Global Warming? Let's go CO2-less cooking!

[tomtom11]

Global Warming?

What can we cooks do to reduce CO2? What recipes are very CO2-friendly or what techniques in practive are beneficial to our environment*. To state it differently: what can I, as a single cook do?

I am curious to hear what is happening in this matter on this globe.

I've heard a few things, like cooking with acid, slow cooking (?), using solar energy (directly or transformed to electricity). I am very interested in ideas that have proven themselves in practice. (I think there are already enough ideas in big memo's and treaties)

* I know this is a tricky one. When is something CO2-friendly? Buying pre-cooked food and then processing cold? Cooking raw tuna in acid (while the tuna is cought with diesel propelled ships?). Flatulation by cows? I suggest we limit the definition to all the CO2 we as cooks (and final part in the food-processing-chain) add to the globe by using direct energy (either gas-stoves, or non-solar/water-electrical stoves). And even this is a tricky definition... So let's talk practice (and maybe a bit of evaluation of CO2 friendliness).

What are your 2cents (that together might make up a million)?

Tom

[BeJam]

How about eliminating fiber from our diets and holding our breath. Mutually exclusive I mean.

[paulraphael]

I'd start by reducing your dependence on recipes like these:

http://www.amazon.com/Manifold-Destiny-Gui...e/dp/0375751408

after that, it seem like there are a couple of issues. the first is cooking method itself. Raw food is obviously the winner here, with multiday bbq and smoking the loser. i'd look at techniques that originated in places without a lot of cooking fuel (stir fry, etc.)

The second set of issues is the amount of C02 that went into producing and delivering the food. that's a more complex can of worms, but interesting to consider.

[ChefJB]

I think that before we look at our recipes we should look at our dependence on the industrial food chain. Start by buying local food and boycotting products made with commodity corn. Read to Omnivores Dilema, it will change your life if your a cook and want to be socially responsible, it changed mine.

[C. sapidus]

Global Warming?

What can we cooks do to reduce CO2? What recipes are very CO2-friendly or what techniques in practive are beneficial to our environment*. To state it differently: what can I, as a single cook do?

Planting a fruit tree is the most CO2-friendly food-related action that you could possibly take. Wood locks up CO2 until the tree dies and decomposes, returning CO2 to the atmosphere. Of course, planting a fruit tree is not exactly cooking, and hard to do in an apartment.

* I know this is a tricky one. When is something CO2-friendly? Buying pre-cooked food and then processing cold? Cooking raw tuna in acid (while the tuna is cought with diesel propelled ships?). Flatulation by cows? I suggest we limit the definition to all the CO2 we as cooks (and final part in the food-processing-chain) add to the globe by using direct energy (either gas-stoves, or non-solar/water-electrical stoves). And even this is a tricky definition... So let's talk practice (and maybe a bit of evaluation of CO2 friendliness).

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Based on our energy bills, cooking is a relatively small contributor to energy usage. Commuting to work and heating, cooling, and lighting the house typically uses a lot more energy than cooking. Rather than changing cooking methods, you can probably reduce CO2 emissions more effectively by moving closer to work (or carpooling, taking public transportation, etc.), adjusting your home thermostat, and installing compact fluorescent lighting.

Cooking with electricity generated by generated by wind, solar, or nuclear power plants results in very low CO2 emissions. Some utilities allow consumers to choose the source of their energy (often at somewhat increased cost). Of cooking methods, induction probably uses energy most efficiently.

Interesting question!

[Shalmanese]

Eat vegetarian or reduce the amount of animal protein in your diet as much as possible. Almost any other action you can take pales into insignificance compared to this.

[Mallet]

Eat vegetarian or reduce the amount of animal protein in your diet as much as possible. Almost any other action you can take pales into insignificance compared to this.

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No way! Plants use up CO2 and break it down into oxygen! We should eat more meat, and get rid of the methane-producing cows that are killing the plants.

[Mallet]

How about using hydrogen stoves? The only by-product would be water.

[C. sapidus]

How about using hydrogen stoves? The only by-product would be water.

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Hydrogen is like electricity - it is a energy carrier, not an energy source. You must generate electricity before making hydrogen. That electricity must be generated from a primary energy source - coal, gas, nuclear, hydroelectric, wind, . . .

Edited February 5, 2007 by C. sapidus (log)

[budrichard]

Our present world is based on fossil fuel reserves accumulated over eons. The only non-fossil sources are geo-thermal, sunlight, wind and Nuclear. Geo-thermal is limited, sunlight still expensive, wind not consistant and Nuclear is not socially acceptable at the present.

The best one can due is NOT to purchase that SUV or 'hot' vehicle, conserve with energy rated furnaces and appliances. Anything else is not even a proveriable 'drop in the bucket'.

We missed our chance in the 1960's when it was common knowledge that our fossil reserves were limited and populations would outpace production. What was not known at the time was the new deposits that were to be found of fossil fuels. Individuals and their governments never faced the hard questions and never took decisive action despite what resulted with CAFE.

Now we drive huge SUV's, live in houses that would house many more people than live in them and take delight in our electronic world. These electronic games, phone, computers don't come without energy usage to build. I don't see a single responsible corporation trying to improve our world, I see earnings per share as the ONLY indicater of success.

CO2 less cooking is not even a start. Give up your SUV, large house and all your appliances and then we can talk.

In short, we have screwed up big time and now we are and will reap the consequences.-Dick

Edited February 5, 2007 by budrichard (log)

[tomtom11]

The second set of issues is the amount of C02 that went into producing and delivering the food. that's a more complex can of worms, but interesting to consider.

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Would be interesting if the industry is forced to state the CO2 value of a product, next to the nutricial value.

Here in Holland there is actually a company that can calculate the CO2 emission of a specific activity and how much it will cost by planting trees so you can make the activity CO2 neutral by paying it off.