What’s your favorite Thanksgiving dish—Mashed potatoes? Candied yams? Dressing? Pumpkin pie?
If you’re like us, your answer is “everything.” Good news too: You can still have an epic feast without gobbling up electricity. Check out these seven ways to save this Turkey Day!
Cook less. Save more.
Thanksgiving takes a lot of personal energy, even if you love to cook. Turns out saving time saves energy on your electric bill too. Talk about a win-win, right? That said, you’ll have to plan ahead. Here are some ideas: defrost your frozen items in the refrigerator instead of the microwave or oven; get out all of your ingredients at once so you don’t have to make multiple trips to the fridge; and avoid opening your oven door to check on the food.
Be precise about preheating.
We get it. It’s so easy to get distracted when you’re preparing multiple dishes and catching up with loved ones but try to not preheat your oven for too long. Ten minutes should be fine.
Be careful about cookware.
Choose glass or ceramic baking cookware whenever possible, as it allows you to drop your oven’s temperature by 25 degrees without having to adjust the cook time. Also, copper-bottomed pans heat up faster than regular pans on a stovetop, but make sure your pans aren’t warped. Flat-bottomed pans can use up to 50% less energy on an electric stovetop.
Nothing tops countertop.
Countertop pressure cookers, slow cookers, and microwaves are not only some of the easiest cooking methods—they’re also some of the most energy efficient too! Plus, wouldn’t it be nice to walk away and slow cook a few items so you can watch the parade or football game?
Power down early.
For some dishes you can turn off your oven a few minutes early. Your oven will retain the same heat and the food will continue to cook. We only recommend this step with desserts, veggies or starches, not with meat. Please play it safe and make sure your turkey and ham cook for the proper amount of time.
Cook outside.
Oklahoma weather is pretty much impossible to predict, but what’s better than cooking outside on a cool, crisp fall day? While cooking your average turkey in the oven uses about eight kilowatts of energy, smoking one outside in a wood-burning or charcoal smoker uses none. Plus, you’ll get to enjoy the great outdoors instead of being in a hot kitchen all day.
Save room for leftovers.
One of the best parts about Thanksgiving are the meals after, so don’t be afraid to cook just a little bit extra. You’ll use less energy reheating leftovers than it cooking an entire new meal. Plus, you’ll be able to relax that weekend without having to worry about making meals, which you’ve totally earned.
Since it’s Thanksgiving season, we also wanted to say “thank you.” Helping our customers save energy is what we do, and we truly appreciate you doing your part to power our shared energy future.