Green moneysaving gadgets

JoJoB

Please post a link to all your green moneysaving gadgets here! I am posting a few I think would be good for when I move to the yurt, but they would probably be useful in a house too!

http://www.onboardenergy.co.uk/acatalog/EcoFan.html

http://www.logmaker.org.uk/

http://www.galtak.com/thermos.html

As you can see i do not know how to do clickys

I like the look of the thermos cooker - just bring your stew/casserole to the boil then no more power needed, just let it continue cooking in the thermos. genius!

geordie_joe

JoJoB wrote: »

I like the look of the thermos cooker - just bring your stew/casserole to the boil then no more power needed, just let it continue cooking in the thermos. genius!

Yes but you can get much the same effect simply switching the gas of with the pan you have!

you would also need to make a lot of stews to get your £118 back! A much better bet would bring the stew to a boil and turn the gas down to the absolute minimum. After all, all you need do is replace the heat that is lost. After all, once the stew is boiling using a higher gas isn't going to make it any hotter.

geordie_joe

Just had a look at the log maker, nothing new. My dad had one 30 years ago. His was a brick shaped gadget you put the paper into and turned a screw to compress the paper. Different shape but same principle.

He also had a smaller version that you put the little left over bits of soap in to make a new bar.

Also had a little gadget that squeezed every drop out of the toothpaste.

Me and my brother and sisters took great delight in calling him mean and tight, and he took it in good fun.

He wasn't tight, just grew up at a time of rationing.

HugoSP

No link but one of the best green moneysavers for the home IMO is a well fitted woodburning stove.

Depending on where you are and what you do, wood can be free and burning it is regarded as carbon neutral, as it will give off the same amount of carbon being burned, as it would whilst rotting.

JoJoB

geordie_joe wrote: »

Yes but you can get much the same effect simply switching the gas of with the pan you have!

you would also need to make a lot of stews to get your £118 back! A much better bet would bring the stew to a boil and turn the gas down to the absolute minimum. After all, all you need do is replace the heat that is lost. After all, once the stew is boiling using a higher gas isn't going to make it any hotter.

I think you can get cheaper ones

Don't you think that using the gas or electric for 10 minutes instead of an hour would make a difference to fuel bills? I still like it.

Anyway, I am interested in hearing of other gadgets if people know of any.

geordie_joe

JoJoB wrote: »

Don't you think that using the gas or electric for 10 minutes instead of an hour would make a difference to fuel bills? I still like it.

Yes, I like it too and the basic idea is a tried and tested method that works. However, instead of buying something that expensive most people could save a lot of money simply by turning down the gas/electric. Once you get into the habit of only having the gas/electric on a minimum setting the cost you would save by switching it off and using one of these "pots" would not justify the cost.

You could always make your own with a box and some straw, or a really good tea cozy.

I've also heard people in here claiming that simply turning the heat off works just as well. I haven't tried it, but I intend to one day.

JoJoB

I agree, I certainly wouldn't buy something that expensive.

I would just trawl the net for cheaper copies or check out ebay. It's the idea i like, I'm sure it can be done cheaper.

geordie_joe

Well I gave it a go, cooking spuds without heat, sort of.

I chopped the spuds fairly small, as I was going to mash them. Brought them to the boil then placed the pan on a plate on the bench. Folded a towel in half and wrapped it around the pan.

After half an hour I checked them and they were cooking nicely, about half way there. At this point I did put the pan back on the gas for a few second to bring the water back up to the boil.

Another half an hour later and they were done. I put them back on the gas to bring them back up to the boil and turned the heat down as far as it would go. As it happened they were left simmering for five minutes while I made the gravy etc. but the mashed spuds were perfect, as good as if I'd boiled them as normal.

I think I need to find something better than a towel to insulate the pan, but the cooking methods works very well. It takes longer, but that's not a problem for me.

I don't think there's any need to buy an expensive "gadget" either, just making some sort of "tea cozy" for the pan will be enough.

JenniO

you can do this with pasta too! fill the kettle and boil, then pour into your pan, bring to the boil (which shouldn't take long especially if you put the lid on it), then pour the pasta in, bring the water BACK to the boil. Cover with the lid. Turn off the heat/gas. In 10 to 15 minutes the pasta will be cooked. The trick really is the lid keeping the heat in. HTH.;)

Savvy_Sue

Woohoo! now, if I can just get the heat turned off BEFORE the pasta boils over all over the rings, I'll also save money by not having to clean that ghastly sticky mess up every time we have pasta! Pasta for lunch, I think ...

Didn't look at the vacuum cooker, but we used to use a haybox when camping, especially to make porridge overnight. Yummy!

I wonder if polystyrene beads would 'work' as insulation, or is there too much air in between? Or would they melt? And I know polystyrene is not particularly green, so please don't flame me for that, but if you happen to have been sent a parcel full of the stuff, it's one way (possibly) of keeping it out of landfill!

Seakay

I think that 'naked' polystyrene would melt, but I think that it would make good insulation if a non-conductive material could be placed between it and the pan. I can't think of anything at the moment, but I do agree with you that if you happen to have something 'non-green' it is much better to get all possible use out of it before disposing of it.