Whether you’re frying an egg or sauteing vegetables, it matters what size pan you use on your cooktop. If you’re using a smaller pan on a larger burner, you’re wasting heat and throwing money away. Here’s an example: Cooking with a small pan on a larger electric burner cooktop can cause up to a 40 percent decrease in energy efficiency. By choosing the right-size burner for the pan, you can save around $36 a year. And don’t forget: Putting a lid on top can help speed up your cooking, too.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

One of the easiest ways to save energy when using the oven is to defrost frozen food in the refrigerator. A thawed-out meal like a frozen meatloaf will cook more quickly in the oven versus cooking it straight from the freezer. But when you defrost food in the fridge, be sure to do one more thing: Cover it. Uncovered frozen food releases moisture as it thaws out, which makes your refrigerator’s compressor work harder and use more energy to run.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

When using your oven to cook dinner, use a few simple tips to make your energy usage as efficient as possible. First, make sure your cookware is flat-bottomed; warped cookware can have reduced surface space and use up to 50 percent more energy to heat up than flat-bottomed pans. Also, copper-bottomed pans heat up faster than others, which can help save energy. If you bake in a glass or ceramic dish, you can actually set your oven 25 degrees cooler than the recipe suggests, since these dishes are better at conducting heat.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION