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1. Make It Last

Choose cookware and utensils that stand the test of time and won’t have to be thrown away with your leftover casserole. That means you gotta ditch the Teflon. While the debate about the health hazards of non-stick surfaces continues, there is no doubt that it has a limited useful life. Go for stainless steel or cast iron instead. Though a bit of an investment, a good cast iron skillet will last for generations. Likewise, choose sturdy utensils rather than cheap ones; low-quality wooden spoons, for example, can rot, and plastic will melt if you leave it on the stove too long. Buy high-quality knives that you can sharpen by hand, and use long-lasting cloth towels instead of paper.

2. Energy Smackdown: Gas vs. Electric

When it comes to the stove top, it can be a tough choice between gas and electric; natural gas is a fossil fuel, but most of the electricity in the US comes from coal-burning power plants. From a straight-up cooking perspective, many cooks prefer gas because it's easier to control temperatures; it also offers instant-on heat, and doesn't waste much heat when the cooking is done. If you're a gas devotee shopping for a new stove, know that the the lower the BTU output, the more energy-efficient your stove will be.

With electricity, the most efficient stoves are those that use induction elements, which transfer electromagnetic energy directly to the pan, leaving the cook-top itself relatively cool and using less than half the energy of standard coil elements. One drawback is that induction-element cook-tops require the use of metal cookware such stainless steel, cast iron, or enameled iron -- aluminum and glass pots won't work -- and since the technology is still relatively, they're generally only found in higher-priced models.

The same goes for units with ceramic-glass surfaces, which use halogen elements as the heat source, making them the next best choice from an efficiency standpoint. These deliver heat instantly and respond quickly to changes in temperature settings. (They're also very easy to clean, which is a bonus). But they only work efficiently when there is good contact between the pan and the hot glass surface; energy will go to waste if pan bottoms are even slightly rounded. Standard electric coils -- those spiral types we're all used to seeing -- by the way, are at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to energy efficiency. If you go for an electric stove, no matter which you choose, opt for the most efficiency-efficient model possible, then purchase green power to support electricity from clean, renewable sources.

The stove you ultimately choose will probably depend on price and lifestyle, so the greenest choice you can make is really to pick the option that you'll be able to live with for at least a decade or more, which will save on materials and resources from a manufacturing standpoint.

3. First, Love Your Appliances

Energy-efficiency upgrades are coming fast and furious to many new appliances. An efficient dishwasher, for instance, can use a lot less water than washing the dishes by hand in the sink. (Check out How to Green Your Dishwasher to learn more.) But before you jump the gun and make a hasty appliance purchase, however, first check to make sure that a repair isn't in order. How will you know? Check out Planet Green's series on when to repair (and when to recycle) old appliances. If the time has indeed come to get rid of an old appliance, note that many communities have take-back programs, helping you to properly dispose of these things, which likely contain hazardous chemicals and materials. When it does comes time to replace your old-faithfuls look for the Energy Star rating, available for kitchen appliances including stoves, refrigerators, freezers, and dishwashers, then choose a sturdy model that will last.

Tweaking your appliances to run efficiently saves big bucks and helps the planet, too.

4. Energy-Efficient Cooking

Preheating is almost prehistoric. Many newer ovens come to temperature so rapidly, they make preheating almost obsolete (except perhaps for soufflés and other delicate dishes). If you're roasting or baking something that's a little flexible when it comes to cooking time, you can put it in right away, then turn the oven off five or ten minutes early, and let dishes finish cooking in the residual heat. (Ditto for anything cooked on an electric stove top.)

Making as best use of the oven as possible –- cooking more than one thing at once, for instance -- is also wise. For small dishes, using a toaster oven, or reheating in a microwave will also save energy; in fact, Energy Star estimates that you can reduce cooking energy by as much as 80 percent when using the microwave instead of the oven. When cooking on the stove, using a properly sized pot for each of the stove burners alo makes a differnce; on an electric stove, for example, a 6-inch pot used on an 8-inch burner wastes more than 40 percent of the burner's heat. Make sure all of your pots and pans have close-fitting lids, then use them whenever possible--including when you're bringing boiled water up to temperature--which helps reducing cooking time and keeps heat wher eit belongs--in the pan. Pressure cookers are another great way to save energy, reducing cooking time by up to 70 percent. Of course, the most energy efficient cooking means leaving heat out of the equation altogether--don't forget about salads, chilled soups, and other dishes that require little prep and can be eaten cold. There’s a large niche culture growing around the idea of raw food-- don't be afraid to try something new!

