. A sharp chef’s knife will cut, chop and dice more efficiently than a kitchen machine. A mortar and pestle will crush and purée while still leaving all the flavour. I prefer the heavy marble ones that are available at kitchen stores and online. A food mill, a basic appliance in your grandmother’s kitchen, will purée smoothly and never make ingredients pasty. And pastry made by hand, not in the food processor, will yield a better result.
Don’t heat up your oven till you need it and if you have a small amount to cook, a toaster oven is far more efficient. Refrigerators use a lot of electricity, but newer fridges run more efficiently when full, and if you organize by ingredients – all the sauces in one place, the mustards in another – you will know where everything is and not waste electricity while you search.