Saving money when eating at home

MoleArtist

Like to eat your food off a warm plate, don't want to waste money heating your plate in the oven ? Try these tips.

1) Use your dinner plate as the lid on your pan of boiling spuds, carrots, beans etc. The plate reduces heat loss from your pan and reduces energy usage while heating the palte you want to eat your dinnner off. Got more than one plate ? Stack them on the pan and when you take them off to have a look inside swap them over. I have found you can conveniently up to three, maybe four, dinner plates this way. Works with bowls too.

2) Use your dinner plate(s) as a lid over your frying pan in the same way, also stops spatter from your frying sausages and bacon. Take care though as the pan and plate can get very hot. Food cooks quicker too.

3) Heat your plates in the microwave. Stack two or three plates, with a little water on each. Put the assembly in the Mwave on high heat for a couple of minutes. Put top one on the bottom and go again.

If I'm cooking on the hob, I now NEVER use the oven to heat my plates.

Benny2020

I have never heated plates by any method so how much have i saved?

Section62

MoleArtist said:

Like to eat your food off a warm plate, don't want to waste money heating your plate in the oven ? Try these tips.

1) Use your dinner plate as the lid on your pan of boiling spuds, carrots, beans etc. The plate reduces heat loss from your pan and reduces energy usage while heating the palte you want to eat your dinnner off. Got more than one plate ? Stack them on the pan and when you take them off to have a look inside swap them over. I have found you can conveniently up to three, maybe four, dinner plates this way. Works with bowls too.

2) Use your dinner plate(s) as a lid over your frying pan in the same way, also stops spatter from your frying sausages and bacon. Take care though as the pan and plate can get very hot. Food cooks quicker too.

3) Heat your plates in the microwave. Stack two or three plates, with a little water on each. Put the assembly in the Mwave on high heat for a couple of minutes. Put top one on the bottom and go again.

If I'm cooking on the hob, I now NEVER use the oven to heat my plates.

Cook your potatoes, carrots, beans, etc in the microwave and warm your plate(s) up at the same time, rather than using the hob and microwave.

Benny2020

This reminds me of Viz top tips.

EMPLOYERS: Avoid hiring unlucky people by immediately tossing half the CVs into the bin.

MEN: When listening to your favourite CD, simply turn up the sound to the volume you desire - then turn it down three notches. This saves your wife having to do it.

elsien

I'm also pondering the relative costs of heating vs replacement plates when the whole lot slides off the top of the pan, or crack because they got too close to the gas. 

Benny2020

Use sand instead of sugar in your tea. Can be re-used many times, and has far fewer calories.

Sea_Shell

When only hob cooking (gas) I used to run a bowl of hot water to warm the plates in the sink.

Now, as I usually use a larger ring to bring (pasta/rice/veggies) water to the boil and then move it across to a small one to simmer, I place the plates on the larger, but now off, ring.

The residual heat warms the plates nicely.

When using the main oven, the plates go in the top oven.

alicef

Benny2020 said:

Use sand instead of sugar in your tea. Can be re-used many times, and has far fewer calories.

I read this out to my partner and he is now regaling me with his favourite Viz top tips.

BobT36

Benny2020 said:

This reminds me of Viz top tips.

EMPLOYERS: Avoid hiring unlucky people by immediately tossing half the CVs into the bin.

MEN: When listening to your favourite CD, simply turn up the sound to the volume you desire - then turn it down three notches. This saves your wife having to do it.

lol yeah, we've seen a lot of these "energy saving tips" (usually from MSM news articles looking for filler) lately. 

For warming plates in the microwave, simply buy a pack of plate warmers, small rubber discs you put inbetween the plates. No messing around with water then and potentially damaging your microwave. 

Also if doing the silly thing with the pans, careful the plates aren't the type to crack due to excess heat, especially if you have steel pans..

Mstty

Wow lots of sarcasm about today. It's not a bad idea if you like hot plates with your food just not for everyone.

Benny2020

Hitting your plates will break them.