5. Do It Yourself

Avoid purchasing pre-prepared, frozen foods, and make them yourself, at home; many meals are made to be frozen and reheated without any loss in taste or quality, so there's no reason to thaw and rehydrate frozen and dehydrated foods when you can skip these steps and buy and cook fresh. As an added bonus, you also know exactly what is going in to your food, and, if you're diligent about sourcing it, where it came from. This option also cuts out steps of your food’s lifecycle (and the associated energy in processing and transportation that comes from each step). If you have the space, take it a step further and grow your own fruits, vegetables, using your composted kitchen waste as fertilizer. Don't stop the DIY train there, though: you can clean your counters and hand-wash dishes with white vinegar and baking soda. Instead of shelling out for bottled water, get a filter pitcher or tap filter. You could even buy a seltzer siphon or carbonator to fizz your filtered water and flavor it with homemade syrups; we recommend the Soda Club or one of its contemporaries.

6. Buy Local

The food you bring in to your kitchen is just as important as the gadgets and appliances you have there, so buy local whenever you can. Food miles have risen near the top of eco-friendly food considerations, and the fewer miles from farm to table, the better. Organic grapes from Chile might taste good in the dead of winter, but consider the pollution caused by flying them to wherever you are. In addition, since they're bereft of preservatives, biocides and many other nasties that inhabit conventional foods, organic foods can spoil more quickly, meaning that the longer your bunch of grapes is in transit, the less pristine its condition is likely to be. Whenever possible, we recommend supporting a community supported agriculture (CSA) co-op, buying from local farmers' markets or purchasing directly from farmers themselves.

7. Bulk Up

Buy in bulk and cook in bulk; just make sure you can consume what you purchase and produce! (See Waste Not, Want Not below for more details on that). Purchasing from the bulk bins mean less packaging, and fewer trips to the store, and can also mean financial savings. It's not just for groceries, either: for example, you can buy bulk packages of towels intended for cleaning and detailing cars, and use them in the kitchen. They're extremely sturdy and a lot cheaper than most kitchen towels (not to mention much less disposable than paper towels). Bulk cooking is a more efficient use of appliance energy and your time, (and a great excuse to throw a party), so cook up a nice big pot of soup and anticipate saving (and eating) lots of leftovers. And plan ahead; planning meals that can feed you and your family for a few days is a great way to shop efficiently and free up your precious leisure time.

Reusable containers, like these from designerJorre van Nast, are a great way to store bulk foods.

8. Waste Not, Want Not

On average, the kitchen generates the most waste of any room in your house; for one of the main reasons, look no further at the excessive packaging on supermarket shelves. But fear not, it’s not as hard as it may seem to cut back on waste. Step one: refuse excessive packaging by taking your own bags, buying fresh, unwrapped produce, and thinking carefully about how the purchases you're making are wrapped up. Step two: avoid over-sized portions; if you are regularly throwing food away then you are buying, and cooking, too much. Step three: reuse what you can, like old glass jars or bottles, grocery bags, and packaging you can't avoid. Step four: compost any uncooked organic waste (including cardboard and paper), and don't fret if you don't have a garden on which to spread your yummy humus. Even in big cities, many local farmers markets and organizations will gladly accept your compost. After all this, if there's anything left over, be sure to swing by the recycle bin before tossing anything in the trash.

9. Green Kitchens Can Be Clean Kitchens

The list of what goes into regular petrochemically-based dishwashing liquids, detergents, floor and surface cleaners and other household cleaning products is enough to turn anyone's stomach. Fortunately there are plenty of natural cleaning companies out there producing non-toxic, biodegradable, plant-based detergents (see our How to Green Your Cleaning for more details). And as we mentioned in the Do It Yourself tip above, you can always create your own cleaning products using everyday ingredients such as vinegar and baking soda, which combine to make a great all-purpose, non-toxic cleaner.

10. Remodeling? Recycle

Of course, making your old kitchen work for you is the greenest option of them all, but there comes a time when even the greenest folks need to upgrade or replace. If you are in the market for a new kitchen, turn first to salvage and antiques. They don't make 'em like they used to, so look for kitchen fittings, floors, paneling, and cabinets that have had a previous life are unique and have already stood the test of time. If you’re trading things out, be sure to offer them on Freecycle or Craigslist before kicking them to the curb.

