10 Ways To Reduce Your Food Waste

1. Ascertain Your Fridge Temperature

This temperature should be between the range of 32F to 41 degrees Farenheit. Food goes bad much quicker in warmer conditions. This more so applies to milk.

2. Use Your Fridge In A Wise Manner

Not all foods need to be stored in the fridge. Some foods such as bananas, potatoes, pineapples, and onions are better off outside the fridge. Bread should be stored in cool and dark conditions such as in a cupboard or a bread bin.

3. Love Your List

Make sure that you stick to the shopping list that you come up with once you head out shopping. For simplicity, keep this list in the kitchen while adding items onto it. Make plans and shop with particular foods in mind.

4. Water Your Vegetables 

For your vegetables to stay crisp and fresh, make sure you water them. Let the stems be in the water. This goes for vegetables such as celery, broccoli, and asparagus.

5. Freeze Your 5-a-day…

Go ahead and freeze vegetables as well as fruits that you won’t be using anytime soon. Just freeze them. For vegetables and fruits that lose their texture once frozen, freezing them either stewed or pureed can help deal with this. The puree from tomatoes can be used for pizza or pasta dishes while that of strawberries can be used in smoothies. It can also be used in other fresh fruits as a sauce. Stewed apples can be used on your muesli or porridge. Additionally, stewed apples can be used as a fruit crumble’s base.

6. …and Freeze Leftovers

Lots of convenience meals and leftovers also freeze excellently. If you have prepared food such as rice or pasta with a sauce, you should freeze the sauce separately.

7. Make Adequate Estimates To Your Portions

Only cook food that’s enough for you to eat. This reduces wastage. Taking measurements does away with any guesswork. You’ll probably get the right portions through such measurements.

For a convenient guide to measuring portions, visit Love Food Hate Waste to obtain one.

8. Sauces And Dips

Sauces or dips can be made from plenty of leftovers. Mash or blend your leftover pulses or beans with a mix of some garlic, herbs and lemon juice. This results in a hummus-style dip. These leftovers can either be from a tin or that you have prepared. Unless you thoroughly rinse baked bean first, don’t try this with them. Avocados that are slightly overripe are ideal for guacamole. Peppers, cucumbers, and tomatoes that require to be put to use can come in handy when making home-made salsa.

9. Bring Foods back to Life

It’s possible to give fresh herbs a second lease of life by immersing them in icy water. Additionally you can try these tips for softening brown sugar among others. Not all food needs to be thrown away.       

10. Revive Past-it Bread

Put bread rolls in the oven when they are past their best. They’ll crisp up again once heated for a few minutes. Stale bread can also be made into breadcrumbs. You can mix them with onions and herbs using them as stuffing for top baked fish or chicken. Alternatively, you can freeze them for later. Bread loaves also freeze well. Put rolls or a loaf that’s from an in-store bakery into a freezer bag for freezing rather than doing so with the packaging it comes in.

11. Freeze Dairy Products

Whole milk is worse when it comes to freezing in comparison to skimmed or semi-skilled milk. A good shake comes in handy when it separates after defrosting. Cut hard cheese into smaller pieces for it to freeze well. You could also grate some of it for use later.