In an economy where prices of things aren’t smiling at all, food prices are increasing and yet food waste is an increasing problem that affects our wallets. I think wasting food is the last thing anyone would want to do. So I ask, is food waste really irresistible? I leave you to conclude that after reading these tips on zero-waste cooking hacks for reducing food waste.
4 Tested And Trusted Zero-Waste Cooking Hacks For Reducing Food Waste
1. Plan According To Family Size
While growing up as a child, we wasted a lot of food. In a bid to make sure no one goes to bed hungry or unsatisfied, my mom ended up making excess food no one would eat, thereby wasting it. In fact, there were times we cooked for imaginary visitors.
And if a visitor did not come and no one was ready to eat the food the next morning, of course that would be a waste! same goes with many. At times, in a bid to make sure no one goes to bed or goes to work unsatisfied, we tend to prepare more food that will end up being a waste.
One of the tips on zero-waste cooking hacks for reducing food waste is to plan what you are going to cook with the portion number and the size of the people you will be cooking for. You can also share meals with friends or family to reduce waste.
2. Make into something new
When I was in college, my food and nutrition teacher gave us some portions of meals to prepare. Overjoyed, we all swung into action and after two hours of making beans pudding, a Nigerian dish called moi-moi, we were instructed to assume the food was from the previous day and then turn it into something more delicious. “Do not reheat or microwave it. Turn it into another food entirely.” That was the instruction. Oh gosh! We did not see that coming.
How do you change moi-moi into something else!
With a little creativity and some clever hacks, I was able to smash my moi-moi, mixed with some eggs and then, I fryed! That taught us that no food is a waste. You do not always need to throw away your left over foods, make something new out of it. You just need to be a little more creative.
3. Make use of your freezer
To avoid food waste, store your leftovers in different spots in the fridge or freezer, depending on the type of food and it’s freshness requirements. Regularly take stock of your fridge and pantry to avoid duplicate purchases and to use food before it expires.
4. Shop what you need
To have zero-waste, plan your meals and make grocery lists. Avoid buying foods in bulk if you won’t be able to eat them before they expire. If you have to buy in bulk, then plan how you will use bulk food purchases to avoid food waste. Also check expiration dates and calculate the freshness of the food.
Conclusion
I believe by now you should have come to a conclusion on whether food waste is unavoidable or not.