If reclaimed materials won't do the job for you, there are plenty of green options for new materials too. Green countertops made of recycled paper and yoghurt pots, to bamboo and cork flooring -- be sure to your homework about the options available and their environmental impact (remember, all bamboo is not created equal) and stay tuned to the Green Guides for more remodeling suggestions!

Valcucine offers green kitchen design from top to bottom

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1. Share Your Skills

Many people are itching to get started in the kitchen, but don’t know how. Why not arrange a cooking party with friends, or arrange a workshop at a local community event or school? You'll spread the good word about green cooking and eating, helping to build a community of green food fans and connecting with other TreeHuggers in your neck of the woods.

2. Shop Together

Get together with friends to arrange car pooling to the store, or organize a bulk buying group or co-op. You can benefit from wholesale prices, and make shopping into an enjoyable social event at the same time.

3. Go Solar

We have a wonderful source of cooking heat hanging right above our heads. Solar cookers are a wonderful, pollution free way to prepare many meals. Many commercial units are available, and it’s even possible to build your own. And solar cooking is not just for folks in hot regions, it is actually possible to use a solar cooker in many northerly regions too.

Harness the power of the sun with solar cookers and ovens.

4. Support Sustainable Cafeterias

If your workplace or school cafeteria offers the usual bland slop, tell them what you think about it. Establishments that adopt a policy of sourcing local and/or organic produce, and preparing meals fresh, may find that it’s not just customer satisfaction that improves, staff may also take more pride in their work. Preparing a beautiful, fresh meal is far more satisfying than opening a packet and adding water.

5. When You Eat Out, Eat Eco

Though it's the green way to go, we all can't cook and eat at home every night. Happily, there are more and more restaurants that cater to eco-conscious consumers. Local, organic, and vegetarian or vegan options are all becoming more common as the public becomes increasingly aware of the environmental impacts of food and the benefits to people, plants, animals, and the planet when we choose to eat green.

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1. Americans using ENERGY STAR appliances, lights, and windows saved enough energy in 2005 alone to avoid emissions equivalent to 23 million cars -- all while saving $12 billion on their utility bills. (source: ENERGY STAR)

2. Composting yard and kitchen waste can reduce the amount of household trash by up to 70%. (source: Del Norte Solid Waste Management Authority)

3. Using a pressure cooker can reduce cooking times, and energy, by as much as 70%. (source: Fagor Pressure Cookers)

4. Cooking accounts for 12% of household energy use in Western Australia, and 67% in Ghana.

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Pressure cookers are a great way to cut back cooking time (and energy use).

1. Pressure cookers are sealed cooking pots that do not permit air or liquids to escape below a certain preset pressure. Because the boiling point of water increases as the pressure inside the cooker increases, a pressure cooker allows the liquid in the pot to rise to a temperature higher than 100 °C (212 °F) before boiling, thus speeding up cooking times considerably, according to Wikipedia.

2. Solar ovens are insulated boxes with a transparent lid, allowing the sun’s rays to heat up the inside of the box like a greenhouse. They sometimes also include reflectors that concentrate solar energy, thereby increasing temperature in the oven. Solar ovens are often promoted by humanitarian organizations in areas where deforestation is an issue, but they are gaining in popularity in the developed world as well, where they are garnering a reputation for creating intense, bold flavors that can only come from slow, careful, sun-powered cooking.

3.Chest freezers, the old-fashioned kind with a horizontal lid, are much more efficient than their vertical counterparts. One of the main reasons for this is that heat rises, and cold air falls, so when you open the door of a regular freezer, the cold air just falls out. Air in the chest freezer, on the other hand, stays put when the door is opened. Freezers can be made even more efficient by being kept in a cool place, such as an outdoor storage room, basement or garage, and they can even be clad with extra insulating material.

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A green kitchen is indeed a rich tapestry, from materials to design to resource efficiency to the food you bring in it.

Various other How to Go Green Guides can be useful in the kitchen, from our tips on cleaning to coffee & tea, dishwasher to recycling and meals to water.

A reader asks some in depth questions about appliance energy use, and other readers respond in droves.

No yard or window box? Space-age LED technology is being used to grow herbs directly in the kitchen.

TreeHugger sums up some neat solutions for green kitchen supplies, including recycled aluminum foil, reusable food covers, biodegradable bags, and even a hemp plastic digital scale.

This one is a little odd: a Thai designer has come up with a completely fold-away kitchen, allowing living room and kitchen space to be combined.

Our ever popular TreeHugger Picks feature focuses in on composters that don't require a back yard; from the high-tech to the simple, there’s a solution for every eco-kitchen.

