How To Avoid Wasting Food – Before It Goes Off in Your Fridge!

Here’s some tips on how to avoid wasting food:

Vegetables

1.              Make left over mashed potato into patty shapes and cook them in butter for a quick “hash brown”.

2.              Trimmed ends of from onions, carrots, celery, capsicums can be kept in the freezer and when a reasonable amount is stored, place in a pot with water and make a vegetable soup or stock.

3.              If only using part of an onion or capsicum, chop up the remainder and store in the freezer and use next time you need diced onion or capsicum.

4.              Left over roasted vegetables can be turned into a soup buy adding stock and blending. Or alternatively add to a pan of butter and fry and just prior to the browning completed, add an egg – bubble and squeak – yum.

5.              When preparing pumpkin or squash, do not throw the seeds out. Rinse them and roast in the oven.

6.              Celery leaves can be added to soups, stews, casserole and meatloaf – great flavour boost.

7.              If tomatoes are just about to turn bad, dry them in the oven and store them in a little olive oil in the fridge.

8.              Vegetables such as peas, beans, corn, carrots, broccoli, sprouts, cauliflower and spinach can be blanched in hot water and placed in the freezer.

9.              Zucchini about to go off? Make zucchini bread or muffins and store in the freezer.

Fruit

1.     1. Berries, bananas, melons and mangoes make great smoothies in the fruit is about to go off.

2.     2. Fruit kebabs are a great treat for kids – fresh or barbecued.

3.     3. Too many apples – make an apple sauce or apple butter.

4.     4. Most fruit can be made into a fruit crumble. Assemble and bake it or prepare it, freeze it prior to baking.

Breads and Grains

1.              Make croutons for Caesar Salad from left over bread. Store in air tight container.

2.              Bread crumbs are best made with stale bread.

3.              Keep broken past in a container and add to a rice and vegetable bake.

4.              Left over rice can be added to oatmeal for breakfast.

5.              If the kids don’t like to the crusts on their sandwiches, save the crusts and turn into bread crumbs.

Meats

1.     Don’t throw out chicken, beef, lamb or pork bones. Boil them and make stock which can be frozen.

Dairy

1.     1. Lots of little bits of cheese and me added into a macaroni and cheese dish.

2.     2. If eggs have been kept a while, freeze them by beating the eggs and pour into an ice cream tray.

3.     3. Too much milk and unable to drink it – freeze it.

Herbs

1.     1. Chop herbs and place in an ice cube tray with a little water. To be used in cooking, not to be used in a salad.

2.     2. Herbs can be frozen. Some will turn black, however the flavour is the same.

3.     3. Make pesto with left over basil.

4.     4.  Dry herbs by hanging them by their stems in a cool dry location. When dry, remove from stems and store in airtight containers.

Don’t Waste Anything

1.              Left over coffee in the pot? Freeze it in ice cube trays. Cubes can be used for iced coffee or to cool down too-hot coffee. You can do the same with leftover tea.

2.              Left over wine? Use it to de-glaze pans to add flavour to whatever you are cooking.

3.              Left over stock or broth can be placed in ice cube trays and frozen.

4.              Left over tomato paste can be placed in ice cube trays and frozen.

5.              With a little bit of honey in the bottom of the jar add a squeeze of lemon juice and swish it around. Lemon juice will loosen the honey and it will make a great cup of tea.

Not only will these tips help reduce you food waste, there is a big saving in food bills.

Extracts from Planet Green