Americans waste a lot of food. This has an impact on your grocery bill as well as potentially affecting the planet. So here are some tips to cut down on food waste in your home.
1. List the leftovers. Put a magnetic pad on your refrigerator. When you put a leftover in, note the item, date, and, if you’re using opaque containers, note that too. (“Green beans, 2/16/10, cottage cheese container.”) The list will look right at you when you go to browse for your next meal or snack, even if the leftovers end up out of sight in the back of the fridge.
2. Freeze whatever you can. If you buy in bulk, buy those food items that can be frozen. Freeze refrigerated leftovers after 5 days.
3. Discover some creative uses for your leftovers. Shepherd’s pie, vegetable soup, and casseroles are just some of the creative ways you can use your leftovers. Whiz stale (but not moldy) bread in the blender to make bread crumbs, which you can freeze if you do not need them right away. Stale bread can also become homemade croutons or melba toast. Leftover meat can be incorporated into chicken salad or soups and stews.
4. Store refrigerated foods in the right places. The back of your refrigerator is colder than the front, and the door shelves are warmer still. Relegate dairy foods that are prone to spoilage to the back of the fridge, and keep items such as condiments and salad dressings toward the front or in the door.
5. When it’s too late, compost your spoiled food. Then you can use the compost to grow more fresh food!
6. Skip the fruit bowl whenever possible and refrigerate fresh fruits. Some foods, such as tomatoes, do not do well under refrigeration so they should be consumed within a few days of purchase. But apples, oranges, grapefruits, and lemons last much longer in the crisper drawer of your fridge.
7. Plan your grocery shopping and meals carefully to avoid waste. And don’t grocery shop when you’re hungry! Save your hunger for those leftovers.
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