Here are some of our very favorite, ultra-green and hip kitchen designs from around the world.

Pressure cookers may suffer from an old-fashioned image, but they can save massive amounts of time and energy when it comes to cooking staples like grains or beans.

UK-based designers People Will Always Need Plates breathe new life into old china plates.

One green step up from a pressure cooker, solar cookers offer the tantalizing vision of carbon-free cooking.

But solar cooking is not just for small-scale applications. Check out the world’s largest solar cooker in India for an example of the awesome power of the sun.

Organically-grown bamboo is the material of choice for these beautiful bowls.

We explore the trend for ultra-fast kitchen appliances, but remain confused about what this means for energy use.

The UK sees the unveiling of its first recycled kitchen, using recycled or reclaimed wood, steel, and even yoghurt pots.

Meanwhile, a French team encorporates an entire water cycle in your kitchen.

A good knife can be a great investment, but how do you keep it sharp? Easy – just ask TreeHugger.

Refrigerators are one of the biggest users of energy in the house. TreeHugger offers advice on the most efficient ENERGY STAR-rated appliances; for the really hardcore, there’s the ultra-green Sunfrost.

We’re not huge fans of disposable cutlery as a rule, but we do understand that there are times when it can come in useful. Here we pick out some good suppliers of green(er) options for disposable tableware.

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Stainless steel cookware is tough to beat for durability and versatility in the kitchen.

Cleaning

Vinegar is not just for cooking or salad dressings. Here is a ridiculously long list of cleaning tips using that most basic of condiments.

Still not sure that you can let go of your detergent habit? Ideal Bite offers up some greener alternatives, and Grist puts some elbow grease into a cleaning guide of its own.

Food

So you have your ultra-efficient, clean and green kitchen sorted out; now you need to think about what to cook in it. Take a look at Food and Wine’s discussions of "What Does Eating Well Really Mean?"

Raw foods might not be for everyone, but there’s no doubt they save a lot of energy by cutting out cooking. If you’re interested in this dietary approach, check out Living and Raw Foods.

Connect to your local community and local farmers through Slow Food, a non-profit, eco-gastronomic member-supported organization, founded to counteract fast food and the fast life. Learn about food culture, where food comes from, and how your food choices effect the rest of the world. Slow Food’s handy website also has links to local eco/organic restaurants and grocers.

An important part of having a green kitchen is filling it with green food.

Energy

Here’s a list of tips for energy efficient cooking, and if that’s not enough, here’s a guide to building your own haybox slow cooker.

All the information you could ever want on the US ENERGY STAR accreditation program, including efficiency guides, consumer tips and much more.

Waste

If you’ve been thinking of taking the plunge (though perhaps not literally) into vermiculture (that’s worm composting to you and I), take a gander at this guide.

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Co-ops are great places to find a wide variety of green food and kitchen products.

The following links are a few examples of places to go for green kitchen supplies. TreeHugger does not endorse nor guarantee the performance of the products from any of the businesses listed here.

Appliances/Gadgets

Fagor Pressure Cookers

Solar Oven Society

Solar Cookers International

SavaWatt gadgets to reduce appliance energy use

ENERGY STAR has a complete list of energy-efficient appliance retailers; Sears isn't a bad place to start, offering appliances from companies suchas Boche, Kenmare, Maytag, and Whirlpool.

Sun Frost super-efficient refrigerators

Cleaning

Seventh Generation http://www.seventhgeneration.com/

Begley's Best

Method

Ecover

Mrs. Meyers Clean Day

Food

Natural Collection all-natural kitchen supplies and food products

Slow Food, to find green restaurants and grocers, around the world

Materials/Kitchen Design

purekitchen environmentally-friendly kitchen design

Valcucine environmentally-friendly kitchen design

Bettencourt Green Building Supply carries kitchen surfaces and sheet goods such as Plyboo Butcherblock, Richlite, and Paperstone.

Milestone creates kitchen surfaces made from recycled plastics

Tabletop/Cookware

Bambu bamboo kitchen products

Enrico Products bamboo kitchen products

Earthware Biodegradables biodegradable and compostable utensils

Wax Nostalgic Limited eco-friendly home products

People Will Always Need Plates dishware

Sarah Cihat rehabilitated dishware

stainless steel and iron cookware

Calphalon stainless steel and iron cookware

Le Creuset bulletproof enameled cast iron cookware

Lodge Manufacturing super-durable cast iron cookware

Happy green cooking, eating and cleaning!