The Modern Luddite

I’ve often wondered what is the most efficient way of heating up food, microwave or conventional oven? And what about heating water, which is most efficient: microwave; electric kettle; or stove? Which uses the least power, and hence saves the most cash?

Today I was leafing through an old copy of Ethical Consumer magazine from March/April 2006 and I spotted a small article on microwaves. As well as their usual “ethiscore” ratings for various manufacturers, the article mentions that their online research indicated that microwaves can use anything from 50% to 90% less energy than conventional ovens, but they do go on to point out that the full story is a lot more complex. Specifically, the article mentions that microwaves are more efficient at heating smaller quantities of food, but conventional ovens are better with larger amounts. It also goes on to discuss manufacturing and lifespan of microwave and conventional ovens.

One of the major points the article makes, from the Modern Luddite perspective, is that it is generally good practise to cook big batches of food, freeze them in small quantities, defrost naturally, and then reheat with a microwave. This is far better than purchasing and heating meals-for-one. Yuck! Also: unplug the microwave between uses to save it illuminating the kitchen with its clock while you’re in bed. A few pence saved there, no doubt.

Bookmark to: