How to make your kitchen more eco-friendly

The kitchen is the heart of many homes. It represents who you are and what you love, so it should match your sustainable values. Get inspired by the steps people take to create eco-friendly kitchens without breaking the bank.

Some say eco-friendly, others go with sustainable. Either way, it’s about a passion for protecting the environment.

Are you ready for some creative and affordable home improvement ideas? Let’s go…

Swap your lightbulbs

Light fixtures are crucial when you’re cooking. If you miss the moment your carmelized onions go from a buttery brown to burnt, it could ruin your entire meal. Use your kitchen lights as often as you like without worrying about the planet by using LED bulbs.

They need 75% less electricity than incandescent alternatives to provide the same brightness. You can even use them in recessed fixtures because they come in all sizes.

Opt for stainless steel cookware

Non-stick pans are useful, but they can also contain toxins called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Swap your cookware for stainless steel alternatives to avoid this issue. If you replace one pan or pot at a time, you can upgrade your kitchen on any budget.

Stainless steel doesn’t need PFAS to prevent food from sticking to your cookware. It’s also a recyclable material, so you can recycle your pots and pans if you ever need to replace them.

Look for cookware in different colors, sizes and styles to find the best options for the recipes you typically make throughout the week.

Thaw frozen foods before cooking

While there is a risk of contamination when you thaw and refreeze food before cooking it, letting your frozen foods thaw for 30 minutes to an hour allows them to transform from ice blocks into food that’s ready to cook. Your oven will need less time to transform your food into a ready-to-eat meal, which means it will use less electricity per recipe.

Just remember to set a timer after the food starts to thaw. You’ll never forget when you’ve left something out on the counter, which eliminates the possibility of accidental food waste.

Upgrade your appliances

Older appliances aren’t the best options for eco-friendly kitchens. They were likely manufactured while companies weren’t creating models that minimized their power usage.

Consider upgrading to smart alternatives that use modern technology to use as little electricity as possible. If they have an Energy Star certification, you’ll know they’re better for your home’s carbon footprint.

Unfortunately, appliances can be costly. If you don’t have the budget for an upgrade, try using a pressure cooker for your meals. The smaller countertop appliance uses less energy than an oven and cooks food in half the time.

Use biodegradable dish soap

The soap you use every day could harm marine life and underwater plants, depending on what’s on the ingredient list. Check your preferred dish soap brand for ingredients like surfactants. When they wash down your drains and enter the environment, they disrupt microorganisms and harm the functioning of living organisms.

Select dish soaps with biodegradable ingredients to upgrade your kitchen instantly. It’s a simple way to practice more mindfulness in the kitchen, which can improve your mental health if you engage in such habits every day.

Apply new sealant on your windows

Most kitchens have at least one window near the stove or sink. They’re useful for ventilating smoke when something burns, but they can also let outdoor air into your kitchen. If outdoor air affects the indoor temperature of your home, your HVAC unit will use twice as much energy to meet your thermostat’s setting.

Apply new sealant around any windows in your kitchen and the rest of your home, and you’ll prevent that from happening.

Explore induction cooktops

Standard household stoves typically use electricity to cook food through coils or ceramic glass stovetops. Other people prefer gas-powered stoves. Anyone interested in sustainability should look into a third option – induction cooktops.

Induction stoves generate heat through electromagnets. They transfer that to your cookware without heating the entire surface of your stove. Doing so uses less electricity, which would help make your kitchen more sustainable.

It’s worth noting that induction stoves require cookware that works with its energy transfer, like stainless steel pots and pans. You’ll have to upgrade your cookware and your stove if you decide to start using an induction range.

Install a low-flow faucet

People often start handwashing their dishes when they want to go green. It uses less water than a dishwasher, but your sink could still make your usage greater than what you’d prefer. Try installing a low-flow faucet in your kitchen sink.

It operates with less water pressure, so you’ll be using fewer gallons per minute. You’ll leave more of it in the environment even if you handwash your dishes each day.

Create the eco-friendly kitchen you want

You might think eco-friendly kitchens require a big renovation project, but that’s not true. You can shrink your carbon footprint one small step at a time.

Try cooking your food with a different appliance, swapping your faucet and even thawing your food before cooking it. Every effort counts when you’re helping the planet during a climate crisis.

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Beth is the mental health editor at Body+Mind. She has five-plus years of experience writing about behavioral health, specifically mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Beth also writes about the power of human design to reveal our full potential and purpose. You can find her on X @bodymindmag.