With price of cooking gas rising how should you respond?

The news from providers of cooking gas is not palatable for Nigerian households who depend on gas for various purposes. Business Day’s investigation reveals that to fill a 12.7 kilogram gas cylinder one will have to part with N3, 500 or N4, 000 as against N2, 800.

There is scarcity of gas and the reason marketers give is that some faceless people have hijacked the NLNG domestic supply scheme. Marketers who, prior to now, bought 20 metric tons of LPG from terminal owners for N2.4 million are being forced to buy the same quantity at N3.5 million. That increase for the marketers translates into a rise in price for the ordinary consumer.

As a consumer your responds is vital if your income will not be adversely affected. There are some alternatives you can explore like using electric burners; the only challenge will be an increase electricity charge. Natural gas, despite the increase in price, is almost always cheaper than electricity. Electricity stoves or burners on the other hand are far safer than gas which poses the risks of explosion and air pollution. In fact, it is reported that the fumes from gas are injurious to the health of certain species of birds – if you are the type that keep birds.

Solar oven are rare in this part of the world but they are becoming a convention in other parts because of their energy efficiency. Solar ovens are remarkably easy and gets very hot – 300-350oF. Foods cooked with a solar oven rarely get burned. You can put something in the oven and leave it for hours, it’s just fine.

If you love to bake, you can conserve your gas by using crockpot or a microwave oven for baking. These are some of the cheapest ways to bake your foods.

There are other innovative ways you can conserve your gas without compromising your cooking. One of the ways is to use metal or stainless steel pots or pans for cooking. This is because metals are good conductors of heat while your clay pot is not. Ceramic or glass pots and pans are also energy efficient. While using them and you notice that gas flame is licking a little on the side of the pot or pans that is a sign that it is too much and much of the heat is being wasted. In view of that, it is recommended that you use a pan that is wide enough to cover the flame.

Only light the stove when you have everything within your reach. This will require you plan ahead for the meal, bring all you will need together to avoid wastage to time and gas once you put on the flame. Avoid spilling of any cooking items on the stove particularly in the burner as this will block all the pores and the give a less uniform flame. Hence, clean it periodically to enhance efficiency.

Cover your food. An open pan allows the heat to escape more rapidly than a closed pan would. It will also ensure your food cook quickly.

Only use as much water as you need. Experts note that every extra droop of water in the pot will require more heat and increase cooking time. Avoid using gas to thaw frozen foods. Put them in water prior to soften prior to cooking.

If any member of the house will require hot water, you can boil it and put in a thermos flask instead of boiling water every time someone wants to use it.

Experiment with raw vegetables. For instance, vegetables such as carrots actually taste better and the nutrients are conserved when eaten raw.

When you are done with cooking ensure you turn it off completely by turning off the cylinder knob and the stove when the flame is exhausted.

FRANK ELEANYA