Keeping costs down in the kitchen – which appliance to use?

Keeping costs down in the kitchen – which appliance to use?

Top 5 Cooking Appliances and How Much They Cost

Cash-strapped Brits have been given a rundown of which kitchen cooking appliances are the cheapest to run per hour.

Energy experts at Quotezone.co.uk pitted a range of kitchen appliances against each other and revealed how much money can be saved by choosing more energy-efficient methods.

The experts compared the costs of cooking with an air fryer, slow cooker, pressure cooker, oven and microwave.

According to the research, people can save up to £200 on their annual energy bills by opting for one of the most energy-efficient appliances which is a slow cooker.

This is after research reveals running the slow cooker for five hours would still be cheaper than turning on the oven for half an hour.

Air fryers appear fifth in the cost line up, costing households 42p to run per hour. However, many air fryer owners may find it to be much cheaper to cook their food in the appliance due to the reduced cooking times required compared to an oven.

The amount of food being cooked also affects the potential savings, as kitchen gadgets often don’t hold as much food as an oven, which means you may need to double up on batches.

Greg Wilson, Founder at Quotezone.co.uk, said: “People are increasingly choosing to use cooking gadgets that use less energy rather than conventional methods to cook their meals.

“Keeping costs down in the kitchen can make a big difference for households trying to amp up their energy savings amid the cost-of-living crisis.

“Each of these appliances has its own purpose and function so it’s good to know these comparisons to help families plan out energy efficient meals that can help them save money.”

Here is Quotezone.co.uk‘s rundown of which cooking appliances to use to save energy and money:

1. Slow cooker – 5p per hour

The most energy-efficient kitchen cooking appliance by far is a slow cooker. It only costs 5p per hour to run it and most of them are quite large, so you can cook bigger quantities. Slow cookers have low wattage, so even though it takes a few hours to cook a meal, you’ll still be saving money. Slow cookers are great for making low-cost casseroles, stews, pasta dishes, soups, pulled meats and curries.

2. Pressure cooker – 28p per hour

A pressure cooker uses water and high pressure steam to cook food. Because there is minimal amount of steam escaping, pressure cookers consume 70% less energy than normal saucepans. Pressure cooking also retains nutrients well. It costs 28p to run them and their benefit over slow cookers is that it takes much less time to cook meals. Pressure cookers are great for making slow-cooked dishes, but with a fraction of the time that it would take with a slow cooker.

3. Microwave – 32p per hour

Microwaves aren’t as versatile as other cooking appliances and are mainly used for reheating and defrosting. However, you can still use them for some types of cooking jobs, for example, melting butter and chocolate, softening onions and steaming vegetables. Cooking a jacket potato in a microwave takes about 8 to 10 minutes, whereas it would take about an hour to do it in an oven.

4. Air fryer – 42p per hour

Air fryers have soared in popularity because they cook food faster and use less energy than ovens. Because they use hot air and not oil, they’re also a relatively healthy method for cooking fried food. They’re also good for cooking smaller portions, as you don’t need to heat up the whole oven, however if you’re making a large amount of food then you may need to do multiple batches.

5. Oven – 60p per hour

Traditional ovens are the least energy-efficient method of cooking, costing about 60p per hour. Because of their size, they take a lot of time and energy to heat up the whole space. That explains why households are increasingly using alternative cooking appliances. Nevertheless, ovens are the most effective when it comes to cooking a large batch of food.

For savings on household bills and essentials, such as energy, home insurance or personal loans, Quotezone.co.uk can help.