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Comparison of the Cost of Various Cooking Methods: Oven, Stove, Gas, Electric, Crockpot, etc.

Comparison of the Cost of Various Cooking Methods

There are a few recipes that call for the use of an oven or dehydrator, or, of course, a stovetop (cooker) for a water bath or pressure canner. You may be interested t see how each method compares in total cost to achieve the same degree of cooking.

Cost of various cooking methods

How much do various cooking methods cost?

This table shows the difference in cost between various oven cooking methods.  Notice that some types require less time to achieve a similar result; so the convection oven is 25% faster than other regular ovens.  The costs shown ought to be what it takes to cook the same food in each.

	Temperature (degrees F)	Time	Energy Used	Cost per unit	Cost
Toaster oven	350	1 hour	0.33 kWh	$.08/kWh	$0.03
Microwave oven	High	15 minutes	0.36 kWh	$.08/kWh	$0.03
Stove top, electric	High (about 420 F)	1 hour	0.9 kWh	$.08/kWh	$0.07
Crockpot	200	7 hours	0.70 kWh	$.08/kWh	$0.06
Gas oven	350	1 hour	0.112 therm	$.60/therm	$0.07
Electric Convection oven	325	45 minutes	1.39 kWh	$.08/kWh	$0.11
Gas oven, electric ignition	350	1 hour	0.112 therm +0.35 kWh	$.60/therm	$0.07
Electric oven (standard)	350	1 hour	2.0 kWh	$.08/kWh	$0.16

(The table assumes $.08/kWh for electricity and $.60/therm for gas.)
Toaster oven is by using a "Kill Watt EZ" measuring device/span>

 

Average Natural Gas Prices in the United States

Between 1999 and 2008, the national annual average residential natural gas price more than doubled, from $6.69 per thousand cubic feet (Mcf) to $13.68 per Mcf. The national average price of natural gas is only part of the story, as the prices in individual States can differ greatly. These differences are often related to a market's proximity to the producing areas, the number of pipelines in the State, average consumption per residence receiving service, and the transportation charges associated with them, as well as State regulations and degree of competition.

For example, based on 2008 data, residential consumers along the Atlantic Coast tend to pay the most, with prices ranging from $15 to more than $20 per Mcf. By contrast, States in the rest of the country benefit from either indigenous production or the presence of major trunk lines traversing the State. The availability of relatively abundant supplies results in prices between $10 and $15 per Mcf.

See this page for current gas prices by locality.

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Picking Tips

[General picking tips and a guide to each fruit and vegetable] [How much do I need to pick? (Yields - how much raw makes how much cooked or frozen)] [Selecting the right varieties to pick] [All about apple varieties - which to pick and why!]  [Picking tips for Vegetables] [ Strawberry picking tips] [ Blueberries picking tips]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Illustrated Canning, Freezing, Jam Instructions and Recipes

[ Easy Home Canning Directions] [FAQs - Answers to common questions and problems] [Recommended books about home canning, jam making, drying and preserving!] [Free canning publications to download and print]