Cookware safety often relates to factors in your control: the quality of the pots you buy, their care, and choosing the right pan for the job. A cast iron skillet browns meat beautifully, for instance, but reacts with certain acidic foods, such as tomatoes, altering the taste of ingredients. Knowing your cookware is your best bet for cooking well -- and safely.

Because it continually circulates heated air, thereby reducing cooking time, a convection uses 20 percent less energy on average than a conventional oven.

On average, each American uses a staggering 2,200 paper napkins a year, none of which are recycled. Why not reduce waste (and deforestation) by choosing cloth instead? You might even boost your mindful eating quotient: It's much easier to linger over dinner with the table set the old-fashioned way.

By eating locally, we could cut our carbon footprint (no long-haul trucking or air travel required), potentially support sustainable growing practices, and help out our own farming community. On a more basic level, food simply tastes better freshly picked.

A frequently recommended, nontoxic trick is to fill an aluminum pan (or one lined with aluminum foil) with hot water, add salt and baking soda, and stir to dissolve. When you add the silver pieces, a chemical reaction occurs, removing tarnish.

Paper towels cause waste -- even if you stick to the recycled brands. Microfiber towels grip dirt and dust like a magnet and don't let go. After use, toss the towels into the laundry and reuse over and over.

There are a few simple guidelines to follow to make microwave use safer, including avoiding certain plastics when reheating. Use the microwave infrequently, if at all. Cook and reheat foods on a conventional stove or in the oven.Microwave ovens do leak radiation, but at very low levels that the FDA and most scientists believe are harmless.

If you need to use plastic, learn a little food-storage know-how, so you can easily spot the best -- and the safest-plastic for the job.

For greasy pots and pans: Try scouring with salt. For burned saucepans: Fill the pan half full with water, spoon in baking soda, let it soak overnight, and bring to a boil. 

Heated plastic containers can break down and leach chemicals into food. Reusable glass ones with lids are safer for you and the planet. Use them to store leftovers or dry goods such as beans and rice.

Keep a pitcher of water in the fridge so you don't waste water waiting for the tap to run cold; kitchen faucets flow at an average rate of more than a gallon per minute.

As is, baking soda won't necessarily clear a pathway. It first needs to change its chemical composition. Don't worry, it sounds more complicated than it actually is. Boiling water converts baking soda to sodium carbonate, a more effective drain cleaner. Pour 1 cup of baking soda down the drain, followed by 3 cups of boiling water, and let science take over. It's a much safer choice than commercial drain cleaners, which can harm skin, eyes, lungs, and the water supply.

Use aluminum foil sparingly -- and reuse it before you recycle it. Stop wrapping leftovers in foil; store them in glass containers instead. The manufacture of new foil is energy intensive -- another reason to ration. Buy recycled foil, which is produced using 95 percent less energy.

Fill up your freezer, since the fuller it is, the less energy it uses to keep food frozen.

With all the concerns surrounding seafood, buying fish has become a navigational nightmare. But don't let fear or confusion scare you away. Before heading to the market, learn a few simple rules.

Refrigerators use more electricity than any other appliance. Older ones are worse, so give top priority to replacing a pre-1993 fridge.

Energy Star dishwashers can be more efficient than hand washing. Run full loads, air dry, and skip the prerinsing (most newer models don't need it).

Take a recycled pillowcase bag to the store or farmers' market and cut down on plastic

Give the oven (and the planet) a breather by making delicious no-cook meals.