5 Ways to Reduce Food Waste
In this month's issue
Make your weekly shop go further with these simple strategies.
Australian households throw away an estimated $7.8 billion or 41 million tonnes of food every year. Not only is does this hurt our wallets, but it's environmentally wasteful as well. In order to reduce or avoid waste try these tips:
1. Identify where the most wastage occurs in your household and then figure out some ways to reduce that waste through better planning and also by rescuing the food where possible. For example, if it is the end of bread loaves you usually biff, try freezing slices when it's fresh; making it into breadcrumbs or toasted croutons; or using it up in dishes such as panzanella salad or bread and butter pudding. Produce is a common area of wastage. If this is an issue for you, see the tips below on saving leftovers and plan to make a weekly dish that can accommodate any extras.
2. Plan your meals for the week and grocery shopping each week. Making a regular habit of sitting to plan your meals for the week not only reduces waste but saves you money on your grocery bills and time when shopping and deciding what to make. As you plan, think about meals that lend themselves naturally to dinner the following night. For example, make an extra large braise one night and then the next night use the leftovers to bake a pie or cook risotto and have arancini for lunch the next day.
3. Save food rather than chucking it out by freezing leftovers or using them up in new dishes. Fruit that's about to turn can be cut up and frozen in zip-lock bags and used to make morning smoothies. Herbs going limp can also be rescued this way; chop them up, add them to an ice-cube tray with just enough water to freeze, and then store the herb ice cubes in bags to pop into dishes for extra flavour. Dishes that lend themselves nicely to using up leftovers include soups, fried rice, paella, omelettes, pizza, pies, and even salads if you get a bit creative.
4. Store food properly to avoid unnecessarily spoilage. Check that the seals on your fridge are solid and check the temperature of your fridge and freezer too. Food needs to be stored between 1 and 5 degrees Celsius for maximum freshness and longevity. The temperature of your refrigerator should be 4C or below and the freezer at -17C or below. Freeze or refrigerate perishable food within two hours or one hour if the temperature is over 30C. A general guideline is to eat leftovers within four days.
5. Organise your fridge and freezer better so things get eaten faster. When your fridge is bursting to the gills you risk wasting food simply because you forget it's there or its buried in the crisper. Put newer food at the back and rotate foods periodically, so they're more likely to grab attention and get eaten. Labeling things clearly will also help, particularly when it comes to frozen food, which should also always be marked with the date it was frozen.
Taste.com.au - October 2012