Eating Normal
  • Home
  • Support Us
  • Recipes
  • Restaurant Reviews
  • Writing
  • Cookbook of the Month
  • Archive

Food Waste in the Home Kitchen

9/7/2019

2 Comments

 
Every kitchen struggles with minimizing food waste. I spend every week asking myself how I can reduce the amount I wind up throwing away every weekend. The unfortunate truth is that I throw away way too much. My produce wilts and dies, forgotten in the drawers. I’m guilty of leaving raw meat in the shelves too long and tossing steak-- yes, steak-- when it goes bad. How do I combat these behaviors within myself in my day to day? I have discovered a few tactics to try over the next few weeks, and besides giving you this article about my plans, I’m also planning to share the meals I create while cutting back on food waste.

1. Keep a Clean Fridge

This one is a struggle for me at literally all times. I can’t see the back of my fridge on probably any shelf. I can only see the inside of my door on virtue of the fact the shelves there aren’t very deep at all. I’ve got leftovers in there so old, I’d be better off throwing away the entire tupperware they’re stored in than expose myself to whatever has grown inside of them. There are far too many plastic bags of dried, leafy greens, and that’s precisely why this one is coming as number one on our list.

If I were better about getting rid of the old, I might appreciate the new when I bring it home each week. So, starting this week, I will be starting from scratch. Sunday, expect a before and after view of the nightmare that is the Eating Normal refrigerator. Every Sunday after, we’ll talk about how I utilized the newfound space and access to my ingredients to the highest capacity.

2. Have A Plan

Most weeks, have a plan for what you intend to cook as the days roll on. I have more than once wandered into the grocery store with nothing but a vague idea of what I wanted for the week only to waste most of the good produce I grabbed. Breaking from the meal plan every now and again isn’t the worst thing. You have every right to play in the kitchen, but it often ends for me in a few stinky drawers.

Go to the store with a game plan. If you find something that excites you, don’t stop yourself from giving it a shot. Just know that your plan for the week will need to shift to accommodate the fancy scallops you found at the counter.

3. Kitchen Sink Recipes
​

We all have some go to’s for using up ingredients that are on their last legs. I did an article on some of mine last year, and you can find that here. It always helps to have techniques in your pocket suitable for a variety of ingredients. There are a few cookbooks that we’ve looked at this year to help you adapt in this sort of fashion, such as Where Cooking Begins by Carla Lalli Music. If you struggle with flexibility or keeping old favorites fresh, there is a lot to learn there.

This time around, as I struggle to take on my own problems with food waste, I’ll share with you the ways I keep up with my more unusual ingredients.

How do you cut back on food waste in your kitchen? Leave a comment here or on facebook, and we’ll give it a shot here!
2 Comments
Shari
9/7/2019 10:34:33 am

I love this blog subject! I, too, struggle with this. Since becoming empty nesters, one thing that has helped us adopting a more European approach to grocery shopping and going more frequently but buying less while there. That is a huge shift for me after spending so many years buying SO MUCH FOOD for my large family. I also have to rein myself in when it comes to sales.... just because I LOVE Oui yogurt and it is on sale doesn’t mean I have to buy ten jars, I can buy three or four and then be sure I won’t waste any. Keep writing, I love reading!

Reply
Susan link
9/7/2019 09:44:45 pm

I have thrown out way too much over the years. Your clean fridge hint is a big help. My fridge looks pretty bare right now and I like that. Trying to only buy what I have s definite plan for is helping.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    The Mission

    An idea born in Normal, Illinois, Eating Normal hopes to chronicle the eating Experiences of a Red bird.

    Pledge monthly to our patreon!

    Or, you know, support the mission with caffeine! Buy me a coffee through Ko-Fi. 

    Archives

    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    April 2017
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016

    Categories

    All
    Baltimore
    Bread
    Burlington
    CBOM
    CBOM 2018
    CBOM 2019
    CBOM 2020
    Cbomapril
    CBOM:June
    CBOM:May
    CBOM:September
    COOK90 2020
    Cookbooks
    COVID19
    Cruise
    DC
    DE
    Delaware
    Farmer's Market 2018
    Farmer's Market 2019
    Food Media Series
    Food Waste
    Guest Post
    Holidays
    Ia
    IL
    MD
    Misc
    NaNoWriMo
    Ohio
    PA
    Recipe-lab
    Recipes
    Retro
    Technique-tuesday
    Updates
    WI

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • Support Us
  • Recipes
  • Restaurant Reviews
  • Writing
  • Cookbook of the Month
  • Archive