From bangers and mash to spag bol, six ways to cut the cost of cooking your favourite dishes and save £65 a year

ENERGY bills are going up again next month – but you can save money with smart cooking tips.

Average bills will rise from £1,971 a year to £2,500, instead of £3,500, thanks to an energy price freeze.

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Making smart switches between kitchen appliances can bring real savingsCredit: Getty The cost of 10 minutes of electricity

The freeze is on the price you pay for the power you use, so consuming less will help to keep a lid on your bills.

The kitchen is home to many of the worst energy-guzzling appliances – but making smart switches can bring real savings.

Harriet Cooke crunches the numbers – based on the new unit prices of gas and leccy from October – and serves up the cheapest ways to make your fave meals.

Pizza – Oven v air fryer

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Use an air fryer to save 10.8p, or £5.62 if you had the meal once a week for a yearCredit: Getty

AN electric oven takes 14 minutes to cook a pizza from frozen, which costs 17p in electricity.

But an air fryer can do the job in around seven minutes, costing 6.2p.

WINNER: Use an air fryer to save 10.8p, or £5.62 if you had the meal once a week for a year.

Spag bol – Slow cooker v hob

AFTER frying your mince and veg until soft, which takes about ten minutes, you then have a choice of placing it either in a slow cooker or a saucepan to cook in tomato sauce.

In a slow cooker, the process can take up to eight hours, costing 27.2p.

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Using the gas hob is cheaper by 20.5p, or £10.66 if you made this meal every week for a yearCredit: Getty – Contributor

On a gas hob you can get the job done in 20 minutes, costing 6.7p.

Note that the slow cooker version will be more flavoursome, but if you wait a day before eating the hob-cooked version it will be much tastier.

WINNER: Using the gas hob is cheaper by 20.5p, or £10.66 if you made this meal every week for a year.

Scrambled egg – Frying pan v microwave

SCRAMBLED eggs are tastiest cooked in a frying pan with butter for three minutes, costing 1p to heat on a gas hob.

You can also make them by whisking them, adding half a teaspoon of milk per egg and microwaving them in 30- second blasts at 1,000w.

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There’s barely anything in it but the microwave wins this as it can do the job so quicklyCredit: Getty

It should take a minute and a half, costing 0.85p.

WINNER: There’s barely anything in it but the microwave wins this as it can do the job so quickly.

Chips – Grill v oven

TESCO chips take about 15 minutes to cook under the grill, costing 12.75p.

In the oven they will take about 20 minutes, costing 22.7p.

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Using an oven will cost almost 10p more to cook your chipsCredit: Getty

WINNER: The oven will cost almost 10p more to cook your chips, which would add up to £5.17 if done weekly throughout the course of the year.

Jacket potato – Oven v microwave

OVEN-baked potatoes can take up to an hour to soften, which would cost around 68p from October.

But microwaving one takes just ten minutes, and costs 5.7p.

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Save 62.3p by using the microwave, or £32.40 if you do this once a week throughout the yearCredit: Getty

Or you can use a slow cooker by pricking them, rubbing them in olive oil, seasoning them then wrapping in some foil.

Cook on high for four hours at 17p.

WINNER: You will save 62.3p by using the microwave, or £32.40 if you do this once a week throughout the year.

Bangers & mash – Air fryer & hob v oven & kettle

SAUSAGES take about half an hour to cook in an electric oven, costing about 34p, but in an air fryer they take half the time and cost 13.2p in electricity.

To make mash you will need to soften the potatoes.

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The air fryer and hob method will cost you 23.3p in energy, while using the oven and microwave is almost twice as pricey at 45.3pCredit: E+ – Getty

Heating a kettle full of water takes about three minutes and costs 5.1p.

Then, if you chop the spuds into chunks and boil them in a pan on a gas hob this takes around 15 minutes and costs about 5p.

It means the total for this method is 10.1p.

Some cooks prefer to soften potatoes in the microwave instead of boiling them before mashing.

Cooking four medium potatoes in the microwave will take about 20 minutes and cost around 11.3p, so slightly more than on the hob.

WINNER: The air fryer and hob method will cost you 23.3p in energy, while using the oven and microwave is almost twice as pricey at 45.3p.

You could save £11.44 by making this dish the cheaper way, if you cook it once a week over the course of the year.

Tips

WHEN using water to boil anything in a pan, only use as much water as is needed to cover the food you are cooking.