Attempting to create a green kitchen is the need of the hour given the condition of our environment. You don't even need to go through any huge changes to turn your catering kitchen into an eco-friendly one. Here are 7 ways in which you can create a green kitchen for your catering business.
Choosing flameless food heaters will be one of the best decisions for your catering business in favor of our environment. When it comes to catering food heaters, popular commercial products like Sterno warmers dominate the market. These kinds of warmers use chafing fuel and produce carbon dioxide in the process, thus adversely impacting our environment.
One of the greatest advantages of flameless food heaters, as suggested by the name, is that they don't burn any fuel and do not produce greenhouse gases. They use air-activated warmers to heat the plates and keep the food warm. Because it doesn't use fire, it's a lot safer to use. So, replacing your traditional catering food heaters with these new-age flameless heaters will be a giant step towards creating a green kitchen for your catering business.
Re-using every possible item in your kitchen is a great way to reduce environmental load. That means:
- Reusing food scrapes: Use leftover foods like meat or vegetables to make new dishes like broth, gravy, or stew.
- Composting organic waste: Compost organic waste like vegetable peels, or unusable parts of vegetables in your garden and use them as organic fertilizers.
- Recycling plastic: Always look for the recycle sign in any plastic material that you use. Collect and send them for recycling periodically.
- Recycling water: Rainwater harvesting is a great way to recycle water. Also, instead of throwing away the water that you used for washing the vegetables, you can use them again for cleaning the counters and sink or to water the trees in the garden. There are several ways to recycle water like this. Invent your own ideas and save water.
- Carry Your Own Containers To The Market:
Packaging materials and disposable containers account for one of the major sources of plastic waste. While shopping for your catering business, carry your own containers to the market. Glass containers and carrier bags made of jute or cotton are the best ways to avoid plastic. If, however, carrying bags and containers is not possible for you, another effective way will be to purchase in bulk. That way, you can avoid small containers that add up to a huge amount of waste material.
An eco-friendly cleaning process will help you build a green kitchen for your catering business. For general cleaning purposes like cleaning the countertops or around the cooking station, use reusable cloths instead of paper. Run your dishwashers only when they are completely full. This way you can save up both electricity and water. Also, use natural and organic cleaning agents instead of chemical ones. Nowadays, organic dishwashers and cleaners are easily available in any supermarket near you. Exploit them to their full advantage and let the environment thank you.
While decorating your commercial kitchen, pay attention to your choices and make the right decisions. We have already talked about flameless catering food heaters. You can also choose no-VOC paint for painting the kitchen walls. They don't emit harmful fumes and take care of both your health and the environment. Using LED bulbs instead of normal ones is also recommended because they are more energy-saving.
Common industrial food appliances consume a huge amount of electricity. Investing in energy-efficient appliances can be a little heavy on your pocket initially, but in the long run, they will help you save a lot by using less energy, thus reducing the electricity bill. If you want a green kitchen for your catering business, you must consider ditching your old appliances and replace them with energy-efficient choices.
- Plant Your Own Herb/ Vegetable Garden:
No green kitchen is complete without the existence of actual greeneries. If you happen to have outdoor space outside your kitchen, use them wisely and plant vegetables and herbs. this way, you can contribute to the environment by planting more sources or oxygen, and also save money by collecting essential herbs and vegetables from your very own garden. Even if you don't have much outdoor space around your kitchen, you can still plant some herbs in pots and place then inside the kitchen, near the window.
In Conclusion:Creating a green kitchen is a noble idea. When you think about it, you can discover a thousand more ways to reduce the negative impact and embrace better and eco-friendly options. For example, you may consider ditching those Teflon-coated utensils which emit harmful fumes when used in high temperature. Cooking with the lid on also leads to faster cooking and healthier food. By making these small changes, you can turn your catering kitchen into a green one in no time.
