San Joaquin Valley Clean Energy Organization

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Technology Tuesdays: Energy Efficient Cooking Part II, 5-in-One Ovens

Hello Partners!

We are all done with the ghosts, ghouls, and goblins of Halloween, and we are looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas. November 1st is the unofficial start of the holiday season. This is, by far, my favorite time of the year. However, while we are all gearing up for yet another wonderful holiday season and its traditions, it is important to understand and seek out new and more efficient ways of doing the things that we love, even if they are traditional.

One energy efficient solution is the 5-in-One oven. A 5-in-One oven is an oven that can be used as a convection oven, a toaster oven, a warming/proofing oven, a precision cooking oven, and a microwave. It sounds too good to be true, but it is not.

Why are 5-in-One ovens important? Well, this is the second installment of our 5-part series on energy efficient cooking. Last time, we discussed induction cooktops. Induction cooktops are a wonderful solution for those that would like to enjoy many of the advantages of cooking with a natural gas stove without many of the disadvantages of both natural gas and traditional electric stoves. However, an energy efficient kitchen is only as good as the sum of all of its parts.

The 5-in-One oven is another important piece of an energy efficient kitchen. Since the 5-in-One oven can do so many different things, one may ask if it really is more energy efficient than a traditional oven.

We know that using a microwave is much more energy efficient than using and electric oven. The energy savings of using a microwave over an oven can be anywhere from 30% to 80% energy savings. A 5-in-One oven uses a combination of technologies to cook your foods more quickly without compromising on taste and flavor. For example, one model uses a combination of high-intensity lighting systems, radiant and ceramic cooking elements, and microwave technology to “speed cook” meals. Therefore, meals that may have taken much longer to prepare, can be prepared in a fraction of the time without pre-heating. Shortening cook time, eliminating the need for pre-heating, as well as combining microwaving elements into the regular function of an oven makes the 5-in-One oven significantly more energy efficient.

This is a relatively new technology. However, it eliminates the need for many other smaller countertop appliances such as the toaster oven, air fryer, and the microwave. It will take some time for large scale adoption to drop the prices so, for now, it is the more expensive option. However, the benefits are substantial.

While you are enjoying baking sugar cookies, pies, and holiday turkeys, keep your eye out for this new technology coming soon to a kitchen near you!

The savings never stop!

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Sources:
https://www.energystar.gov/sites/default/files/asset/document/ENERGY_STAR_Scoping_Report_Toaster_Ovens.pdf
https://appliances.monogram.com/us/kitchen/advantium-ovens
https://www.geappliances.com/ge/advantium-oven.htm