Some of us are due to serve hard labour very soon this festive season- well in the kitchen that is. Yes it is that time of year again. It is time for us to put on our chef’s hat and get busy preparing that wonderful Christmas Lunch/Dinner!
I’m not sure if it’s something to rejoice about or to cry about because truthfully it is a lot of work but it always seems so worth the while once you see all your loved ones gathered together laughing, smiling …enjoying themselves over it.
For those unfamiliar with the kitchen, cooking isn’t just cooking. There are a few steps to go through before that delicious stuffed turkey or handsome meat pie can appear on the dinner table. It isn’t all about mix, mash then dump into the oven.
Basically cooking any meal will take you through the following steps, and in the spirit of green Christmas, I’m going to share with you some simple ways to turn those steps…yes you guessed it! – GREEN!
Step 1: Procurement of the foods
Greening it:
Of course you should go organic, it’s healthy for you, the environment and everyone involved in the process of bringing it to its present state. But let’s be honest, preparing the entire festive dinner feast using only organic food will dig deep into your pockets. Not that the other expenses like presents and decorations can allow for much more digging…
Alternative greening:
Focus on reducing carbon footprints and turn to local produce. It’s a common misconception of the general public that imported is always better than local. So check the labels and ask if unsure where it was made and where it came from, then select the one closest to home. After all a less travelled produce is a fresher produce with lesser carbon tracks to be guilty for.
The grass is not always greener on the other side.
In fact if you want the grass to stay green you really try shopping down at your local Farmer’s Market where you just might get a pleasant surprise and find some organic produce at a more affordable price (minus the involvement of the middle man, product prices are cheaper).
When grocery shopping/marketing bring your own bags or basket (works great at the market). That way you can save from creating unnecessary waste.
Step 2: Storing & preserving the produce
Obviously you can’t possibly expect to be able to buy all your ingredients and cook them on the same day! Storing your ingredients is an inevitable part of cooking.
Greening it:
I think it’s safe to say every house has a refrigerator so it wouldn’t be feasible to say don’t use one. In the past you’d be very concerned about Freon which is a refrigerant infamous for its ability to burn holes in the ozone layer. But if yours is a newer model than likely you won’t have to worry much about it because Freon has been slowly phased out over time.
Now you really just want to strive for energy efficiency, so owning/using an eco-friendly energy saving model would be the answer to your problem.
If you’re presently in the market for a new unit, then you can go to Energy Rating for a guide and do look up Energy Star and definitely Taz Patel’s Oceania Fridge.
Alternative greening:
Because a fridge isn’t exactly an appliance that we can afford to change every year, and likely you have a model at home that isn’t the energy saving model, then you just have to work a little harder to make sure your fridge is in tip top condition.
Like a car that isn’t serviced, a fridge would consume more energy than it should without giving you its best performance. Energy Rating has great tips on making sure your fridge is energy efficient.
Step 2: Cooking
Greening it:
At this point it’s really all about reducing energy consumption because we all know how much baking and roasting goes into making those delicious festive dishes.
I’d say do all that by going for a green kitchen where all your kitchen appliances and cookware are eco-friendly models but since that’s not always possible due to financial constraints let’s look to the alternative.
Alternative greening:
Again, focusing on energy efficiency, following the tips from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACE3) will get you on the right track. Now you’ll find that they do recommend using the microwave, but if you’re anything like me and not that finesse with it then the ACE3 does have other suggestions.
Also, in the wake of the current rage over ‘Twilight’ (the vampire movie), it’s probably worth reminding you about the ones (vampires) you have at home. To turn green, you want to cut down on vampire energy which is the power that electrical appliances silently consume despite being turned off. To understand better about vampire energy, I suggest you visit these two sites:
- Good Magazine
Step 3: The serving
Greening it:
Reuse, reduce and recycle is all you want to incorporate into serving. Now using your lovely China isn’t all about showing off your prized possessions or your family heirloom, it’s also about going green through reusing and reducing.
It seems an obvious choice for some when hosting large parties (especially children) to use disposable plates and cutleries because it’s so much easier when it comes to cleaning up, but bear in mind what is simple for you is difficult for the environment. So try not to use the easy way out.
Alternative greening:
If you must use disposables, use recyclable and biodegradable ones. That way it won’t be so hard on the environment.
Step 4: The Cleaning up
This is one of the hardest parts of hosting…cleaning…it can be a real a nightmare.
Greening it:
Well for starters you want to use eco friendly dish washing detergent. That way is it bio-degradable and less polluting to the aquatic life.
Moving on, you want to conserve energy and water consumption so that’s the dilemma you face when it comes to washing up. Do you use hand washing or machine washing? Truthfully, it probably depends on the load you have to wash because while hand washing dishes and cookware probably consume more water, machine wash consumes heat and electricity. So at the end of it all it boils down to which one minimizes the impact of your situation to the environment.
For a big family feast, I suggest you get the best of both worlds and wash them in the dishwasher without using the pre-wash and drying function whist monitoring the water temperature used. Then either open the dishwater’s door to let it air dry or lay them out on a dish rack. Alternatively you can always get dry them by hand.
If you use an in-sink garbage disposal then remember how you’re not suppose to rid fat and oils into it and be mindful to use cold water when running it.
Image Source: hgtv
