Simple Ways To Reduce Food Wastage At Home!

13 May 2013 12 Comments

by Nikki in Fabulous Food, Healthy Habits Tags: , , ,

Groceries take up a large portion of any families budget. Food wastage is just the same as throwing your hard earned cash straight into the rubbish bin!

With these clever tips, you can reduce the amount of food that goes into the bin every week.

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  • Line the vegetable crisper in your fridge with paper towel. This will help to absorb some of the moisture that builds up, helping to keep things fresher longer. Change it every month.
  • If your salad greens are looking a little whilted, soak them in ice water for a few minutes and they will crisp up again, just make sure you use them that day.
  • Store celery in your fridge, wrapped in aluminium foil and it will stay crisp for days.
  • Cooked too much pasta or rice, freeze for future use. Defrost overnight in the fridge and gently heat in the microwave and it will be just like freshly cooked.
  • Store your potatoes and onions in the crisper, not in the pantry. They last for weeks without going soft.
  • Store opened jars of tomato paste, taco sauce etc, upside down in the fridge. This creates an airlock and avoids mould growing on the top.
  • Butter freezes really well, cut a block into 125gm size pieces and individually wrap and freeze. Then simply place in the fridge overnight to defrost.
  • Buying a large bag of grated cheese is more economical than a small bag. Simply store the bag in the freezer once you have opened it.
  • Honey will crystalize over time, but a quick zap in the microwave will have it looking normal again.
  • Store flour in the freezer. It not only stops it from being infested, but stays fresh. Before baking you must allow the flour to come to room temperature.
  • Only need a little bit of cream, freeze the rest in an icecube tray, use the cubes to add to sauces or soups.
  • Buy a bunch of fresh herbs, and only need to use a little. Chop the leftovers and freeze in a little water in icecube trays, again just pop a cube in a casserole.
  • Coconut cream and milk freezes really well. If I don’t need to use a whole can, I freeze the leftovers in a small tupperware snack container.
  • Bacon and ham freeze very well, if you buy too much, put the left overs into small portion snap lock bags for future use.

Just put a few of these idea’s to good use, and you can dramatically reduce the amount of food that ends up in the bin.

Do you throw out a lot, or have you got some other clever ways to reduce wastage?

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