Cooking

Cooking

It takes a lot of water to produce the food we eat, the energy we use and all the things that we buy. Use our water saving tips below to reduce your water use while cooking. You’ll find lots of ways to shrink your water footprint.

Don’t let your faucet needlessly run while you’re cooking. You’re letting good water (as well as energy and money) run down the drain.

Install a low-flow faucet on your sink. Conventional faucets flow at around 5 gallons per minute, while low-flow faucets flow at 1.5 gallons per minute.

Wash vegetables and fruits in a large bowl or tub of water and scrub them with a vegetable brush instead of using your faucet as a power-washer.

Don’t use water to defrost frozen foods. Instead, leave them in the fridge overnight.

Boil food in as little water as possible to save water and cooking fuel. You just need enough to submerge your pasta and potatoes. Plus, with less water you keep more flavor and nutrients in your veggies.

Put your vegetable steamer on top of the rice, potatoes or pasta you’re boiling to steam the veggies. You’ll save water and have fewer dishes to wash later.

Keep a bucket or pitcher in your kitchen to collect leftover drinking water, water used to rinse vegetables and to boil food. When it’s time to water your plants or garden, use this “recycled” water before you fill up your watering can from the tap.

Learn more about creating a sustainable kitchen from Foodprint.