How to save gas and electricity in the kitchen with couscous

The current period of economic uncertainty has once again led to discussions about how to save on gas and electricity costs in the kitchen. In fact, very often, caught up in routine and daily chores, we forget that with small gestures it is possible to contribute to savings on our bills.

So is cooking delicacies and saving on gas in the kitchen a mission impossible? Not at all. Let’s start with a series of tricks and tips to optimize consumption while maintaining the quality of food:

use only metal cookware;
cook large quantities of food to be stored and consumed later;
use the lid whenever possible;
use the appropriate stove for the size of the pot you are using;
make sure the stove flame is blue in colour; and
keep cookware shiny and clean;
use pressure cookers.

Is that all? Actually, no. More can be done. You may have heard a lot these days about cooking pasta with the heat off, a practice better known as “passive cooking.” You’ve never heard of it? Let us explain more.

Passive cooking as we have already anticipated to you is a technique that allows the pasta to be cooked with the heat off. With this ancient technique, in fact, it is not necessary for the water to keep boiling, but only to remain hot enough to cook.

READ ALSO: How to prepare couscous: 5 mistakes not to make!

The “off-heat” method of cooking is somewhat on everyone’s lips, and in 2022, and because of the energy crisis, it is even more so.

Many, however, have expressed scepticism and criticism of this type of cooking as it is known that pasta cooking comes from a long culinary tradition. Why are we talking to you about pasta instead of couscous? This is exactly where we want to get to.

Couscous, unlike pasta, actually involves passive cooking, that is, no boiling!
We’ve been saying it all along, to cook a good dish of couscous, the healthier, lower-calorie alternative to pasta, all you need is hot tap water and a drizzle of oil before letting it sit and you’re done. Keeping the flame on under the pot is completely unnecessary.

Couscous, in fact, can be prepared faster than pasta and does not require any special equipment because it is cooked by absorption: In case you want to prepare a savoury recipe, simply cover the desired amount of couscous (about 50 grams per serving) with twice its volume of warm or hot salted water. You will then need to cover the couscous with a lid and wait for it to absorb all the water it will take about 5 minutes for the grain to swell; at this point, after stirring, shelling, and seasoning well, it is ready to be served either hot or cold.

To save big, start with small gestures!