June 29 is Waffle Iron Day, a recognition of the centuries-old device responsible for all those griddle cakes of golden greatness.
The basics of the waffle iron haven’t changed all that much since its early days in Belgium 600 years ago. But there have been a few innovations—the electric Texas Waffle Maker comes to mind.
In celebration of the spirit of kitchen innovation, let’s look at a few fun products designed to save energy and resources without breaking the bank.
Cooking with light. Solar cookers use the energy of the sun to cook food. And as we all know, sunshine is free, which means these cookers will save on your energy bill. And not all of them have to be taken outside to be used. GOSUN, for example, is one company making innovations in solar cooking. They have a few models sleek enough to sit comfortably on a sunny kitchen windowsill.
Cooking with air. Convection ovens have been around for years. They work by circulating heated air to cook food faster than conventional ovens. They’re sometimes called fan ovens. And they’re about 20 percent more efficient. These days, companies are making convection cookers small enough to sit on your countertop. The Vonshef company is just one example.
Make it into mulch. Most of us are familiar with the benefits of composting. Food scraps (along with yard waste) make up a significant portion of what ends up in landfills every year. And this waste also produces methane that ends up in the atmosphere. But composting this material at home gives us organic material that improves the soil in our yards and gardens. It also holds onto moisture and helps produce beneficial bacteria. And now there are companies like Ecotonix making appliances that make composting kitchen scraps even easier. Many of these kitchen appliances are no bigger than the average coffee maker.
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