TIPS TO MAKE YOUR LPG CYLINDER LAST LONGER

The West Asia war has trickled down to Indian homes in the form of an LPG crisis. With the LPG transit through the Strait of Hormuz - through which over 90% of India’s imports move- in limbo, the aftershocks of the instability in West Asia are rippling across geographical divides. Most of India’s LPG imports are used for cooking food for our 1.4 billion people.  The crisis has directly affected the easy availability of LPG cylinders, the lifeline of Indian kitchens.  

Against the backdrop of the deadlock in the Strait of Hormuz, the Indian government has increased the waiting period for LPG booking. The lock-in period has been increased to 25 days in urban areas and 45 days in rural areas from the date of last booking. 

What is LPG?

LPG stands for Liquified Petroleum Gas, a mixture of hydrocarbons, namely Propane and Butane. A widely useful fuel, LPG is prominently used for a variety of purposes from cooking to heating to industrial energy generation. A gas, LPG is converted to liquid through the application of pressure and then stored in cylinders. When the valve of the cylinder is opened, the liquid gets converted back to gas and then burns, serving as a highly efficient fuel.

With the crisis still unresolved,  it has become imperative for Indian households to extend the lifespan of LPG cylinders  as much as possible. It is important to note that LPG cylinders do not usually run out quickly on their own. Most of the loss comes from small, everyday habits that waste fuel without you noticing. The good part is you do not need major changes to fix it. A few smarter cooking practices and basic maintenance can make a real difference in how long your cylinder lasts.

There are steps that can be taken right from prepping ingredients to cooking to cleaning the stove and burner. Here, we will cover the A-Z of how to make your LPG cylinder last longer. Let’s dive into it:

I)Preparatory Stage:

• Clean vessels & burners well: As always, cleanliness comes to the rescue even in an LPG crisis. Clean vessels have untainted surfaces, sans any residue that can act as an insulator, choking off heat transfer. Unclogged burners also heat more efficiently, reducing fuel wastage.

• Prep food well in advance: Before lighting the stove, ensure that as far as possible, all the preparatory work is done. This includes everything from chopping vegetables, measuring ingredients and arranging utensils. This ensures that the flame does not go to waste.

• Soaking: Soaking softens food items and saves cooking time. Lentils and other such food grains can be ideally soaked before cooking, both to save fuel and make them more nutritious.

II) Cooking Stage:

• Cover utensils properly with lids: Covering pots and pans with lids traps heat inside and speeds up the cooking process, thus reducing LPG wastage.

• Avoid excess water: Use only optimum levels of water while cooking. The more the water content, the more time and gas it takes to bring it to a boil.

• Use a Pressure Cooker: A pressure cooker cuts down cooking time significantly, almost by 40%-70% . Therefore, it is also very energy efficient, relying on less LPG than other methods to get the same job done. It is highly suitable for cooking rice, lentils, stews and a variety of other food items. Since rice is our staple diet, a pressure cooker is a highly practical solution against the backdrop of the unfolding LPG crisis.

• Use flat, wide vessels: Wide-bottomed vessels allow less heat to escape due to their larger surface area. This in turn conserves more fuel.

III) Miscellaneous: 

• Check for leaks: Aside from wasting fuel, even a small gas leak is a safety hazard. Periodically check the hose and regulator for cracks or loose connections. If you ever smell gas when the stove is off, it needs immediate attention. 

• Check the color of the flame: A proper flame is steady and blue. Yellow or orange flames indicate inefficient combustion which means you are using more gas for less heat. Regular cleaning helps keep the stove prim and proper, turning flames blue and saving fuel.

Taken together, all these steps go a long way in extending the life of your LPG cylinder. In the end, saving LPG is less about strict rules and more about awareness. These steps help to buffer against the repercussions of the LPG crisis, gripping many parts of the world in a chokehold.