From Kilowatts to Carrots: A Green Cooking Transformation

Nandini Mehta
Living with 4kW per day in 2023
2 min readOct 21, 2023

Living in a student hostel, I found myself facing a unique challenge. Every day, like clockwork, I had a routine — I’d cook my breakfast and snacks using an electric induction stove. My go-to dishes were Maggi and omelettes, but there was a catch: my cooking habits were burning through energy, or more specifically, 4 kilowatt-hours of it.

The turning point arrived when I stumbled upon the intriguing “4kW challenge.” This was my opportunity to make a change, to be more conscious of my energy consumption, and to do my bit for the environment. It was a challenge that called for innovation and creativity, and I was up for it.

So, I set out on a mission to transform my morning and snack routines. The idea was simple — swap the energy-hungry cooking process for something more sustainable. My goal was to significantly reduce my power consumption while still enjoying delicious and nutritious meals.

For breakfast, I bid farewell to my sizzling induction stove and embraced a new approach. Instead of cooking up a storm, I started my day with a selection of dry fruits, a handful of fresh fruits, and some crisp cucumber and carrots. Not only did this change save me time, but it also made my morning meals healthier and lighter on the environment.

Lunch and dinner remained the same in the hostel’s public mess, but it was in the smaller meals where I worked my energy-saving magic. Snacking was no longer synonymous with power-hungry cooking. I swapped the time-consuming Maggi for instant cup noodles and replaced omelettes with instant soup. All these required was hot water, which, thanks to the ever-flowing water filter, was available 24/7.

The transformation was remarkable. I felt lighter, not just because of the lighter meals but also because I knew I was doing my part to conserve energy. My power-hungry induction stove had taken a back seat, replaced by the simple process of heating water, and my energy consumption dropped significantly.

Every bite I took was a reminder of my commitment to the 4kW challenge. It was a journey that not only altered my daily life but also opened my eyes to the possibilities of reducing energy consumption through small changes in our habits. As I sat in my hostel room, sipping on instant soup and gazing out the window, I realized that sometimes, even the smallest changes can make the biggest impact.

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