Strategies to lessen food waste

[Anonymous]

What are some tips that people have to lessen the amount of food you throw out? I recent article in the NYT pointed out that household food waste is a huge contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. I really didn't know that.

So I'd like to do better with this and I'm looking for ways to start.

[Anonymous]

First, make a Meal plan for the week and buy only the ingredients you need
Second, about once a week look through your fridge and plan a meal around ‘what’s uncooked in your fridge’
Third, make one meal a ‘leftover buffet’
Fourth, freeze leftovers and repurpose them (eg. leftover chicken goes into chicken soup, leftover spareribs and gravy becomes French onion soup etc.)
Fifth, Buy less food

[Anonymous]

I don’t meal plan but I’ve achieved less food waste by doing the following:

Instead of big grocery runs, I will pop to the shop 2-3 times a week and buy a few things at a time. We eat a lot less than I realized.

I started composting.

Doing much better with this now.

[Anonymous]

It does take a bit of planning, but not necessarily all out meal planning. Just be mindful of what items you have already, and Build your menu around the items you actually have in the fridge.

To reduce waste, we eat leftovers the next day, and freeze some cooked portions to eat later (I have some cooked frozen chicken breast that I could use in soup). Buy less quantities of items that spoil.

[Anonymous]

Leftovers are the key obviously. I find that a fun challenge to use them up. In a different meal, a lunch, or a leftover buffet meal. I think only going to the store once a week helps too. Once the berries are gone, kids are eating apples because that is what we have.

[Anonymous]

Simple, but only buy food you are actually going to eat. That means either you have a specific plan for it or it is something you or people in your household truly enjoy. Ideally both.

If you don't really like broccoli all that much AND you don't have a specific night this week when you plan to use broccoli, then it will end up soggy and thrown out in a week. I really like broccoli, so even if I don't have a specific meal in mind I am happy to roast some as a side for any dinner or wfh lunch. I don't buy green beans because I never open the fridge, see them, and think "wow I'd love green beans right now!"


And keeping veggie scraps in a bag in the freezer to make broth (carrot shreds, onion skins, celery stalks, etc).

[Anonymous]

With any leftover vegetables, I make a big pan of assorted roasted veg. These can be frozen in your choice of serving size. I will use here veggies in a quiche, scrambled eggs, add to soups or make a quesadilla.

[Anonymous]

Meal planning, sticking to a grocery list and not shopping when hungry works for us.

[Anonymous]

Yes to all of the above, especially utilizing your freezer. Batch cook things like soups, stews and sauces that freeze well and can be portioned out for easy, future meals. This is a great way to ensure no veggies go to waste. If you don't have the time, nearly all fresh veggies can be frozen or cooked simply (sautéed, steamed) then frozen for future use. Same with most fruits that be used later for smoothies, desserts or snacking. Freeze uncooked animal proteins in pre-portioned sizes, with or without marinade.

I also tend to shop more frequently now and only buy a few things at a time that will complete meals based on what I already have on hand.

[Anonymous]

I try to throw stuff into scrambles or fried rice. Works for leftovers and for produce that may have started languishing in the fridge.

[Anonymous]

Meal plan;
Freeze half;
Dinners for school/adult lunches;
Turn tired veggies into soup/quiche once a week;
Turned tired fruit into baked fruit/air-fried dog treats;
Turn bits of rice, pasta, fish skin, cheese, eggs into dog food toppers;
Make own veggie stock;
Shop at food co-op and buy less from bulk.

[Anonymous]

Looking at what you are wasting might help, just to figure out where you should focus your efforts.

I tend to go through the fridge 2 times a week and look at what may need cooked/frozen/eaten asap. You might see what is consistently leftover or unused.

Having a few recipes on hand that can be improvised with assorted leftovers. Sometimes it's an omelet or stir fry.

My grocery list is built around having 2-3 kinds of fruit, 4-6 kind of veg, 2-3 meat/fish and so much of our staples (rice, pasta, etc). We don't keep more than a handful of cereals on hand, so something must be eaten before a new cereal is bought. (We have a tiny kitchen.)

Freeze extra veg/meat for stock.

[Anonymous]

We eat a lot of leftovers. I truly don’t understand people who don’t keep leftovers. It’s often lunch the next day, or we’ll do a couple days worth of different leftovers for a dinner one night. Not much gets thrown out. Also, be careful about buying more produce than you can reasonably eat before it rots.

[Anonymous]

Veg and protein leftovers often too by salad the next day

[Anonymous]

don't believe everything you read.
Cook smaller portions. Cook what everyone likes.