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Metal utensils heat rapidly. Foods will cook more quickly if the pan is covered. If the heat is turned off a few minutes before the food is completely cooked, heat retained in a covered pan will finish te cooking. The retained heat on an oven will also continue baking if the oven is turned off a few minutes before the end of the cooking period.

Some glass cookware is made of heat resistant materials that can go from the refrigerator to hot oven or microwave. These should not be used, however, on rangetop burners or under the broiler. They make excellent ovenware and casserole utensils because they hold heat for a long time after being removed from the oven.

Glass-ceramic utensils are yet another family of specialty-glass cookware. They resist thermal shock breakage to a much greater degree than heat-resistant glass and can go directly from the freezer to the rangetop of broiler or in the conventional or microwave oven.

Cooking utensils should fit the surface-heating unit on electric ranges. On gas ranges, the flame should not extend beyond the bottom of the pan.

Select the right pan size for the amount of food to be prepared. A too-large pan would require more heat than necessary than a smaller pan.

Use a minimum amount of liquid or fat to shorten cooking time. Low heat and snug-fitting covers make 'minimum moisture' cooking possible and help seal in food flavor and nutrients.

Certain styles of cookware featuring covers with flat tops and side handles allow for stack cooking of entire meals on a single range unit.

Reheat leftovers or breads in a covered pan or skillet on the top of the range rather then in the over to minimize moisture loss and use less energy.

Use the oven for preparing the entire meal. Select meats, vegetables and deserts that require similar baking times and temperature. Follow the manufacturer's for using cookware in the oven.

A pressure cooker prepares long-cooking foods such as meats, poultry, dried fruits much more quickly than they can be cooked in conventional utensils.

Color exterior finishes on bakeware allow for baking at 25 degrees F or 14 degrees C lower than plain-finished utensils. Colored finishes, whether porcelain enamel, silicone or organic resin, increase heat absorption and heat retention.

Utensils should be preheated only when recommended and then only for the shortest time possible. Metal utensils will preheat rapidly in conventional cooking.

Portable electric appliances such as skillets, slow cookers and broilers may use less energy than an electric range unit.

Double or triple recipes to freeze for later use. Thaw frozen foods before cooking or heating unless package or recipes instructions specify otherwise.

Exerpeted from: Cookware and Bakeware, Cookware Manufacturers Guide (www.cookware,org)

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