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1) Baking from scratch is more eco-friendly.
A large part of baking waste comes from boxed cakes, boxed cookies, etc., where all you usually have to do is add water, oil, and eggs. The box can be recycled, but the dry ingredients come in a plastic bag that is more difficult or impossible in many areas to recycle. A more eco-friendly option is to bake from scratch. When baking from scratch, the large packages of flour, sugar, baking soda, etc., all come in paper or cardboard options. Better yet, you can buy those ingredients in bulk using your own glass jars and skip the cardboard/paper packaging altogether.
2) Upgrade to environmentally friendly cupcake liners.
Cupcake liners are made from paper, so they are far from the worst thing to end up in our landfills. So if you want to stick with paper, a good alternative would be unbleached paper liners. If you’re looking for a re-usable option though silicone cupcake liners are the way to go or just oil the pan and skip the cupcake liner entirely.
3) Skip the parchment paper and opt for a greener option.
Swap out traditional parchment paper for reusable silicone baking sheets, however, if you’re not ready to make that swap think about switching to unbleached parchment paper.
4) If you need new baking pans, go green.
Traditional non-stick bakeware is coated in polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) (say that five times fast), aka Teflon. If you are in the market for new baking pans though, I would opt for an enamel bake set, ceramic, or silicone bakeware.
5) Go green by pre-heating your oven with intention.
We all do it; we set the oven to pre-heat way ahead of the time actually necessary for it to get to its set temperature. Then it just sits there using electricity and, in some cases, natural gas or propane as well. So this environmentally friendly baking tip is just a reminder to be mindful of the time it takes for the oven to pre-heat and to set it too far in advance. Not only are all three of these options environmentally friendly, they are also non-toxic. My personal go-to option and first choice is enamel because it is sturdy and incredibly durable. Whereas I tend to break dishes so ceramic isn’t the best choice for me and when it comes to silicone baking ‘pans’ I just prefer the feel of enamel and the storability of it.
6) Ever think about how vegan baking is greener?
Whether you’re vegan or not, baking dairy-free, as well as egg-free, is better for the environment. In addition to the plastic, styrofoam, cardboard, and wax paper packaging you’ll be avoiding by doing some vegan baking, it also means your goodies will be free from cholesterol. That’s a win-win if you ask me.
If you’re loving these environmentally friendly baking tips let us know by commenting below. Also, remember to share with us on social by tagging @Raepublic and #Raepublic!
