Last week at uni we talked about food waste. The state of our supermarkets over the last couple of weeks was brought up with the lecturer thinking with the restrictions in ports that the public would become less wasteful with their food. An argument then arose about the hoarding situation and the back of that, the amount of food that is being wasted.
I thought off the back of that, if you did hoard a couple of weeks ago and are now starting to have spoiled food, or if you are just sick of spending so much on food for it to be thrown away, that you may want ways to preserve food for longer and some recipes for foods not quite ready to be thrown.
N.B. I am not condoning eating off food, the ingredients being used shouldn’t have spoiled in any way.
How to stop wasting food
Buy only what you need
Before leaving for the shops make a list of all the meals you want for the week, including snacks, then compile all the ingredients you need for the meals. Then go through your food stock and cross off anything that you already have. You are now left with your shopping list!
Buy for the house
If you live in a house share like I do, instead of buying 4 different bottles of milk buy a bigger bottle and share between the household. This also works for bread and spinach and other foods that spoil quickly.
Buy frozen foods
I go through fruit and veg like no tomorrow, but if you are unlike me then frozen fruit and veg may be best. Frozen is just as nutritious as fresh but you are a little limited on choice. Another easy step if you do prefer more choice is to freeze any fruit or vegetables when they’re in the peak condition. How you freeze it does depend on the fruit or vegetables, any pit in fruit should be removed before freezing.
Remove wrap
First thing you need to do when you get in from the shops is take all the plastic wrap from the fruit and vegetables. If you can buy your fruit or veg loose that’s even better for the environment. The plastic wrap traps the moisture and increases the speed of decomposition, especially with fruit and vegetables with higher water content like spinach.
When it comes to loose-leaf vegetables like kale and spinach, take the vegetables out of the bag and place in a tupperware container lined with kitchen roll. If you are being environmentally friendly you can use kitchen towels.
Separate certain foods
Low water content foods (like potatoes and carrots) belong in cupboards and other dark places whilst foods with his water content belong in the fridge. Within those categories you can further compartmentalise, such as separating onions and potatoes
Here’s a link describing the foods that should be stored alone, those that can mix and those that should never be together.
Cut the manky bits off
Okay, so this is from growing up watching the scene in Bridget Jones where Renee is cutting the mold off her cheese. I’m not saying going this far but why throw away a whole potato or carrot when only a small part has gone black? Obviously ensure you’re not adding anything which is funky in colour to your cooking, and if it does smell bad then don’t use it.
Get a compost bin
If your fruit and veggies have spoiled add them to a compost bin. Services are limited at the moment but there is no harm in having the bin under the sink and out of the way. Once everything is back up in action you can take it to your county’s facilities.
Recipes
The worst comes to the worst: your spinach is starting to go limp (but isn’t sweating), there isn’t any room in the freezer and your milk is 2 days from the expiry date. What do you do? Well, here are a few things that you can do
Omelettes
Omelettes are perfect for any vegetables that are at their best (or on their way out). From spinach and mushrooms, ham and tomatoes to peppers and cheese.
Sauces
If you have read my blogs before you may know my boyfriend has the palette of a 5-year-old. He won’t eat tomatoes or mushrooms or carrots… or so he thinks. Any vegetables that need to be used up I love to stick into sauces. I’ve gone as far as hiding celery in bolognese sauces before. The secret is to blend the vegetable concoction and no one, not even your picky boyfriend, would know the wiser.
Smoothies
From fruit, to browning bananas, to spinach to milk. Anything can go into a smoothie. As long as you make sure your main ingredient is strong then you should be able to add anything extra. Worst case scenario add a dash of cinnamon and voila! A lovely smoothie. (Make sure you add only a dash of cinnamon as you could end up with the dip-like concoction I made this week!)
Cakes
Everyone is going mad for banana bread at the moment, to the point there was a shortage of flour in some shops. Although bananas are great, you can make other things. In the last couple of weeks I’ve made carrot cake, apple cake and upside down cake with some ripe pears. Most fruits (and veggies) can be made into a bread or cake so just try searching up some recipes!
When to throw it in the bin
There is a lot of dispute about the best by date and whether it should be used or ignored. There are some things you can take liberties on, others you cannot. When it comes to meat, especially chicken and pork please follow the label. If food has changed colour, chicken or mince has gone grey, please do not eat it. The same goes for if the meat (or any other food) has a foul smell. If you’re pulling back, puckering your nose or gagging when you smell it they are all signs you should chuck it out. Here’s a link to Public Health England on all the food safety steps you should take at home.
I hope this has helped all of you out in some way or other. Stay home and stay safe.
Nutrition by Georgie 