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How food is prepared, stored and used can make a substantial difference to your energy bills and grocery costs over time (not to mention the environment).
For example, did you know that 20% of an average household’s energy bill comes from the kitchen, according to the Energy Saving Trust? Or that the average London household wastes £60-worth of food each month?
We’ve pulled together a variety of tips and resources to help you pinpoint cheaper ways to cook and maximise your resources.
Think low-energy appliances
When it comes to low-cost cooking, use slow cookers, microwaves and air fryers when you can. These consume a fraction of the energy that electric and gas cookers do and can end up saving you quite a bit of money annually.
If you can’t avoid using your oven or hob, there are some tips to maximise efficiency when you do:
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Open the oven door as little as possible while it’s on. This can cause it to lose heat quickly and use more energy to heat up again. Try turning your oven off a couple of minutes before the end of your cooking time to save energy.
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Give batch cooking a go. Recipes like chilli, stews, casseroles and bolognese are easy to portion and freeze. Make double the amount and warm up half in the microwave later to save oven use.
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Use one-pan recipes to save both on cooking energy and hot water needed to wash up. And make sure to use pans that are the right size for what you’re cooking to avoid heating a bigger surface area when you don’t need to.
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Use your kettle to boil water quickly and transfer to a pan on the hob for steaming or boiling vegetables and pasta – but don’t overfill your kettle when making an after-dinner cuppa!
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Low-cost cooking starts before turning on your oven
To save money before you start cooking, consider the following:
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Plan your meals out a few days in advance and make a list before you shop, so you don’t end up buying more ingredients than you’ll actually use.
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Pull your oldest perishables to the front of your shelves, so you don’t accidentally use newer items first.
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Learn how to store your food properly to maximise its lifespan.
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Get creative with your leftover ingredients – you can make restaurant-worthy recipes out of tons of commonly thrown away food items. Let Chef Livio from local Twickenham restaurant Masaniello show you how.
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Healthy cooking on a budget
- Look out for special offers on fruit and veg - buying them in season will be cheaper and tastier than out of season.
- Frozen fruit and vegetables count towards your 5-a-day, and can be cheaper (especially when it comes to things like berries and cherries), as well as helping to avoid waste.
- Tinned fruit and veg also count towards your 5-a-day if they’re tinned in water or juice, without added sugar or salt. Just look out for and avoid added sugar and salt, as this contributes to high blood pressure, which can increase your risk of heart attacks and strokes.
- The British Heart Foundation healthy eating on a budget page has helpful tips, short videos and recipes.
- The British Nutrition Foundation has worked with the Council to produce a healthy eating resource pack and recipes that are budget-friendly. The resource includes useful tips when food shopping for the store cupboard to save money, create a quick meal, and avoid waste.
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Cost of Living Support Calculator
To help you understand which schemes, benefits or support you might be able to access, we have a calculator. This form takes about 10-15 minutes to complete and will ask you information about your income, home and family. Once complete, it will tell you what you are entitled to, so you can look for the right scheme in our Cost of Living Hub.
How you can help
If you are in a position to help others, financially or with your time, we have plenty of suggestions for you.
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