5 gadgets that will make your kitchen more energy efficient

REFRIGERATOR

Product: Samsung 253 L 4 Star Frost Free Double Door Refrigerator (RT28M3424S8/HL, Elegant Inox, Inverter Compressor)
Energy-efficiency rating: 4 stars
Amazon rating: 4.1 stars
Price: Rs 28,600 
Hot tip: This Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) 4-star rated, double-door fridge comes with a Stabiliser Free Operation, which ensures that the fridge works steadily and prevents electrical damage or shorting in case of voltage fluctuations. If there’s an increase, this system automatically cuts the power, making it the most energy-efficient product of its kind. 
User speak: “It has a good low-power operation, and it is silent and efficient. The fridge has a nice design—there are no fancy, useless options—and the LEDs used inside light up the fridge quite well. Its 4-star rating is justified.” — Jeba

BLENDER

Product: Black+Decker BXBL6002IN 600 Watt Hand Blender
Energy-efficiency rating: 4.3 stars
Amazon rating: 4.5 stars
Price: Rs 3,595 
Hot tip: Compared to most blenders in the market today that operate between 750-1,500 watts, this one proves to be green-efficient for its relatively low power consumption. 
User speak: “I love it because it’s so sleek, takes up less space and is stored in the cupboard. I use this to purée my baby’s food, our soup—literally anything. A website mentioned how it’s important that we should buy 600 watts and above and they were indeed right. After using many hand blenders, it is clear that the power makes the difference. It’s super quick and super easy to clean. I strongly recommend this product… it has been my best buy so far. Black and Decker is my trusted brand for home appliances.” — Gowri Nair

MICROWAVE

Product: IFB 30 L Convection Microwave Oven 
Energy-efficiency rating: 4 stars
Amazon rating: 3.9 stars
Price: Rs 17,290 
Hot tip: The BEE recently began to rate microwaves for their efficiency and found that this gizmo uses a mere 35 kWh of energy on standby over a 24-hour period, making it one of the greenest home appliances. 
User speak: “It is useful in cooking and reheating food as well as baking cakes, cookies and pizza. You can also grill/tandoor. It has a 30-litre capacity, which is more than enough for a family of four to six. Along with the oven, I also got some freebies such as a measuring jar, two bowls with lids, a papad stand and an idli maker, although they were not mentioned on Amazon when I purchased it.” — Dr H I

DISHWASHER

Product: Bosch 12 Place Settings Dishwasher (SMS66GW01I)
Energy-efficiency rating: 4.1 stars
Amazon rating: 3.9 stars
Price: Rs 39,000 
Hot tip: As per Energy Star, this appliance by Bosch is rated among the top three in the dishwasher category. 
User speak: “It cleans 99 per cent of utensils (except really burnt ones); even the milk vessel comes out completely clean if placed properly. It is great for cleaning chimney filters. It consumes about 4 litres of water in one stage—that’s about 12-16 litres for a full load, depending on the programme. We use the Eco+vario eco combination and the results have been exceptional (it uses about 0.76 units of electricity, which translates to Rs 5). We have put all sorts of utensils—aluminium, wood, plastic, disposable plastic, Teflon—and nothing has gone wrong while using this mode.” — Gopinath Patra

WATER FILTER

Product: Eureka Forbes Aquasure from Aquaguard Smart Plus 6-Litres RO+UV+MTDS Water Purifier
Energy-efficiency rating: 4.6 stars
Amazon rating: 4.1 stars
Price: Rs 10,999 
Hot tip: According to BEE, this water purifier— among the latest offerings in this segment—consumes a negligible 25 watts in the span of 24 hours, amounting up to a measly 1.25 units of electricity per day.
User speak: “It comes with all accessories, including an external ‘pre-filter’ and a connector, which connects to the kitchen-sink water line. Basically, you have to ensure that the water line has adequate pressure—you get 1litre from approximately 1.75-litre input. The connector has a stop switch to block the water input to the purifier. The filter also has an auto power off function to save energy. It is a silent performer.” — Binpalpez