Going zero waste: 7 ways to reuse your food scraps
“One man's trash is another man's treasure, and the by-product from one food can be perfect for making another.”
Can you guess who said that? No, it’s not Marilyn Monroe. No, it’s not my mother either (although she’ll claim it was). It’s the one, the only, Yotam Ottolenghi. Not only does he make delicious pomegranate-packed salads, but he’s a master at reducing waste in the kitchen.
Inspired by Ottolenghi, here’s a roundup of some of the best zero-waste hacks the Internet has to offer. Because one third (1.3 billion tonnes) of all food produced globally is wasted. That’s spilt milk worth crying over.
This **** is bananas
Bananas gone to brown town? If you’ve already made enough banana bread this past year to start a small bakery, pop them in the freezer for future smoothies instead. Just remember to take the peel off before you freeze them. Speaking from (lots of) experience.
Herb-alicious, so delicious
Sometimes, the planets align and we manage to buy the perfect amount of rosemary for that stew, or sage for that pasta. But 99% of the time, we buy enough to feed a baby elephant. Freeze your extra herbs that are about to expire in olive oil or butter, in your ice tray. Then next time you heat up the pan, toss one in for zero effort flavour.
Wine and dine, then wine some more
Found some leftover Pinot Noir from the weekend? Well, there’s a sentence I’ve never said before. If you’ve experienced this phenomenon of not finishing a bottle, let me know you exist in the comments below! Freeze your leftover wine for ice cubes that’ll never dilute your drink. You can also use it as cooking wine or turn it into red wine vinegar.
In a pickle with veggie scraps?
Broccoli stems can be used for pesto, potato peels for chips, seeds can be potted. Make fried rice with leftover corn, carrot, and peas. Pickle your cucumbers and onions. You can even use scraps for non food-related ventures, like using beets for food dye or cucumber peels as ant repellant. When in doubt, turn all your scraps into stock. Yum!
The almost forbidden fruit / Time to give a fig
Almost expired fruit can be thrown into a water pitcher for your very own fancy infused water, minus the price tag. Scraps and peels can be blended into jam. Strawberries can help whiten teeth (apparently!). If you’ve tried and tested it, let us know in the comments below!
Turn spoils into soils
If you’re struggling to repurpose your scraps, there’s only one thing left to do to stop them from ending up in landfill: call in the compost fairies. Composting decomposes your food scraps and turns them into delicious plant food. You can even do it in your apartment.
What are some ways you’ve been saving your scraps? Share your ideas in the comments below. And if you’re Yotam Ottolenghi reading this, hi! Love your work!
