Tausi Insider

Photo : Africa Studio ( Shutterstock ) As the cold really settles in, we’ve been talking a lot about ways to conserve energy . We’ve also been talking about how to prepare for the big holiday season . What if we told you that you could do both? Even if you’re throwing a massive Thanksgiving or Christmas shindig, you don’t need to break the bank with the energy bill your kitchen generates. Here’s how to save energy while you’re cooking up a storm (besides getting energy- efficient appliances, that is ). Match the cookware to the meal I am guilty of using the toaster oven for literally everything I make, which takes a lot of time and is the result of pure laziness. What I didn’t consider until recently is that it’s also an effective way to waste energy, since I’m popping in one course and side at a time. According to Spark Energy , you should match the size of your cooking tools to the size of your meal to maximize efficiency. If you fry an egg in a big pan or make all your dishes i...

Photo : Anatoliy Eremin ( Shutterstock ) In the colder weather, especially when the days get shorter , lighting a fire indoors can be a cozy relief from the elements. If you have a wood stove, you could be using it as your primary or secondary source of heat, so keeping a fire burning is not only pleasant but necessary. But all that dry heat from the fire can dry out the air around you. A nd k eeping the air from drying out isn’t just a matter of comfort—it can also affect your health. According to the National Institute of Health , the healthiest humidity levels are between 40 and 60%. Luckily, there are some simple ways to manage the humidity in your home and keep your air healthy, whatever the weather outside. Invest in a hygrometer If you’re going for optimal humidity, getting a hygrometer to monitor your indoor humidity will help. While some HVAC systems have built-in hygrometer displays, not all units will have one. If your unit does have a hygrometer component, it might ...

Part of being a food writer is writing about things that are popular, because popularity drives clicks and clicks are what keeps the lights on, so to speak. It’s also just good service journalism. Positioning yourself as too cool or smart for the appliance that’s trendy with the masses doesn’t help anyone, not to mention it comes off as elitist. An air fryer might “just be a convection oven,” but it’s an accessible way for people who live in apartments or can’t afford to buy a new oven to get convection oven results by paying a mere $100. Anyway. This can translate into me using an appliance more often than I would if I was just cooking to eat, but sometimes that results in finding new and exciting ways to use the appliance that I wouldn’t have arrived at “naturally.” It also leads to saturation, and moving on to whatever new and shiny appliance is trending that year, for the clicks, but also to alleviate appliance burnout. That is obviously not a problem most people have, but kno...

Photo : Andrey_Popov ( Shutterstock ) Between spatchcocking birds and air frying cheesecakes this holiday season, I haven’t had much time to think about anything other than putting food inside a hot-maker, and taking it out again. It was only during a recent air frying session that I became very aware of my inability to face a kitchen disaster should one arise. Not only did it make me nearly crap my pants, but afterward, it got me thinking. As holiday parties hit full tilt, take these small kitchen safety measures to ensure 2022 ends without you soiling yourself. (Unless it’s from uncontrollable laughter.) Get a fire extinguisher Full disclosure: It was fire. My boyfriend and I nearly set our air fryer ablaze, and although it probably took four seconds to sort out, nothing slows down time like flames you can’t control. I realized that my small Brooklyn apartment would be better with a fire extinguisher. Even professionals overlook these things sometimes. Regardless of your comfo...

On Monday, Bloomberg reported the Consumer Product Safety Commission would consider a ban on gas stoves , causing everyone from Republican politicians to cooks on Twitter to promptly lose their minds and begin insulting electric stoves.   If you were among them, don’t panic: A gas stove ban is unlikely, especially in the immediate future. Here’s the thing, though: Maybe we should ban gas stoves. A growing body of research suggests gas stoves can be dangerous to live and breathe around, while electric stoves aren’t. Plus, electric stoves are pretty great, actually, and wholly undeserving of their crappy reputation. Here are four reasons why. Electric stoves don’t leak methane or nitrogen dioxide into your house A huge benefit to electric stoves is that they don’t use gas and therefore can’t leak it into your house. More and more research shows that gas stoves do exactly this: In 2022, researchers from Stanford University found that gas stoves emit methane gas via “post-meter lea...

Photo : Africa Studio ( Shutterstock ) Politicians and social media can’t get enough of the gas versus electric stove debate (at TausiInsider, we think Electric Stoves Are Good, Actually ) —but regardless of where you stand on it, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) federal legislation that was passed last year can essentially score you a free electric range in the hopes of incentivizing people to make the switch. Who qualifies for a rebate for a new electric range The rebate amount you’ll qualify for will depend on how your income compares to the Area Median Income in your area. (You can calculate your AMI with this tool by entering your address.) If your income falls between 80% and 150% of your local AMI , you’re eligible for a rebate of 50% of the price of your electric range, cooktop, or wall oven   (up to a maximum credit of $840). If your income falls below 80% of the AMI, you’ll qualify for a rebate of 100% of the price (up to $840) . (If your i ncomes is above 15...

Photo : Pegasene ( Shutterstock ) If you are a clean-as-you-go type of cook, or you simply cannot handle mess in the kitchen, you may be in the habit of wiping up spills on your stove as soon as they happen. While that may seem like the best move to prevent food from drying (and therefore harder to get off later), it’s actually not great for you or your cooktop. Here’s why you should wait until the surface has cooled before cleaning—and how to go about it. Why wait until the stove cools? Trying to clean on or around burners that are on or still hot obviously puts you at risk of burning yourself or catching a rag, sponge, or paper towel on fire. Plus, cleaning solutions sprayed on hot surfaces may vaporize , which isn’t great for your lungs and honestly may not get the job done as well. Cleaning products can damage the finish on glass stovetops if burned, leaving permanent marks, and synthetic rag fibers may melt onto the surface. There’s also a higher risk of cracking the glass w...

Photo : Claire Lower I have been working on rekindling the romance with my Instant Pot. I’ve had her for at least half a decade, and right now we’re working on perfecting a yogurt recipe. It’s going well, but the resurgence of activity has forced me to come to terms with just how grody this thing can get , particularly the little ridge between the outside of the appliance and the liner. As you can see from the above photo, it gets pretty grimy in there. Spills and splatters and specks of food get trapped, as does dust. To make matters worse, the spot is fairly awkward to clean, as it’s sunk down, with a few little tabs from the appliance that hang over it, making it hard to access. There are, however, three handy tools you can use to clean this dark recess of a beloved applicance . The cheapest option: A fork with a paper towel wrapped around it I’m sure you have a fork, and I’m fairly certain you have a paper towel. Though some assembly is required, you can make a nifty little c...

Part of being a food writer is writing about things that are popular, because popularity drives clicks and clicks are what keeps the lights on, so to speak. It’s also just good service journalism. Positioning yourself as too cool or smart for the appliance that’s trendy with the masses doesn’t help anyone, not to mention it comes off as elitist. An air fryer might “just be a convection oven,” but it’s an accessible way for people who live in apartments or can’t afford to buy a new oven to get convection oven results by paying a mere $100. Anyway. This can translate into me using an appliance more often than I would if I was just cooking to eat, but sometimes that results in finding new and exciting ways to use the appliance that I wouldn’t have arrived at “naturally.” It also leads to saturation, and moving on to whatever new and shiny appliance is trending that year, for the clicks, but also to alleviate appliance burnout. That is obviously not a problem most people have, but kno...