What is the most eco friendly way to cook?

[ryan]

Is it more energy efficient/eco-friendly to use my gas stove(I cook 4 main courses a week) or to use electric appliances such as elec. skillet, slow cooker,microwave,waffle iron?

[kymsolaris]

Here is a view of an Alice Water's cookbook on Green Cooking:

Alice Waters' 'Green Kitchen' primes new cooks

By MIRIAM MORGAN
SAN FRANSISCO CHRONICLE

Alice Waters has written a cookbook so that people won't need a cookbook.

In a nutshell, that's the rationale behind "In the Green Kitchen: Techniques to Learn by Heart." But, as with much of Waters' approach to food, there's a lot more to her new book than a nutshell.

Waters' goal is to bring people into the kitchen and to have them feel comfortable cooking - which means knowing enough to make a delicious meal without getting anxious or aggravated, or having a cabinet full of fancy cooking equipment.

To do that, she's gathered 50 simple recipes from some of the nation's top chefs and other professional cooks, given them her own twist, and modeled them to emphasize techniques that work for a wide range of food.

And, yes, the recipes are simple, despite the fact they're from the likes of Thomas Keller, Traci Des Jardins, Charlie Trotter and David Chang.

They're for dishes these top-flight chefs might prepare for themselves, if they ever had a free night at home - roast chicken, sauteed greens, linguine with clams, lentil soup.

Each recipe reveals a cooking method, and includes variations to adapt to different seasons and situations. The premise is that by learning these techniques and the thinking behind them, cooks can eventually forgo the formal recipes and, as the book's subtitle explains, cook by heart.

"In the Green Kitchen" also includes Waters' list of pantry staples and tips for shopping and eating locally, organically and by the seasons. These derive from her "Green Kitchen Manifesto," the basis of her philosophy.

It sounds didactic, but the overall package - with color photos, excellent layout and easy-to-read typeface and instructions - make this an excellent primer for new cooks, as well as continuing inspiration for veteran ones.

"In the Green Kitchen: Techniques to Learn by Heart," by Alice Waters (Clarkson Potter, 2010, 151 pages, $28, with proceeds benefiting the nonprofit Chez Panisse Foundation, in support of Edible Education).

[joe.jackson227]

I'd say try to focus on more raw foods, like salad....or just veggies and dip!