an open floor plan, we just can't close off the kitchen when cooking--the air conditioning will start up as soon as the thermostat senses some heat. The only downside is that an actual cooktop is kinda pricey--two portables would be $300 , while a two-burner cooktop is about $1300. Still, it's a good investment.

Summer is what the charcoal grill was invented for! Why cook in the kitchen when you can get outside and grill? (if you have the space to do it, that is).

Tonight? Smoked pulled pork sandwiches (been smoking on the grill all afternoon). Tomorrow night? Grilled chicken and asparagus. Between tonight and tomorrow, we'll have enough leftovers to get us through at least Wed.

Toaster ovens are actually less efficient to heat than ovens, and while maybe better for practical reasons in the summer, are often NOT an energy savings.

Don't forget the solar cooker option. I made one for ten bucks and I use it on our fire escape. Being on the 5th floor is great in winter but not great in summer. The induction cooker is interesting too.