Keep electric and gas burners clean. Clean burners reflect heat better and work more efficiently. Turn off electric burners two to three minutes before cooking is done and let residual heat take care of the rest. Use a pot or pan that fits the burner. The correct size pot or pan will distribute heat more efficiently, and less heat will be lost into the air. If your stove has radiant or halogen burners, always have a pot or pan on the burner when you turn it on to allow the pot and burner to heat at the same time. A cold pot coming in contact with a hot burner could cause a crack in the stove.