Confess Your Tricks to Avoid Wasting Food

[super_e]

I have started saving leftover bits of tomatoes, dicing them and freezing them. These are usually what's left of the tomato that I used in a sandwich. Whenever I make a recipe that calls for diced tomatoes, I just throw those bits in. I also do the same with tomatoes that have gotten mushy.

I save my vegetable scraps to use when I make chicken stock; outside layers from onions, celery ends and leaves, carrot tips and peel, garlic skin and ends, basically anything that could be washed and isn't rotten. Again, I freeze these until I need them. Lately I have more scraps than I know what to do with, so sometimes I have no choice but to toss them.

After I make chicken stock, I scrape the bones clean of any meat that may still be on them, and I leave it outside for the stray cats in my neighbourhood. (Heaven forbid my own two cats eat boiled chicken, nope, not good enough for them!)

My mom used to save the waxed paper lining from cereal boxes, wipe it with a clean dishcloth, and keep it until she needed to line something, like when she would make cookies, she'd put it between the layers of baked cookies in a plastic container. It's thicker and better quality than the wax paper we buy at the store.

My boyfriend doesn't like to finish things. My fridge often has 2 or 3 bottles of BBQ sauce that have about a third left in them. Instead of throwing them out, or trying to empty them all into one (Usually results in a lot of spills), every now and the I make Pulled Pork Sandwiches in the crockpot to use up all the almost empty BBQ sauces. Since I have to add a bit of water to the recipe anyways, I usually rince out the bottles with some warm water to get all the sauce out, and add that to the crockpot.

What about you, do you have tricks you use to salvage food from the trash (or compost) bin?

[Zonny]

You're going to kill the neighbourhood cats with the chicken bones! But otherwise, good stuff. You're much more thrifty than I am, I don't save bits of garlic skins, carrot ends, etc.

[Litesandsirens911]

I save all of my leftovers to make soup with, that includes gravy, veggies, meat etc...(of course not off someone's plate, that grosses me out, lol)...I also save ends of meats if there isn't enough meat leftover to feed someone, I place in a baggie and freeze until I have about a handful or so and then I use leftover rice that I have frozen and make fried rice for dinner...leftover bits of veggies either get used for soups or for stir-fry.

I use all the same ideas as you, however if you want to save room in the fridge, you can freeze bbq sauce in ice cube trays and then transfer to Ziploc baggies, and when you need a few for a recipe just thaw..

Good idea on the chicken scrapings, it doesn't make it that far in my house, my 2 dogs and 3 kitties love chicken bits.

[Litesandsirens911]

Zonny she doesn't put the bones out, she cleans it off the bones then places the bits outside..lol

[Zonny]

Zonny she doesn't put the bones out, she cleans it off the bones then places the bits outside..lol

OH. It sounded like she scraped the chicken off for her stock, and put the bones out!

[Shwa Girl]

Not sure if this fits, OP, but my Mom does not waste coffee grounds or egg shells (from boiled eggs).
Both are used in the garden to nourish roses and other plants.

[Samba-Jane]

I use my creativity in making a dish where meat leftovers could be used. For example, if there's some roasted chicken left, I scrape off the chicken meat, grind them along with some onion and garlic and make chicken balls. Sometimes I put bits and pieces of scraped meat and small vegetables on fried rice. I usually don't try to recook vegetables on soup as these require high temperature when cooking and veggies get overcooked thus losing their nutrients in this manner, and are no longer crispy when eaten.

[Darth Penguin]

Not sure if this fits, OP, but my Mom does not waste coffee grounds or egg shells (from boiled eggs).
Both are used in the garden to nourish roses and other plants.

I have a compost bin in which all waste food* and garden waste return to nature.

* vegtable peelings, egg-shells and cooked food waste. It has a super heavy lid to prevent any animals aquiring my compost....

[snow00774]

I have a compost bin in which all waste food* and garden waste return to nature.

* vegtable peelings, egg-shells and cooked food waste. It has a super heavy lid to prevent any animals aquiring my compost....

What bin is that Darth? I've been using everything to the end of it's life in the kitchen but the odd time I have something I'd like to compost and we don't have one. Any tips on what to look for or buy to get started would be great!



OP - I do everything the same as you, and someone mentioned freezing BBQ, which reminded me of something else I do. Whatever I cook in the crockpot, especially if it's ribs or something - any liquid that's left over gets frozen and reused and reused and reused.

Sometimes the cubes go back into the next meat or ribs in the crockpot, or I use them as a base for sauce or gravy, and when it gets really thick I use those cubes for making shepherds pie etc. Saves having to buy those clubhouse packets of things and the flavours are so rich (and we usually add beer or some rye to ribs so my BF loves to think he's getting it in everything I make ) !!




Oh and if I know I'm going to be baking and am using the last of butter in foil, I'll keep the foils in the fridge and use those to grease pans etc.

[sunny3]

You know when fruit goes kind of wrinkly and you don't want to eat it- fruit crips or smoothies. Tastes just fine. I won't use anything that's moldy though.

If there's an apple tree around, even if people don't want to eat them because of worms, just cut them out and make apple sauce.

Veggie leftovers go good in pot pie or soup.

[marstec]

What bin is that Darth? I've been using everything to the end of it's life in the kitchen but the odd time I have something I'd like to compost and we don't have one. Any tips on what to look for or buy to get started would be great!

There are containers you can buy specifically meant for composting, but I have been using an ice bucket with a fitted lid. Mine is a clear acrylic one that I bought from the thrift store for $4. During the summer, the pail gets emptied very frequently, so I don't worry too much about smell; the ice buckets always have a handle too.

We always have extra or stale bread lying around, and I make my own seasoned croutons and bread crumbs with it.

[CanadianBella]

My boyfriend doesn't like to finish things. My fridge often has 2 or 3 bottles of BBQ sauce that have about a third left in them. Instead of throwing them out, or trying to empty them all into one (Usually results in a lot of spills), every now and the I make Pulled Pork Sandwiches in the crockpot to use up all the almost empty BBQ sauces. Since I have to add a bit of water to the recipe anyways, I usually rince out the bottles with some warm water to get all the sauce out, and add that to the crockpot.

What about you, do you have tricks you use to salvage food from the trash (or compost) bin?

My heart got a little racy reading this, WHAT IS HE THINKING


But we hardly ever have leftovers. It's just us two, so if by chance we make too much, I'll usually add it to Sparkys food (permitting what it is) since i'd eventually like to get him on a 'real' food diet. This dog would rather cooked carrots then chicken. So the things most people throw out (the vegis, after finding no use for them) are the things that are 'cherished' most here, and NEVER get thrown out.

If we're doing a dinner with people over, we usually divide the leftovers so everyone can have a midnight snack.

We cook & freeze our meals a lot (cabage rolls, freeze them in groups of 2, and other personal sized meals) so the only 'leftover' can be the vegi's. But we have 'hoover' to take care of that

[juniperjune]

I made beef/chicken/turket pot pie, chicken salad sandwiches, soups, fajitas, wrap sandwiches, etc.
I also have a pressure canner/cooker so I can make large batches of whatever and can it for up to a year

[Angela273]

Interesting thead idea.

[MrsSunshine]

my Mom and I have done many of these.. even my hubby makes us keep the cereal bags.. never thought of that reason.. he uses them to wrap things up in the fridge instead of using ziplocs..besides.. with two teens boys around there isn't much that goes to waste. i even have a kid that eats the ends of bread.. so hubby had to buy turkey stuffing bread for the turkey LOL