Cook Smart

I am reading as often as possible - meaning, most part of the time - but I rarely found so many practical tips in only one book. Cook Smart - Learn the Secrets of Your Kitchen Appliances, by Hannah Katsman is what brought me back in the kitchen after the long Pesach preparations. Even though we are talking about kitchen appliances, don't be afraid to find too many technicalities: it is a well written book that makes you turn the ePages and enjoy the lecture. 

It is not only how to save energy by cooking with a plan - even though the readers careful about the environmental issues will find a lot of inspiration and help in their daily saving plans - but also about how to plan the costs of your kitchen. Did you know, for instance, that there are a lot of hidden costs of cooking, such as transportation costs? Obvious you will see the daily basket from a different perspective, after reading this book.

Another question: how often do you read the technical booklets accompanying your kitchen appliances? My answer: I rather not. But if you would, it will bring a lot of savings and ideas for an efficient management of your kitchen. A kitchen managed smartly involves a lot of calculation - for example, if it is worth to repair an oven instead of buying a new one - and decisions and choices. It means also teaching the other members of the household why they should be more careful with the waste of water or why opening 10 times the hour the door of your refrigerator will affect not only the energy bill, but also the functionality of the refrigerator as such. (In this case, I need to read 1-2 books about rhetoric in order to convince a little curious one that even if you open as often as possible the door of the fridge nothing new happens).

A problem I often face with my fridge and that I am aware of especially before Pesach is the situation of the products stocked there as the hunger is happening at least 30 days the month. We buy a lot, we cook a lot and we don't want to eat too many leftovers. We freeze them for later, but sometimes it is too late for doing anything else than feeding the bin. Katsman's wise advice is to keep an updated inventory of the content and to plan the menus and shopping lists in direct relation with what you hide in the freezer. This is the no.1 tip for me that I will start to apply from today on. 

A reality of our 21st century Europe is that we waste a lot of water: for the daily toilet, for the dishes and cleaning the appliances, for washing etc. The more chemicals and cleaning substances we use the more water we will need to dilute and clean. Overall, it is a lack of responsibility that I feel guilty thereof at least once in a while, especially when thinking about how many people die because of the scarce water resources. The change will start when everyone will think in terms of immediate needs: do we need to clean the veggies for 20 minutes under the water or rather we wash them in a big pot? (The last answer is the one I chose). 

From various points of view, my kitchen is not a very complicated one: not a dishwasher, simple oven, simple fridges, not microwave and food processors, as I prefer to do most of the chores with my own hands. But still I discovered a lot of problems that I should consider with the highest attention for spending less and using the money for other good purposes. I am far away of being a smart cooker!