How To Conserve Energy: Kitchen Edition #2 (using tools)

Tools were invented to make man's life easier. Not all tools are created equal but certainly there are ones that can help conserve your precious energy. Now I'm not suggesting to go and buy every cool kitchen tool out there but I am a fan of trying them out at other people's houses or asking for them as gifts. Remember a lot of these things also sit in thrift shops collecting dust and are just waiting for someone to discover them!

TIP #1: Jar Grippers.

I've always had a rough time with my hands. When I have a pain flare-up they're usually one of the first 'warning signs'. When my boys or husband were home I'd always ask them to help me open jars. Although they were always willing and able, I felt dependent on them. If they weren't there I would try the hot water trick (running the lid under hot water) or using a spoon or butter knife to break the seal. These usually worked but sometimes involved a great deal of effort, or even strength. During the pain management program they showed us this cool rubbery material used to get a good grip while opening jars and it's become a staple in our house! You can also find other types of jar openers like ones that help pop the lid off or even automatic ones that are powered by batteries! If you're like me and hand pain is an issue you deal with then I highly encourage you to look into one of these options.

TIP #2: Using a food processor.

While I realize this means you have to clean it afterwards (boo), it can save a lot of time and energy if you have large amounts of vegetables to cut up. Using a food processor to whizz up onions for a big batch of spaghetti sauce or stew just makes sense! They can also be used with the proper attachments to grate large quantities of cheese.

My top picks for food processors can be found below:

TIP #3: Electric can openers.

Another hand related tool here but I find regular can openers painful to use. Eventually I upgraded my old can opener to an ergonomic one that I found at Canadian Tire. That was much easier to use but eventually broke. For the first time in my life my husband and I invested in an electric can opener and I'll never go back! No pain whatsoever.

My favourite electric can opener (yes I own this personally):

TIP #4: Dishwasher.

This one tickles me because I currently do not own a dishwasher. My kitchen is approx. 8 ft by 9ft and even though it has worked for us for the last ten years of so, there's no room for a dishwasher! Like none. With five people my husband and I spend a fair amount of time washing and drying (don't worry only the dishes that don't fit in the drying rack). A dishwasher would definitely conserve energy!

TIP #5: Dish washing brush.

I love the Ikea RINNIG! It's currently a whopping $1 here in Canada (as of 05/24/2023) which is honestly cheaper than most dollar store stuff at this point. It has a suctioning bottom to cleverly attach it next to your sink. It comes in a pretty green colour too! ;) Add a sprinkle of baking soda for your tough stains and instantly you don't have to scrub as much! Less pain equals more energy in my books!

TIP #6: Anti-fatigue mat.

Ask anyone in my group at the pain management clinic and we'll all unanimously agree that anti-fatigue mats are a gift from God! They're basically foam mats to stand on while doing kitchen prep, cooking or dishes. You can find them at Costco and Amazon of course. They take a lot of strain off of your legs while standing, leading to less fatigue. The also come in all kinds of colours to match everyone's kitchen decor.

TIP #7: Instant Pot!

A common misconception when you start out in the IP world is that the pressure cooking time is the total time needed to finish your dish. However pressure cookers need time to come to pressure and depending on the recipe, they can also require time to come down from pressure too. Once you get used to that the rest is history! One of the things I love about the Instant Pot is that you can saute and pressure cook in the same pot unlike the slow cooker which requires sauteing in a pan on the stove first and then transfering to the slow cooker. Save on dishes and do it all in the Instant Pot! The other thing that make IPs so popular is that they're pretty much dump and forget. The appliance beeps when it comes to pressure and also when the cooking time is done. Easy peasy. We cook all of our rice in the Instant Pot and it's perfectly cooked every time! So many recipes are available in the interwebs for your viewing.

* This is not an exhaustive list of tools. There are many tools out there that you can find to help decrease your pain (or atleast not add to it) and help conserve some of your energy. I'm in no way suggesting to go out and spend a ton of money on replacing everything in your home but keeping them in mind as replacements when an old item breaks might just make your life easier. I have included links to my personal favourites under each category for easy access. These links are "affiliate links". This means if you click on the link and purchase the product, I will get a small affiliate commission. Either way, I only recommend produsts that I actually believe add VALUE to you guys.