Turn
wasteful into
tasteful
Your food was destined for better things than life in a landfill. Story by Rachel Lieberman Illustration by Isabel Zuluaga Mesa
L
et’s be honest — it’s troubling how much food we waste each year. If you were to take a look in your trash can right now, that half of an avocado from your salad this afternoon would be looking up at you saying, “I was destined for better places than this garbage!” Americans waste 40 percent of the food produced in the U.S. each year. On average, an American household of four will throw away almost $1,500 worth of food annually, which is about 21.4 percent of the food purchased. That food waste ultimately ends up in a landfill, producing immense amounts of methane that trap the sun’s heat in the atmosphere and contribute to global warming. Convinced you should make the most out of your food? Baked has a few tips to help you out.
Get innovative with food scraps
It’s tempting to think you’ll never need leftover vegetable scraps, but that’s just not true. Instead of throwing out the half of a tomato a recipe didn’t call for, get scrappy with your scraps. Toss it in an omelet, layer it in a sandwich, transform it into slices of sun-dried tomatoes, or combine it with some mozzarella, salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar and olive oil for a delicious caprese salad.
Refresh your fruits and veggies
We all know the struggle of discovering the half of an avocado you left in the fridge is as brown as the skin it’s in. But with a squeeze of lemon juice, your favorite toast topping will be just as green as the day before. Likewise, there's nothing more una-peel-ing than a brown banana. But it’s what’s on the inside that counts, and that over-ripe banana is just as good as its yellow-peel counterpart. If you’re not up to eating it straight out of the peel, grab strawberries, ice and milk and blend it into a smoothie.
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Pop it in the freezer
Time seems to come to a standstill in a freezer, and everything from produce to baked goods seems to remain as fresh as the day you bought it. In the icy atmosphere, soups will last two to four months, beef will stay edible for roughly six months, poultry can last up to a year and fruits can last almost a year and a half. If you simply can’t finish off a loaf of bread before the mold eats it first, pop it in the freezer to give yourself an extra six months of delicious sandwiches.
Turn bones into broth
Next time you carve a turkey or chicken, put the bones in a slow cooker to make heartwarming broth. Putting bones in your broth adds nutrients like calcium, magnesium and vitamin D that boost your skin, joint and stomach health. To amp up your typical chicken noodle soup, toss a few bones into your chicken stock, and you’ll be ready for any sick day.
