21 ideas for using resources to avoid food waste- Kugor Recipes

I have always been very concerned about food waste.

For many years now, Iván and I have been part of the FoodSharing Madrid team a platform that is responsible for thinking up and developing actions that reduce food surpluses.

Together with this platform w, we organize Disco Sopa events in which through a citizen meeting around a community meal, we seek to raise awareness about how to act with food scraps.

To do this, we spoke to stores so they would give us products that were about to expire or that could no longer be sold, we went to pick them up and we organized these meals.

The people who participated also brought food that they had left over at home or that was going bad and we made a meal together, in order to raise awareness among both the older and the younger ones that this food was still suitable for use.

To be honest, I think the amount of food produced and wasted each year is outrageous.

And especially in homes.

So, that you can contribute to reducing these numbers, in this article I am going to give you 21 ideas for using up leftover food to avoid wasting food. These resources will surely make it much easier for you to use up leftover food that you thought you could no longer consume.

But I think it’s best to start at the beginning, because to become aware of something and take action, you first have to know what’s behind the problem.

So keep reading because I’m going to tell you some real and very worrying facts.

👉 Food waste: an alarming problem

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), around 690 million people suffer from hunger in the world and 3 billion cannot afford a healthy diet.

And not only that, we are also facing an increasing deterioration of ecosystems and the consequences of climate change are becoming worse.

Despite these alarming figures, a lot of food is wasted, both in retail and food services and, above all, in households. Food is even lost before it reaches the market (14%).

We would be talking about almost a third of the food produced being wasted, around 1.7 billion tons per year.

Worried, right?

For its part, the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU) reveals that 70% of Spanish consumers admit to throwing away food at home.

Given these data, there are many ways to take action, each to the extent that they can, but the most important thing is to contribute in whatever way possible to rreducethese alarming figures.

So, as I told you before, now that you are a little more aware of this problem, I am going to give you some resources with which you can start reducing food waste today.

Take note!

👉Tips for making the most of food to avoid wasting it

Make creams or purees with vegetables that are about to go bad and are already a bit soft.
You can also use vegetables that are a little wilted to make warm soups. However, you should add them at the end of cooking so that they don’t get too overcooked. Remove the spoiled part and you’re done.
Vegetable ratatouille.
Croquettes, the queen of leftovers. With leftover vegetables, chicken, or even rice, you can make delicious croquettes instead of throwing everything away.
Burgers with leftover legumes that you have used to make a stew, a chickpea salad, some lentils… if you add a little nutritional yeast and some cereal, there you have it!
Lasagna or cannelloni is made from vegetables, meat, or fish left over from another meal. You can also make vegetable rolls with rice paper and Tamari or some other sauce.
Peel and freeze fruits that are going bad, because later you can use them to make delicious smoothies, ice creams, cakes, biscuits… this is a classic. I assure you that my fridge is always full of ripe fruit.
Make yourself a delicious fruit salad with the fruits that are forgotten in your fridge. Add some delicious coconut yogurt and boom…delicious.
You can even use the peels of vegetables to make omelets, chips, broths, or creams. I findomeletss made from zucchini peels and cauliflower leaves… the most delicious.
Freeze chopped herbs with a little extra virgin olive oil in ice cubes to prevent them from spoiling. They will be great for making, for example, a delicious salmon.
Jams and compotes are made from fruits that are going bad and are already a bit soft. Add lemon and some natural sweetener.
Make flour from leftover nut milk. Just put it in the oven at a low temperature to dry or put it in a dehydrator.
You can use the gluten-free bread that is getting stale to make croutons, which will be ideal to accompany your soups and creams. Cut it up and fry it in a pan with a little oil, turning it over and over, and it will be ready.
Boil eggs that are close to expiration to give yourself a little more room to spare. This is always a great thing.
You can use tomatoes that are already very ripe to make gazpacho or blend them for breakfast toast. I also recommend roasting them and making my all-time favorite soup
Prepare baked rice or ropa vieja with leftover stew. This is Ivan’s favorite dish.
Chop and freeze vegetables that are about to go bad and you don’t know what to do with them, so you’ll have them ready to make a stir-fry whenever you want. I do this e, specially with celery, which is rarely used and spoils quickly.
You can make soups or broth with the bones, spines, and heads of the fish. Or our delicious bone broth.
You can make delicious cakes with leftover horchata. Without a doubt my favorite. Add dates, eggs, and carrots. Delicious!
Cookies made with leftover cereal milk (oats…). They are soft but delicious.
And with food that can no longer be consumed, you can make homemade compost to create new food. The ultimate in recycling! waste

👉 Tips to preserve food better and waste less

Well, if you’ve made it this far, you already know no less than 21 ideas for using leftover food and thus wasting less.

But I want to make it even easier for yo because it is very important to me that you get down to work on this issue. In this way, together, we will reduce the huge amounts of food that are thrown away every year. waste

For this reason, I am also leaving you here with some tips that you should keep in mind if you want to preserve food better so that it lasts longer and you waste much less:

If you decide to freeze food (remember that there are some foods, such as potatoes or pasta, that should not be frozen), indicate the date to be consumed in order of age. And do it as soon as possible, because the more time passes, the more properties they will lose.
Plan your weekly menu before you go shopping, so you can go with a list of the foods you are going to eat. This will help you avoid buying unnecessary products on impulse for 2-for-1 offers. waste
It is also a good idea to check what you have in your fridge and pantry before you go shopping, so you don’t buy food that you already have at home.
I recommend that you organize your pantry and refrigerator so that you place the oldest foods at the top and the newest ones at the back This way you will consume them by date and you will not forget that they exist.
Difference between the expiration date of food (after which food cannot be consumed) and the best before date (you can consume it, but it begins to lose quality).
Buy seasonal and local foods whenever possible. This ensures better quality, freshness, and subsequent preservation.
To keep refrigerated food in good condition, keep the refrigerator thermostat at a temperature of + 5ºC and the freezer at – 18ºC.

As you have seen throughout the article, the figures for wasted food are brutal, but you have also had to realize that it is much easier than it seems to contribute to reducing them. waste

I sincerely hope that these ideas on how to make the most of food and the advice I have given you will be very useful to you in starting to take action and helping to reduce food waste.

But what do you think if we take it a step further? waste

I have come up with a great idea for a community as beautiful and involved as Cooking for Change to help raise awareness and create consciousness on this issue.

Let’s create an ebook together! waste

And what will it include? Well, a bunch of recipes for leftover food.

I’ve already given you 21 ideas, now it’s your turn to send me yours so that together we can make it super easy to avoid throwing food away and make the most of it.

It will be our grain of sand.

Cheer up!