Sustainable Cooking Tips: How to Make Your Kitchen More Eco-Friendly

As I have previously mentioned, the road to a more sustainable life begins at home, and the kitchen, being an area frequently used, is definitely one of the best places to start. There is a lot you can do to make your life in kitchen more sustainable, and adopting sustainable cooking practices is one of them. In this post, you will find some practical sustainable cooking tips to help you create an eco-friendlier kitchen experience. Basically what we are aiming for is to reduce -or ideally stop- food waste, and moderate our energy consumption while we’re working in the kitchen. How to do these? Read on!

Plan Your Meals & Shop Smart

One of the best ways to reduce food waste is by planning your meals ahead of time. Knowing exactly what you need for the week will help prevent impulse purchases and ensure that you’re only buying the ingredients that you will actually use. Over-purchasing can lead to spoiled food that will eventually end up in trash, and with a more planned approach to grocery shopping, you can save money and reduce the environmental impact of food production and disposal.

Also, when grocery shopping, try to buy local, seasonal produce. Local foods typically have a smaller carbon footprint since they require less transportation, and seasonal produce is often grown using fewer resources.

Use Energy-Efficient Appliances

Cooking consumes a lot of energy, but using energy-efficient appliances can significantly reduce your kitchen’s energy consumption. Whether you’re using a stove, oven, or microwave, choose appliances that are rated for energy efficiency to cut down on power usage and have a more eco-friendly kitchen. These energy-efficient appliances use less electricity or gas, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions and lowers your energy bill.

For more information on energy efficiency, you can read our post about Energy Classes.

Cook in Batches

Batch cooking is a sustainable way to save time, energy, and resources while working in the kitchen. Preparing meals in bulk allows you to use your oven or stovetop efficiently and reduces the energy needed for daily cooking.

Cooking larger portions will reduce the number of times you need to use your stove or oven, cutting down on energy consumption. It will also help you to avoid food waste by making it easier to freeze leftovers or use ingredients before they go bad.

After batch cooking, you can store leftovers in reusable containers. Glass containers or stainless-steel options are of course more sustainable than single-use plastic.

Use All Parts of Your Ingredients

One of the easiest sustainable cooking methods is to use all parts of the ingredients you cook with. For example, vegetable peels, stems, and scraps can be used to make homemade stocks or added to soups, stews, or smoothies.

Using every part of your ingredients will help you reduce food waste and get the most out of your groceries. This practice also cuts down on the demand for additional food production, which in turn lowers your environmental impact.

You can save vegetable scraps in the freezer until you have enough to make a batch of stock. You can also use leftover bones from meat or poultry for broth, maximizing the use of your ingredients.

Opt for Plant-Based Meals

Incorporating more plant-based meals into your diet is one of the most effective ways to make your cooking more sustainable. Plant-based diets generally require fewer resources—like water and land—compared to diets heavy in meat and dairy.

Livestock farming is resource-intensive and contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing your meat consumption, even by just one or two days a week, can have a positive impact on the environment.

For example, you can try “Meatless Mondays” or explore plant-based recipes using seasonal vegetables, legumes, and grains. This is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint without overhauling your diet completely.

Note: The best diet for you of course depends on a number of factors, such as your individual lifestyle and physical condition. So, don’t take this general tip as a dietician advise, and know that you -possibly with the help of a doctor/dietician- should figure out best things to eat for your health yourself.

Practice Energy-Efficient Cooking Techniques

Adopting energy-efficient cooking techniques can reduce your energy usage while making your time in the kitchen more productive. Simple methods like covering pots and pans or turning off the heat before your food is completely done can make a difference.

Techniques like using lids while cooking trap heat and cook food faster, meaning less energy is used. Residual heat can also continue cooking food after the burner or oven has been turned off, reducing energy waste.

You can also use a pressure cooker or slow cooker for meals that require long cooking times. These appliances are more energy-efficient than traditional stovetop or oven cooking.

Reduce Water Usage in the Kitchen

Conserving water in the kitchen is essential for both sustainability and energy savings. Use water wisely when cooking and cleaning to minimize waste. Remember that water is a very precious resource -to which not everybody has easy access, sadly- and reducing water usage will help conserve it for future generations. Additionally, heating water uses energy, so the less water you use, the less energy you consume.

You can for example wash vegetables and fruits in a bowl of water instead of under a running tap, and reuse the water for plants. Also, run dishwashers only when they’re full, and use the eco or energy-saving mode when available.

Compost Food Scraps

Instead of tossing food scraps in the trash, start a composting habit. Composting organic waste, like fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, and eggshells, reduces landfill waste and creates nutrient-rich soil for gardening. Food scraps ending up in landfills would release methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Instead, these scraps can provide valuable nutrients for gardens and plants if they decompose naturally.

If you don’t have a backyard or space for an outdoor compost bin, consider indoor composting systems or look for community compost programs that allow you to drop off your organic waste.

Grow and Use Your Own Herbs or Vegetables

Starting a small herb or vegetable garden, even on your windowsill, is a simple way to use fresh, homegrown ingredients when cooking, without the environmental cost of transportation or packaging.

Growing your own herbs and vegetables will reduce your reliance on store-bought produce, which often involves shipping over long distances and excess plastic packaging. And another plus, this way you will know exactly how your food is grown and can avoid pesticides!

You can start with easy-to-grow herbs like basil, parsley, or mint. These can thrive indoors or in small outdoor spaces and are a great way to reduce food miles in your cooking.

Small Changes = Greener Kitchen

As you can see, sustainable cooking does not have to require drastic changes—it’s more about making conscious choices that benefit both the environment and your lifestyle. By planning your meals, conserving energy and water, reducing food waste, and opting for eco-friendly products, you can make your kitchen a more sustainable and efficient space.