As energy costs continue to rise, people are turning to their microwaves as a quicker way to cook compared to a standard oven, using significantly less energy to keep bills to a minimum. Uswitch estimates it would cost 27p to cook a baked potato in the oven and just 3p in a microwave.
Once a household must-have in the 1980’s when ‘ready meals’ were at the height of food fashion, microwaves have fallen out of favour in recent years with Brits spending more time in the kitchen cooking from scratch. However, Lakeland said it is seeing a surge in demand for microwave cooking utensils as home-cooks look for ways to reduce their energy usage when cooking.
The Energy Saving Trust says that a microwave is more energy-efficient than a traditional gas or electric oven because microwaves only heat your food and not the air space inside, which means they use less energy to cook dinner.
Lakeland says sales of its new microwave lidded saucepan increased by 29% in April compared to January.
Kathryn Farrell Lakeland Buyer said: “With energy costs at record highs we’re all looking for clever ways to cut our household bills and microwaves are a great option for helping to save on the cost of cooking.”
Lakeland's microwave egg poacher has also seen a 26% increase in sales.
Microwaves have come a way since first popular in the 70’s, marinated chicken breasts with authentic griddle lines; burgers and char-grilled vegetables; golden toasties can all be cooked to perfection in your microwave. Using Lékué’s Microwave Grill, fresh, tasty food can be easily made with not a pinged ready meal in sight.
Uswitch says a standard oven costs around 18p per hour of use whereas a microwave uses around 21p. However, a microwave is quicker and its smaller size means that the heat is more focused on whatever’s being cooked, so Uswitch advises to opt for this appliance whenever possible.
