If you're feeling overwhelmed by the news about the climate, you aren't alone. While so many of the forces behind climate change are beyond our control, many of us are interested in making changes in our day-to-day lives that help minimize our footprint.
In my journey as a sustainable chef, I have picked up a lot of tips and tricks on how to be more eco-friendly in the kitchen, where — surprise! — I spend a ton of time. Here are five of them:
1. Use all of the produce
Why buy broccoli by the pound and then throw out half of what you paid for, i.e., the stalk. Many times the parts of the produce that we discard are just as nutritious and maybe even more nutritious ― banana peels contain an additional 78 milligrams of potassium, for example.
With produce that has been washed thoroughly, everything can be eaten and go inside your body instead of the landfill. You can make banana peel "pulled pork" sandwiches; whole banana bread or beet tops pesto, to name just a few options.
2. Use your cooktop efficiently
We don't always have a say in what kind of cooktop we get in our homes. But there are still ways we can use our cooktops efficiently ― consider adding a lid to boil water quicker, boiling water in a teapot for tea and coffee (versus an electric kettle), and cooking items on the stovetop that may normally be made in ovens.
For example, make eggplant parmigiana in a skillet on the stovetop instead of baking it in the oven. Regulate the flame when cooking on a gas stove ― a higher flame means more gas use. The same applies for electric cooktops ― generally, a mid-heat setting is sufficient vs. the highest setting.
