The government shocked everyone with its new economic policies last Friday. A hike in Diesel prices, going forward with FDI in Retail/Aviation, and restrictions on subsidized LPG are the 3 hallmarks of this new policy. Though these sudden changes seem like a desperate attempt to take the media attention away from Coalgate, the fact is that we may have to live with these changes from now onwards. Even if the cap on sibsidized LPG is partially rolled-back (as media predicts), we should still learn to control our LPG usage, for our own pockets if not for the environment!

How To Save on LPG 

1. Use the Pressure Cooker. Try to cook your rice, sabzis, dals etc in your pressure cooker as it saves on time and gas consumed. It also maintains the flavour and nutrients in your food.

2. Have everything ready, chopped and prepared when you turn on the gas. Ideally, you should not be reducing heat to do your chopping etc as it wastes precious LPG!

3. Invest in flat bottomed pans and utensils. We waste more LPG when we cook in curved bottomed utensils like the Karahi. Flat bottomed pans make optimum use of the heat and thus use less gas.

4. Convince your family to eat together. If you keep making chapatis and parathas for everyone at their chosen time (or heat the vegetables again and again), you will waste a lot of gas. So finish all your cooking in one go and eat together as a family.

5. Choose utensils according to the amount of food you will be cooking. Using too big vessals for too less food causes big wastage of LPG.

6. When cooking in a Karahi or a Pateela, keep the lid on to minimise cooking time and save gas.

7. Remember to switch off the regulator after each use. This prevents leakage and also keeps your family safe.