Comments on: Food for Thought: The cost of using your kitchen’s appliances

By: Michelle

Michelle — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:16:10 +0000

This really makes you think. I wonder what my cost of use is really adding up to.

By: Katie

Katie — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 06:41:43 +0000

I did stop using my pressure cooker for beans after reading Sally’s opinion. Interesting to hear another side! I’ve never used it for stock, although I know a lot of people use a slow cooker to reduce energy costs. Hmmmmm…

By: Rachel

Rachel — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 17:28:44 +0000

I just recently read about the cost of using a dehydrator. I don’t recall the actual numbers but it came out to be about $.05 per hour. Not too bad. I’ve started using a pressure cooker to make bone broths. Now I can get really great broth (with bones falling apart) in 1.5-3 hours instead of 24+ hours simmering away on the stovetop. I know that Sally Fallon doesn’t approve of that “new fangled” contraption but a lot of TFers have looked into it and choose to use one. Make fast work of cooking beans, too.

By: Olivia Wasik

Olivia Wasik — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 19:27:58 +0000

That’s so funny! I thought the same thing about my broths. I just didn’t have the info to see how much it was costing me. As for my nuts, I use a dehydrator. My oven is old. The oven dial doesn’t go as low as 150.

By: Katie

Katie — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 21:29:31 +0000

I was happy to find out that the cost wasn’t huge either. I still think for the crispy nuts, a dehydrator (I just borrowed a friend’s for a few weeks) is probably the way to go. Then you can really cram a lot in there!

By: Missy

Missy — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 14:18:24 +0000

Thanks, Katie! I also cook my stocks (at least once a week) for 24 hours on a gas burned and often use my oven to dry out nuts and sprouted grains. I have thought alot about the cost involved, I am happy to know its not costing me much money.
This past summer I was trying to wean my self from relying on my dishwasher. It wasn’t cleaning well, and I was sure it was consuming way to many resources. Then I read in “Organic Housekeeping” that it was more efficient to run the dishwasher than to hand wash. That was all I needed to hear, and my husband bought me a new dishwasher. As a mother of five, 40-80 cents a day is so worth the time it saves me in the kitchen. Less than a cup of coffee a day, right? Guess I better make sure my husband has a pot of hot coffee ready before he leaves for work. I wonder which is better: a percolator or drip machine . . . . I don’t even want to think about my cappuccino maker!