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Think it's impossible to stay green during the holidays? Think again. On November 3, Emeril will show viewers how to plan and prepare a totally organic and local Thanksgiving dinner on a special episode of Emeril Green. Taking the mystery and challenge out of green cooking with no-fail organic recipes, you'll see just how easy it is to create an eco-friendly feast, including Emeril's roasted heritage turkey with gravy, oyster dressing, sweet pumpkin soup, southern greens, roasted cauliflower, and roasted pears. You may blow your diet, but you don't have to shelve green habits on Thanksgiving Day!
But using organic and local food is not the only way to make your Thanksgiving green. If you'll be slaving over a hot stove all day, you can also reduce the amount of energy you use while cooking. So gather the whole family in the kitchen, get ready to make an eco-friendly turkey feast and follow these five tips. Your dinner may not be low-effort, but at least it will consume less energy!
- Keep the oven door shut.
It's hard to resist cracking the oven to check the status of a roasting bird that's filling your kitchen with such wonderful aromas. But doing so causes the oven to drop its temperature, meaning it will require even more energy to stay constant. Resist opening that door! Instead of, turn on the oven light and monitor items through the window. - Stuff the oven.
Pies, potatoes, vegetables, and turkey all need to roasted or baked. Whenever possible, put several dishes in the oven at once, which can cut down on the amount of time the oven stays on throughout the day. - Fire up the microwave.
Many side dishes can be cooked in a microwave instead of the oven. Microwaves use just a fraction of the electricity that ovens do, and, of course, can dramatically reduce cooking time. A slow cooker can help ease the oven's burden as well. These may not be traditional cooking techniques, but your guests' palates will never guess your energy-saving secrets. - Choose the proper burner.
To use your cook-top range as efficiently as possible, choose pots and pans that are relatively the same size as the burner you're cooking on, which is the best way to effectively heat up food without wasting energy. Large amounts of energy are lost when a small pot sits on a large burner. To make your stove even more efficient, clean the burners and use heat reflectors. - Load the dishwasher.
Some delicate dishes and platters must be hand-washed, of course. But here's one green tip that everyone can get behind: When faced with a mountain of holiday dishes, using the dishwasher is usually more energy-efficient. Scraping plates rather than rinsing them will also save water, as will the low-heat and energy-saver options on your machine.
Bon appetit!
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