Cost of living: Here's how much different ways of cooking cost and how you can save £600 in the kitchen

As the UK anticipates one of the most expensive winters in its history, Utilita and Iceland have come up with a ‘Shop Smart, Cook Savvy’ collaboration to help families better understand the cost of cooking, and identify the most economical cooking methods available to them to make budgets stretch further.

As part of the campaign, both brands have committed to 11 pro-consumer, pro-planet pledges, including a massive overhaul of Iceland’s own-product packaging to show shoppers more energy efficient cooking appliances and methods.

Both are selling a 4.5 litre air fryer at a discounted price as they say using it will work out cheaper than cooking with an oven.

Bill Bullen, Utilita founder and CEO, said: “For as long as we can remember, our kitchens have been designed around the oven being the main cooking method, which isn’t the case for many households today.

“Much more economical cooking appliances such as air fryers, slow cookers and microwaves have become increasingly more popular. However, the cooking instructions on food packets haven’t reflected this.

“Utilita and Iceland are closely aligned in our mission to help households make their money go further.

“This unique partnership will hopefully urge other supermarkets to do the same and help consumers choose the most economical cooking methods.”

As part of the campaign, Iceland and Utilita released date that shows how much each electrical appliance in the kitchen costs a household per year:

Electric cooker - £335.57

Dual cooker - £278.04

Gas cooker - £121.06

Slow cooker - £63.35

Air fryer - £55.91

Microwave - £31.83

Richard Walker, Iceland’s managing director, said: “The cost of living crisis continues to be the biggest national issue facing consumers and as a private, family-run business, we’re constantly looking at both short, and long term initiatives that can offer any support.”

As part of Utilita’s national education programme, people will be invited to take part in thousands of free workshops to learn how to cut energy bills. These will include using more energy efficient appliances, batch cooking, using the right size pan with a lid, simmer rather than boil and not overfilling the kettle.

Archie Lasseter, Utilita’s sustainability lead, added: “It’s vital that consumers are given the facts they need in order to use less energy in the interest of the pocket and the planet.”

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