You may or may not know this, but Ben Franklin wanted the turkey, not the bald eagle, to be our national bird. Imagine if Ben would have gotten his wish. In lieu of Franklin’s favored fowl, muskrats or magpies, perhaps, may have made their way into the traditional Thanksgiving throwdown. Who knows? But a few things are for certain. Without turkey there would be no epic tryptophan-induced Thanksgiving afternoon naps and the week following every third Thursday in November wouldn’t be filled with turkey leftovers galore.

But the traditional Thanksgiving feast isn’t solely about turkey. It’s about the other things we eat too, like cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, yams, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie to name a few. So as I was researching material for this article, I ran across a rather zany equation on how to calculate the number of hours you should spend cooking for Thanksgiving. Although not scientific, it really doesn’t matter the results, either way you or someone you know will spend an exorbitant number of hours in the kitchen this holiday season. With that being said, let’s explore a few ways to use your kitchen wisely and efficiently this time of year.

7 Ways to Be Kitchen Savvy this Holiday Season

1. Use the smallest pot or pan to complete your cooking requires less energy
2. Use lids on pots and pans. It can save you up to three times the energy used by an open one.
3. When possible, nuke your food. Microwaves use up to 75% less energy than your stove.
4. Keep refrigerator leftovers to a minimum. Cramming it full will limit the flow of cold air and will keep your fridge working overtime to stay cool.
5. If you feel compelled to rinse dirty dishes before loading your dishwasher, use cold water instead of hot water. However, most newer dishwasher can get the job done without rinsing.
6. Choose glass and ceramic pans. They heat up quicker than those made of metal.
7. Turn off your electric oven approximately 10 minutes prior to the end of cooking. The residual heat will continue to cook your meal.

For efficiency tips outside of the kitchen, click here.