Unless baking cakes or cookies, there's no need to wait for the oven to fully preheat. Casseroles, meatloaf, and other dishes needing an hour or more of cook time can go in right away, and turning the oven off 10 minutes before the food is done lets residual heat finish the job.
Two Simple Energy-Saving Habits in the Kitchen
A couple of everyday kitchen habits that feel necessary usually aren't, and skipping them saves real energy without changing the results.
Skip Preheating for Long-Cook Dishes
Skip Pre-Rinsing Dishes
Modern dishwashers, especially any bought in the last 5 to 10 years, clean heavily soiled dishes just fine without a pre-rinse — scraping off food and emptying liquids is enough, saving time, water, and energy. Anyone who feels they must rinse first should use cold water.
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