Hash.
According to a 2012 report released by
the Natural Resource Defense Council 40 percent of the food in the
United States goes to waste. Much of this is in the production and
marketing of pre-packed and pre-prepared foods, and much of it is due
to over-sized restaurant portions. But a lot of it just gets tossed
from our refrigerators because we forgot to get around to cooking
it.
Food waste argues against itself.
There are no good reasons to waste food, only good excuses for why it
happens. I believe that one of the primary contributors to American
food waste is the loss of home life and the domestic art of cooking.
Sure, people still make a couple of things here and there, and we
will still make a special trip to the store to try a new recipe from
the Times, but the art of daily cooking, and the practice of sitting
down to eat has been disappearing from our lives since the 1980's.
Cooking has become a form of social action.
That we make too much food and then
throw it away or let the leftovers go bad is true, but an overlooked
and important contribution to food waste is in our food preparation.
More specifically, because we no longer cook from scratch or with
regularity, we waste more food. Vegetable ends and peels go into the
trash or compost instead of a broth. Past-fresh breads and pastries
are thrown out instead of cooked into a bread pudding. Leftovers and
need to be eaten now items are tossed over for takeout instead of
cooked into a improvised hash. Knowing how to prepare our food, what
is edible and is not, how long it can be kept, or how to freeze and
preserve leftovers or seasonal batches can prevent food waste as
well. Do you use the lemon zest before you slice the lemon? Do you
remember to toss the squeezed lemon wedges in with the chicken to
season it as it roasts?
While food preparation waste may not be
the largest contributor to our overall food waste, the NRDC claims
that a decrease in our food waste of even 15 percent could feed 25
million Americans annually. Small changes go a long way.
The best things you could be cooking
with things you might otherwise throw away:
- hash
- vegetable broth
- sweet or savory bread pudding
- veggie and cheese spreads/tapenades
- smoothies and juices
Recipes:
Hash is an dish with protein, veggies
and some kind of starch (potatoes etc.) although you can substitute a
grain like rice or quinoa.
The New York Times lists lots of simple
and delicious hash recipes:
Vegetable and meat broths can be made
easily from scraps and frozen until you need them. An easy starter
recipe from Frugal Living:
Bread puddings are easy and flexible,
substitute any kind of bread and add or subtract sweet and savory ingredients.
Ina Garten's Bread Pudding:
Veggie and cheese spreads can be made
in minutes with bits and pieces of whatever you have lying around.
Alton Brown has a great beginners recipe:
Smoothies are almost infinitely
variable. Better Homes and Gardens provides a great selection of
recipes:
Resources/References:
NRDC Report of Food Waste:
http://www.nrdc.org/food/files/wasted-food-IP.pdf
Posts
This is an awesome article! I never thought of cooking at home as a way to combat food waste. I really appreciate the ideas and recipe links for using leftovers. Thank you for your insight and advice =)
ReplyDeleteLove this article! Good reminders for us all! I feel MOST accomplished when 'leftover night' leaves the fridge empty and ready to receive or when the roasted chicken dinner is becoming chicken soup while we eat!
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