Health and lifestyle coach Dr. Nandita Iyer shared measures to reduce liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) consumption by nearly 50% amid ongoing supply shortages in several parts of India due to the Middle East conflict. The increase in LPG prices and its unavailability has affected several sectors, especially the food and beverage (F&B) industry, forcing several restaurants to shut down.
The Strait of Hormuz, which is one of the world’s most critical energy corridors, provides a substantial part of the global export of oil and liquefied natural gas. The disruption of this narrow shipping route between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula triggered the LPG crisis. In a post on X, the wellness educator gave 10 tips on how to significantly reduce LPG consumption.
1. Using a pressure cooker “Pressure cooking cuts cooking time by 30 to 70%, especially for dals, beans, potatoes and meat,” said the health coach.
2. Soak dry food – Soak pulses, beans and rice before cooking to reduce cooking time and LPG consumption as soaked foods cook 30-50% faster. A typical soaking time for rajma or chana is 8 to 10 hours, for dals it is 30 to 60 minutes and for rice it is 20 to 30 minutes.
3. Burner size: Using a large burner for small vessels wastes gas, so a small burner is recommended for things like tea, tadka and heating, while a large burner must be used for pressure cooking or boiling water. In particular, the flame of the burner should not burn beyond the perimeter of the pan.
4. Cover the cooking pot with a lid: Cooking with a lid retains heat, reduces evaporation and speeds up cooking. Reduces fuel consumption by 20 to 25%.
5. Cut the vegetables into smaller pieces – This speeds up the cooking time due to the larger surface area and faster heat penetration.
6. Club multiple items– Cooking multiple meals together in a pressure cooker saves gas. Example: Put vegetables in a bowl with meat. “This single-flame multicooker can significantly reduce fuel consumption. Even in smaller cookers, you can keep one vegetable directly in the cooker and another in a cup above it (like a smaller amount of vegetables for sambar),” wrote Nandita Iyer.
7. Check the burners for blockages: Clean the burners every few weeks for faster heating, blue flame and lower LPG consumption, as clogged burner holes cause inefficient combustion. It is important to note that yellow flames indicate incomplete combustion.
8. Use residual heat: Many foods continue to cook with trapped heat, so turning off the stove early saves energy.
9. Use heavy, flat-bottomed containers – Heavy-bottom cookware such as heavy-bottomed stainless steel, triple steel and cast iron reduce cooking time by distributing heat evenly. “Thin vessels waste heat and burn food,” noted the wellness expert.
10. Smarter cooking – To boil water, it is necessary to use a kettle, which is more energy efficient than LPG for heating water.
