Can You Cook Beef Burgers in the Oven Uk
WITH energy prices rocketing, crafty Mumsnet users have been sharing simple ways to save in the kitchen, such as swapping the oven for a slow cooker and using an air fryer instead of a grill.
You can find both on Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree or Freecycle for next to nothing.
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Writer Julie Cook is married to Cornel, 42, a pianist, and is mum to Alex, 13, and Adriana, eight.
She tests out her appliances using a smart meter to see how much energy cooking uses.
JACKET SPUDS
CONVENTIONAL METHOD: Four baking potatoes in the electric oven for one hour.
I USUALLY bake jacket potatoes in the oven. They're always better with a browned, cracked top and fluffy potato in the middle.
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I cooked mine for 20 minutes at 220C then turned the oven down to 190C for a further 40-45 minutes.
ENERGY USED: 1.036kwh
COST: 31p for 4 potatoes
METHOD TWO: Tower three-litre air fryer for 40 minutes.
I PUT four potatoes (same size as in the first test) into the air fryer at 200C for 40 minutes following the booklet instructions.
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They came out browned and crispy and fluffy in the middle.
ENERGY USED: 0.482 kwh electricity
COST: 14p for 4 potatoes
TOTAL SAVING: 17p
RESULT: THE air fryer used just under half the price of baking potatoes in the oven – a great saving.
The potatoes came out brown on the outside and fluffy in the middle.
But my kids still preferred the oven-cooked method.
BEEF BURGERS
CONVENTIONAL METHOD: Four Birds Eye beef and onion burgers (56.7g each) under the grill for 12 minutes.
I SET the grill to high and placed four burgers underneath, flipping them once.
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When they came out, they were nicely browned.
ENERGY USED: 0.44kwh
COST: 13p
METHOD TWO: Air fryer for 13 minutes.
I PLACED four burgers from the same box in the air fryer at 180C for 13 minutes.
The result was amazing – plump and browned burgers and much less fatty than when done in the oven because the fat drains to underneath the grill of the air fryer.
ENERGY USED: 0.172kwh
COST: 5p
TOTAL SAVING: 8p
RESULT: BETTER than half price AND tasted even better than the grill method – plumper and less fatty.
CHICKEN
CONVENTIONAL METHOD: A medium, 1.394kg chicken in the electric oven, 1 hour 20 minutes at 180C.
I USUALLY make a roast dinner each Sunday and while the end result is delicious, it's a faff to make.
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I put the chicken in a roasting tray and cooked it at 180C for 1 hour 20 minutes.
ENERGY USED: 1.973 kwh
COST: 59p
METHOD TWO: Swan retro slow cooker on low for 7 hours.
NORMALLY, making a Sunday roast is a logistical nightmare – timing the chicken, roast potatoes and all the veg.
When it finished it was golden brown but not as brown as when it's done in the oven. The meat fell apart off the bone, a bit like pulled pork.
ENERGY USED: 0.86 kwh
COST: 25p
TOTAL SAVING: 34p
RESULT: MY family loved the succulence of the slow-cooked chicken and I was able to put my feet up instead of faffing over the oven.
The meat was juicier in the slow cooker, although the top was not as browned.
FISH FINGERS
CONVENTIONAL METHOD: Eight fish fingers under a medium-high grill for 15 minutes.
THE smart meter whizzed into the red zone as soon as I turned the grill on. This is while it heats up, using a lot of energy.
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I grilled the fish fingers, flipping them once during cooking time. My kids love them done this way.
ENERGY USED: 0.44 kwh
COST: 13p
METHOD TWO: Eight fish fingers at 200C for 6-10 minutes in the air fryer.
THE smart meter seemed happier with this appliance and didn't go into the red.
The timer on the air fryer ticked down and I had the happy knowledge that the fish fingers would take less than half the time they do in the oven.
ENERGY USED: 0.172kwh
COST: 5p
TOTAL SAVING: 8p
RESULT: I WAS amazed at how much cheaper it was to cook the same amount of fish fingers in an air fryer and how good they still tasted.
They held their shape better than under the grill.
POTATO WAFFLES
CONVENTIONAL METHOD: Six potato waffles in the oven at 220C for 15 minutes.
THE minute I put my oven on, my smart meter's red light whooshed on, showing it was a high usage of electricity.
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Of course, just waiting ten minutes for my oven to heat up costs money in itself. I cooked the waffles for 15 minutes until they were golden brown.
ENERGY USED: 0.758 kwh
COST: 22p
METHOD TWO: Toaster.
I PUT six waffles in the toaster – four in one go and two on another go.
Making six took time and they kept getting stuck, so a couple didn't hold their shape. It took around eight minutes of faffing.
COST: 16p
ENERGY USED: 0.055 kwh
TOTAL SAVING: 6p
RESULT: IT was cheaper in the toaster but I preferred the result from the oven. They came out wonky from the toaster.
VEGETABLES
CONVENTIONAL METHOD: A pan of three medium-sized carrots, another of fresh broccoli and a third for one courgette, all on the gas hob on a medium heat.
THE carrots took 11 minutes, the broccoli 17 minutes and the courgette 6 minutes.
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ENERGY USED: 1.016kwh gas
COST: 8p
METHOD TWO: Three-tier top steamer on hob for 9 minutes.
I FILLED the bottom pan with water and the sliced carrots. The broccoli (which always seems to take longer) went in the middle steamer and the sliced courgette on the top.
I set it to boil on one hob at a medium heat.
ENERGY USED: Too little to calculate
COST: Under a penny
TOTAL SAVING: 8p
RESULT: I'LL definitely replace cooking veg in three different pans for a steamer.
Not only is it less than an eighth of the price (which adds up over a year if you cook veg every day), but it tastes better, uses less water and gas and comes with no sogginess.
THE FINAL VERDICT
I HAD no idea until this week how much it costs to cook family meals. I didn't realise the grill and oven were so expensive or how little energy an air fryer or slow cooker used.
I'll definitely be using my air fryer and slow cooker more, as I think the savings will certainly add up.
By putting together a weekly meal plan incorporating these dishes I worked out I could save £169 a year – definitely worth doing.
And just imagine if I used my air fryer or slow cooker for all the meals I'd usually prepare in the oven.
I could cook a steak, bacon for a sarnie or even bake a cake in an air fryer – I could save hundreds!
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Source: https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/food/18812675/switched-oven-air-fryer-save-money-cost/