Food is one of our basic necessities. Valuable as this resource it, it can spoil rather quickly; wastage of food affects not only our pocket, but also has a detrimental impact on the environment. However, by adopting simple changes such as those listed below you can successfully curb food wastage. Have a look.
Once in a week you can use all your left over food items such as left over onion or carrot pieces, chicken cubes etc into recopies that require lots of ingredients like casseroles, soups, stews and frittatas. You can utilize your about to age fruits and vegetables to make delicious smoothies or breads and sauces. This way you will enjoy a mouth watering meal and at the same time avoid wastage of food.
You should prefer making many trips to shop for fruits and vegetables instead of making one single market visit. This way you can have fresh produce, and avoid keeping perishable food items for long.
It’s very important to make your meal plans and stick to them. Whenever you are about to buy your vegetables and fruits, keep in mind the menu plan for that week and then buy accordingly. It is advisable to use more likely to spoil eatable earlier during the week. The leftovers can be used at weekends.
Although there are date warnings prescribed with each food item such as “Sell by” or “Use by” the food items can still be used for a couple of days after the date prescribed. While “use by” refers to the dates when the food is freshest and can sometimes be used for several days, even after a week after the “use by” date. The date basically refers to the top quality of the food.
It is equally important to clean your refrigerator. Once in a week you should see to it that there are no more leftovers, half-eaten products and older ingredients inside. While preparing the food you should try to note down the ingredients to be used next for the upcoming day and this helps in proper utilization of your food items.
You can freeze and then thaw the leftovers that are not going to be used soon. They can be stored inside eco friendly containers and used for many days to enhance the taste of various dishes.
Summary
An effective prevention of food waste demands you to be alert about the things that are tossed by you and also to think of various ways in which you can deliciously utilize your scrap. This will not only save money but also help in the preservation of our natural resources.