Food waste is the enemy of kitchens all around the world. As a person who loves cooking, throwing away perfectly good food never feels good. However, almost half of all families in the US are guilty of tossing away extra ingredients and leftovers.

Make use of all of your ingredients in your kitchen today by using these tips that’ll help you waste less food in your kitchen.

 

Follow The Recipe

Buying ingredients in bulk may seem tempting, but try your best not to do that on your next trip to the grocery store. Overbuying ingredients and simply winging them in the kitchen is probably why your food waste is so high.

Plan out your meals and read the full recipe so that you know just how much food you need to buy for the week. Prepping your ingredients and storing them aside will also help you put out ingredients and keep things in order.

 

Maximize Your Scraps

Scraps from fish, chicken bones, and beef bones can still be used in soups and stocks. Tossing them aside is a waste of good flavor and ingredients.

Repurposing your ingredients and making the most out of them will help you reduce your food waste by a ton. If you don’t necessarily need the stock right now, you can freeze it and use it for later recipes. Homemade stock is way more flavorful than the ones you buy in cartons too, so this is a win-win no matter how you look at it.

 

Always Use The Right Tool For The Job

Spillage and accidents in the kitchen often occur when you don’t use the right equipment for the food you’re making. Food can spill over if your pot is too small, and food gets easily burnt if your pan is too big. Whether it be using pots and pans that are too small or too big, not using the right equipment can lead to a lot of food waste in the long run.

Always use the appropriate equipment; kitchen tools are a great long-term investment if you look at the bigger picture.

 

Blend Them Up

If you bought too much fruit in your recent grocery run, don’t just wait for them to rot and then toss them aside.

Chop your excess fruits, put them in the freezer, and blend them to make smoothies. Not only are these delicious, but making smoothies out of your excess fruits is also an incredibly healthy alternative if you want a sweet drink.

 

Pack Your Meat Up

After a quick grocery run, toss the meat that you aren’t going to be cooking right away into the freezer. Flash frozen meat can last you quite a long time and also ensures that you still get great quality meat to have with your kids during barbecue nights.

For the meat you’re going to be cooking, quickly thawing only the meat you’re going to cook can help you reduce or even outright eliminate any meat waste in your kitchen.

 

Saving Up On Oil

You don’t have to bring out the oil every time you need to saute your ingredients. You can use leftover fats or oils from your meat to cook your saute, your vegetables, or mirepoix. Using leftover fat in your recipes might even help elevate the flavor of your dish by adding an extra depth through the beef tallow.

 

Reducing your food waste as much as possible can be your way of helping save the environment. Did we miss anything? Tell us your tips to vastly reduce food waste in your kitchen below!