Unforgettable waste-reducing cooking tips
Reduce, reuse, recycle: these expert tips will help you find new ways to cut waste in the kitchen.
Regrow veggies
Strange but true: spring onions will regrow from their white ends. Just put them in a glass of water and let them get some sunlight. You can snip the green ends every few days for practically endless seasoning.
Say "cheese" to milk
If it’s can be hard to finish your milk before it expires, but don’t wait for it to curdle. Instead, set some aside and make cottage cheese.
Reuse your daily grind
Used coffee grounds can keep ants away. Plus, they can get rid of odours, stimulate your potted plants, and more, which makes them worth holding onto.
Put peels out for pests
Orange peels can actually be put to good use, especially if it’s summer. Insects such as mosquitoes and ants will stay away if you grind the up, and they can get rid of musty smells.
Bake bruised fruit
Overripe, very dark bananas make for flavourful banana bread. Instead of throwing them out, bake them into a great dessert. Reducing and recycling your food can even save you money.
Give stale snacks some bite
There’s no need to toss old chips. Stale snacks can be crisped up in the microwave – just put them on a microwave-safe plate and nuke on full power for 10 seconds.
Crisp up your crusts
You can make leftover pizza crust crispy again, but don’t use the microwave. Instead, put your slices on a skillet for 4-5 minutes on medium heat – make a rounded lid out of aluminium foil to make sure the toppings get toasty, too.
Cool down with an ice ‘pop’
Flat soft-drinks aren’t so great to drink, but they can make for a tasty treat with a little patience. Pour some in an ice cube tray, stick toothpicks in each space, and enjoy your treats after they freeze.
Rethink yesterday's loaf
Don’t waste old, dry bread. As long as it won’t chip a tooth, you can chop it up, sauté it with spices, and make croutons for salads or soup.
Liquor? Now, thicker
You can kick up the quality of vodka with a simple water filter. It won’t completely transform what you have in the cabinet, but filtering can make less expensive brands taste better.
Look twice at rice
Think before pitching rice if it’s been sitting in your cupboard for a few months. It can be used to dry electronics if you get them wet – just put the device in a bowl of the dry grains for 24 hours.
Banish sponge bacteria
Your old sponge might look like it belongs in the bin, but two minutes in the microwave will kill as much as 99.9 per cent of the bacteria on it, making it good as new. Be sure to get it wet first.
Celery care 101
Celery is all about crispness, so when it starts to go soft, you may as well throw it out. Right? Not necessarily. Try this first: put limp stalks in a bowl of cold water with a few slices of raw potato. After an hour or so in this starchy bath, the stalks may deliver the crunch you expect.
And while even crisp celery may turn brown, you can stop browning before it starts. Before storing the stalks in the fridge, soak them for 30 minutes in 1 litre cold water mixed with 1 teaspoon lemon juice – a trick that will also crisp celery just before it’s served.
Get the most out of a lemon
When a recipe calls for a few drops of lemon, don’t slice the lemon and squeeze. Simply puncture the rind with a toothpick and gently squeeze out the small amount of juice you need. Then cover the hole with a piece of tape and store the lemon in the fridge for later use. Waste not, want not!
Oiled eggs
Prolong the life of fresh eggs by dipping a paper towel into vegetable oil and rubbing the shells before storing the eggs in the fridge. The oil will keep the eggs fresh for an additional three to four weeks.
A surplus of spuds?
If you find you’ve peeled too many potatoes for a potato salad or casserole, don’t toss the uncooked extras. Put them in a bowl, cover with cold water, and add a few drops of vinegar. Now they will keep in the fridge for three to four days.
Brown-bag your lettuce
Lettuce will keep longer if you transfer it from a plastic bag to a roomier paper bag before storing it in the refrigerator. Lettuce likes a little air, but don’t think that calls for removing the limp and discoloured outermost leaves; they may not be pretty, but these leaves help keep the inner leaves crisper.
Last stop? Compost
When all else fails, composting your old fruits and veggies can help optimise the fertilizer you use for your garden. If you’re going to toss them anyway, put them to good use.
Written by Damon Beres. This article first appeared on Reader’s Digest. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, here’s our best subscription offer.