Great Tools for Reducing Food Waste
We’ve talked a lot about ways to reduce food waste, from menu planning, creative uses of leftovers, and making good use of the freezer. But with ongoing reports that most people in the developed world still wasting astonishing amounts of food, especially fresh food, it never hurts to revisit this area. There are several tools and appliances that I use to help me cut down on food waste, which is interesting, because generally, I have a fairly minimalist kitchen. Here are my favorites:
–The crockpot — the crockpot is great for using up bits of leftovers, the remnants of the vegetable crisper drawer and aging fruits. Two of my favorite recipes that use up leftovers are clean the fridge soup, and autumn harvest stew. Tomorrow for dinner, I will make a version of the harvest stew using dinner leftovers from the last 3 days, including mashed acorn squash (provides a nice thickness to the stew), the last of the carrots and tomato in the veggie bin, leftover pork from country style ribs, and tomato paste that I froze in the ice cube tray. I will also boil down the bones from the oven fried chicken we had for dinner tonight to make a nice stock to start with.
–An immersion blender — since I am usually cooking for only 2-3 persons, my immersion blender doubles as a blender and food processor for small chopping jobs. It’s great for pureeing soups, and vegetables into sauces. I also use the immersion blender to make smoothies of leftover fruit.
–Freezer bags — I like using freezer bags to store leftovers in the freezer, lying them flat so they take up minimal space. Be sure to mark the exterior of the bag with the contents and date it so you don’t have mystery bags lurking.
–Google search for recipes — I enjoy learning about new ingredients and testing new recipes. Since boredom of eating the same thing over and over is a big enemy of reducing food waste, finding recipes that have creative ways to incorporate my existing ingredients has really helped me to use up leftovers, and in meal planning in general. To ensure new recipes are not inadvertently adding to a waste problem, I like to read the hints and suggestions from other people who have tested a recipe and will look to make substitutions, especially for exotic ingredients or very expensive spices.
I would love to hear of tools you use to cut down on food waste.
shared at Frugal Friday and Food Renegade
Interesting article. Thanks for sharing!
I love my FoodSaver for freezing leftovers. I would rather freeze my leftovers and eat them a month later than feeling like I have to eat something 2 or 3 days in a row to finish it off, or worse… throwing it out cause I didn’t want to eat it again right away.
Cheryl, thanks
Flicka, good point on the freezing. I tend not to want the same thing 2 or 3 days in a row.
Recently I bought a dehydrator and have used it to dry celery and jalapenos that were going soft.
When I made salsa I threw them in the blender and it tasted great.
I do need to get more creative with leftovers as we tend to get tired of eating the same thing over and over and over again!
johnlyn, I haven’t tried a dehydrator yet, although I recently had some zucchini chips that a friend dehydrated that were great. I also like to morph leftovers so they seem different from the original food, I get bored easily, too!
hello,
I hate eating the same meal twice and up until two months ago i didn’t have a freezer.
So I try and make less food, or let’s say just the right amount. I also hate the idea of not having enough to eat, cf my nickname, so I make sure there are some nuts, yogurt or cheese to fill up any leftover holes…
As for fresh foods, well not being able to and not knowing how to preserve I try to go to the market often and not get to much, just enough for the next couple meals.
I too have learned to love my immersion blender – there are so many wonderful ways to use it! I freeze lots of fruits and cooked veggies that I can pop into soups and smoothies and all sorts of savory dishes.
alwayshungry, I used to do almost exactly what you’ve outlined, but found that I was eating too much yogurt, cheese and nuts. So now, (although I still keep yogurt and nuts around in small quantities), I aim to have some leftovers for select meals and work on morphing the food so it seems different on day two.
Christy, yup, soup and smoothies.