With energy bills reaching new heights, you’ll likely be looking for any way to keep costs down. Numerous ‘vampire’ appliances around your home could be leading to rising costs if they’re left on standby. However, there’s also another culprit that could be increasing your bills.
Your electric oven may be the biggest reason for expensive energy bills, as it requires far more electricity to run than other kitchen appliances. With this in mind, the experts at Chowhound have shared some oven usage tips that should help keep costs down. Before following their advice, though, be sure to check the age and make of your oven, as newer models typically use less energy than older ones.
Checking the manual for your oven is also incredibly important, as it will reveal if you actually need to preheat it when cooking. Many modern ovens are designed to skip this step, and you may be surprised to discover that you can cut your cooking time in half.
The experts also recommend purchasing an oven thermometer, to ensure that your oven is at the right temperature when in use.
Ovens sometimes need recalibrating so that they actually reach the temperature you desire, and the use of an oven thermometer will let you know if your oven is reaching the correct temperature or not.
If your oven does indeed need recalibrating, the instruction manual will tell you how to do so.
Their final tip is to avoid opening the oven while it’s in use. The expert writes: “While this isn’t always avoidable (for example, you may need to open the oven door to stick a toothpick in a cake to see whether it’s done), peek as little as you can.
“Keeping the oven door closed helps to keep the heat where it belongs — cooking your food, not circulating through your kitchen.”
