Are You Soooooo Green That You Turn Off The Oven Prematurely In Order To Make The Most Of Residual Heat?

Perhaps your grandparents did the same thing that the sage elder in my family did -- turn the oven off a good 15 minutes before things were thoroughly cooked.

This economical measure was generally practiced as a way to help stretch financial resources, but now, someone has given it a brand-spanking new name and tagged it as being an environmental measure.

The shiny verb, known in eco-circles as "HYPERCOOKING," revolves around making the most of the pre-existing ambient temperature in one's oven.

If you've cranked things up to 375 degrees and you're in the final stages of creating a toasty-good casserole, hypercooking proponents automatically hit the "off switch" and allow the residual heat to finish up the cooking process.

Have you tried this with any degree of success in your household? In my personal experience, it is a great technique to use for baked chicken breasts and muffins!  

Sometimes, I marvel at just how green I really am -- I've been hypercooking for years just because of the example that my cupcake-lovin' grandpa set for me!

Do you have any concerns about practicing hypercooking in light of the incessant food safety issues we've been having? (Personally, I definitely wouldn't do it with refrigerated cookie dough or beef.)

How much energy do think that all of us can really save by applying hypercooking techniques -- and do you believe that it is really worth it?