To enjoy and make the most of your kitchen, you do not need to make heavy investments. Starting with preparing meals, going through utensils, up until water and energy consumption, there are many ways to save without harming your well-being, comfort, and satisfaction.
Healthy, tasty, and low-priced meals
It only takes a quick online search to find a wide variety of mouth-watering recipes with simple and healthy ingredients. Using small portions of leftovers from another meal may originate a delicious dish which, besides reducing waste, means saving. If you are short on ideas, we are sure you can find inspiration on the Internet.
Creating some habits help save time and money, for example, having a weekly menu. By defining beforehand what you will have throughout the week, you can optimize the amount of food and save time thinking about your daily meals. Besides, if you cook in double, you can freeze it so that it is ready to eat on days that you come back home late.
Meal shopping
When you go shopping, preferably go alone or when the supermarket has fewer customers. That way, you will not have a family member or friend purchasing things on impulse. The fact that there are fewer people in the establishment means less confusion, which would allow you to compare prices calmly. Remember, always check the price per kilogram. Sometimes, some items seem cheaper, but what happens is that they have less quantity. White-label products, discount coupons, and promotions are also good allies for saving but need to be analyzed with attention.
It is fundamental to create a list before setting off for shopping. Check what you have at home and list what you need. You can do it on a sheet of paper, a notepad, or even on an app. Include from the start a couple of “extravagances”, that way it will be foreseen and not become a surprise extra expense. If you organize the list by category you will be more even efficient when out buying.
Durable utensils (and in the proper quantity)
There is a great tendency to accumulate utensils and dishes in the kitchen that we do not use often. Sometimes, even years go by without us using them. Therefore, whenever you think about buying a new utensil, make sure you need it, or if it will only take up space and make you spend money. When, in fact, you decide to buy it, look for superior quality and durable items, and if possible, multifunctional. Seek to have only what you need and keep a washing routine that allows you to always have them ready for use. At RODI, you can find some kitchen accessories that are perfect examples of what we just described.
Saving water and energy to save the environment and reduce costs
If you tend to leave the kitchen light on because it is an area of your home where you keep going in and out of, stop doing so. The simple routine gesture of turning the light on and off each time you go in and out of the kitchen will make a difference in your monthly energy bill on a mid-term. Using efficient equipment (A++) also plays a crucial role in reducing energy consumption. Did you know that boiling water in an electric boiler is quicker and cheaper than heating it directly in a pan? It is a precious help to prepare rice or boiled eggs, make tea, etc.
Speaking of water, create habits that allow you to reduce waste as much as possible: washing food in a bowl with water (and not under running water) and using that water to water plants around the house. Boiling water can also be used to the same effect or to, for example, soak beans.
When using the dishwasher machine, do not select the pre-washing program. The detergents we use have the necessary properties to clean dishes without needing pre-washing.
A low-flow mixer is also a good ally for reducing the of water. At RODI, you can find a wide offer of mixers that, besides being aesthetically interesting, play that role perfectly. You can still apply an aerator to your current mixer. Regarding this subject, we recommend the article article “Less water is more: more savings, more sustainability for the Planet”.
Pareto principle
With these simple actions, the kitchen routine does not have to be expensive to be pleasant and to make the day-to-day more peaceful. In sum, we need intelligent and effective management in tune with the famous Pareto principle: 20% effort for 80% results.
