Kitchen Tips for Saving Water

Kitchen Tips for Saving Water by Katy Budge

With California in a severe drought, it’s up to each of us to conserve as much water as possible, especially in the kitchen.

It takes water to grow food, so one of the easiest ways to save water is simply to not waste food. Make a point of organizing your daily recipes to use up what you already have in your fridge. If something is about to go bad – freeze it for stock, or start a compost bin, or find a friend with chickens.

Do you save your shower water as it’s heating up? The same concept can work in the kitchen. Dedicate a pot to collect that water and use it for houseplants or even your pet’s water bowl. (If you use environmentally-friendly soap, you may also be able to use gently used dishwater on your garden; it’s not advisable for food plants, but your ornamentals can handle a bit of suds.)

And, while most recipes call for a significant amount of water to cook pasta, you can use much less by using a little elbow grease. The movement created by a large amount of boiling water helps keep the pasta from sticking together. You can achieve the same effect just by stirring the pasta until the boil recovers and takes over for you. An added benefit of this method is that the resulting water will be starchier than usual, making it all the better for thickening your sauce!