Cooking Smart with Ian Cumming

If you are trying to cut down on your energy bills around the house there are some tried and tested methods that everybody knows – turn off lights when not in use, make sure the TV isn't left on standby, keep draughts at bay with well fitting windows and thick curtains. One thing that isn't often thought about is the energy we use when cooking.

Ian Cumming, finalist on BBC's Great British Bake Off in 2015, has been working with Smart Energy GB to develop some energy saving recipes. Smart Energy GB are helping British households understand how smart meters work. Once you have a smart meter installed by your energy supplier, at no extra cost, you will be able to see in pounds and pence exactly what your energy usage is and work out how you can became more energy conscious. Ian lives in a beautiful but old house that doesn't lend itself to be naturally energy efficient. As someone who is well-known for his love of baking he has found using the oven is one of the most energy consuming items in his house.

When I was a student I spent three years living in halls with no oven – apparently the previous tenants kept leaving the ovens on resulting in high fuel bills and oven blow outs! I became use to cooking with just a hob, microwave and the slow cooker my parents had bought me.

I met with Ian to find out more about smart meters and how using alternative cooking methods could cut down on my household energy consumption. If you want to see what Ian has been up to check out the video above.

One of most energy sapping uses in cooking is baking bread. Ian showed me how to make simple steamed buns using self-raising flour as its base. After making the dough you leave it to rise as normal and then divide it into individual portions. Once stretched out the buns are filled with a spinach and feta cheese mix. You could also come up with your own fusion flavours such as some leftover pesto or perhaps a more traditional Chinese filling. After filling the buns you place them in a bamboo or metal steamer and let them steam over a shallow pan of boiling water for around 15 minutes. If you want to make a batch up then stack the steamer pans on top of each other. Using his smart meter Ian has calculated the energy cost of this recipe is around 6p.

One of my favourite ways to cook is using the slow cooker. They are incredibly time saving in that you can prepare a full meal in the morning and then leave it until you are ready to eat later on. In addition to this because the energy usage is similar to having lightbulb on they are much cheaper to cook with than using an oven. There are many recipes that benefit from a slow cooking method. One of these is tagine and Ian has come up with Chicken and Lemon Tagine. Flavoured with a variety of spices this dish is served with couscous which just needs some boiling water to cook it. On the smart meter the cost of making this meal was 5p.

If you were to combine two of my daughter's favourite foods then macaroni cheese with salmon would probably be the dish that would be created. The cheese sauce and pasta are cooked on the hob before being combined with the addition of the salmon plus chives and wholegrain mustard to give it a twist. Rather than being finished off in the oven it goes under the grill for a quicker cooking time. This method altogether registers just 8p on the smart meter. Alternatively you could cut out the browning under the grill for an even cheaper recipe.

After everyone has enjoyed their main meal it's time for pudding. I love baking cakes but the time it takes to bake one in the oven means it's not something you can prepare quickly. One of my favourite microwave cakes is pineapple upside down cake. It can be cooked in the microwave in just 7 minutes. Ian though has broken my record with a 90 second Welsh bara brith cake. Instead of being baked as a traditional loaf this tea cake is poured into mugs and popped in the microwave for 90 seconds. Cake in a flash and all at an energy cost of 2p!

The last dish of the day was the cheapest of all of them to prepare – elderflower, honey and blueberry cheesecake. With the smart meter showing just 1p this is a combination of crushed ginger biscuits topped with honey and elderflower flavoured cream cheese and finished off with some juicy blueberries.

So energy efficient are these recipes that you could serve up a three course meal for less than 15p energy usage. If you want to try any of these recipes yourself pop over the Smart Energy GB site and download them here.

What energy saving tips do have when it comes to cooking? Do you monitor your energy usage with a smart meter?

I was a guest of Smart Energy GB. Photographs are my own and courtesy of Smart Energy GB. Energy costs may vary due to individual tariffs and prices.