Gandhinagar: With cooking gas being an essential household fuel, adopting a few smart kitchen practices can significantly reduce LPG consumption. Small changes in cooking habits can save fuel, lower expenses and reduce wastage.

Here are 13 practical tips that can help households cut LPG consumption by up to 50%:

1. Use a Pressure Cooker

Pressure cooking reduces cooking time by 30–70%, especially for foods like dals, beans, potatoes and meat. Faster cooking directly means lower LPG consumption.

2. Soak Pulses, Beans and Rice Before Cooking

Soaking softens ingredients and reduces cooking time considerably.

Typical soaking times:

• Rajma or chana: 8–10 hours

• Dals: 30–60 minutes

• Rice: 20–30 minutes

Soaked foods can cook 30–50% faster, saving significant LPG.

3. Use the Right Sized Burner

Most Indian stoves have two burners:

• Small burner: tea, tadka, reheating

• Large burner: boiling water, pressure cooking

Using a large burner for small vessels wastes gas. The flame should not extend beyond the base of the vessel.

4. Always Cook With a Lid

Cooking with a lid:

• Retains heat

• Reduces evaporation

• Speeds up cooking

This simple habit can cut fuel use by 20–25%.

5. Cut Vegetables Into Smaller Pieces

Smaller pieces cook faster because heat penetrates more quickly.

Example: diced potatoes cook faster than large chunks, reducing cooking time and LPG usage.

6. Cook Multiple Items Together

Use stacking inside a pressure cooker:

• Dal in the cooker

• Rice in a container above

• Vegetables in a bowl on top

This single-flame multi-cooking saves both time and LPG.

7. Keep Burners Clean

Blocked burner holes cause inefficient combustion.

Clean burners regularly to ensure:

• Blue flame

• Faster heating

• Lower LPG consumption

A yellow flame indicates incomplete combustion and wasted fuel.

8. Use Residual Heat

Many foods continue cooking even after the gas is turned off due to retained heat.

This works well for:

• Rice and khichdi

• Pasta

• Boiled vegetables

• Dal after pressure cooking

Turning off the flame 2–3 minutes early can save fuel.

9. Use Flat-Bottomed Heavy Utensils

Heavy-bottom cookware distributes heat evenly and cooks food faster.

Recommended materials:

• Thick stainless steel

• Triply steel

• Cast iron

Thin utensils waste heat and increase LPG consumption.

10. Boil Water Efficiently

Using an electric kettle to boil water for tea, pasta or blanching vegetables is often more energy-efficient than using LPG.

11. Plan Batch Cooking

Cooking larger quantities of rice, dal, beans or potatoes for two or three meals at once can save gas. The extra portions can be refrigerated and reheated later.

12. Match Vessel Size to Burner

A very small vessel on a large burner wastes heat around the sides. Use vessels that cover most of the flame area.

13. Check Gas Stove and Pipe Regularly

Old regulators, leaking pipes or damaged burners can waste LPG. Regular inspection helps ensure efficient fuel use and better safety. DeshGujarat