If It’s Edible, Eat It: Zero-Waste Cooking Recipes & Tips

Just in the U.S., somewhere between 30 to 40% of all food produced is discarded, totaling over 133 billion pounds of food every year. Further, it is estimated that 60 to 70% of the food thrown away by households is edible and the average American wastes over $700 per year on uneaten food alone. From using every part of each element to repurposing leftovers and extending the life of foods with food preservation methods, zero-waste cookery is a sustainable and practical approach to eliminating food waste at every step from preparation to consumption.

Keep Scrolling or Jump to: ZERO-WASTE COOKING | TIPS TO CUT FOOD WASTE | ZERO-WASTE RECIPES 7 Cooking and Preparation Tips to Avoid Food Waste There are many ways to reduce food waste in your kitchen: 1. When we are meal planning and prepping we are generally more conscious of what’s already in our fridge. Pantry so that we can prioritize cooking up something from the ingredients we already have on hand or making use of leftovers before heading to the store. Broccoli and cauliflower stalks and leaves are the most tender part of the vegetable that can be eaten raw or cooked.

When you can, incorporate the whole of these elements—peels and all—into your dishes and desserts. 3. For each element that you don’t use immediately, especially if you buy in bulk, find out how to store it properly, whether that’s in an airtight container (cheese and most pantry items); in the crisper in your refrigerator (leafy greens); in water (herbs, carrots and celery) or in a cool, dark corner of your pantry (root vegetables).

Use date labels as a suggestion and lean into your nose, eyes and taste buds to decide if it’s still good to eat. 5. Sometimes it’s hard to incorporate the whole fruit or vegetable into a dish and you’re left with the odds and ends and peels.

Some of the most famous classic dishes around the world have originated as ways to save food from going to waste and we use them as inspiration. And fruit scraps and peels can be used to infuse spirits and simple syrups for your home bar. 6.

Below you will find 36 zero-waste recipes to inspire you, but the key to making them work with what’s in your pantry and refrigerator is to get creative! Make a Frittata Use: Leftover pasta, leftover meats, leftover vegetables (and scraps) The true genius of the frittata has to do with leftovers.

It’s the perfect way to use up a good amount of stale bread, leftover roasted vegetables and wilting greens. Method from Edible Boston Sourdough Discard Biscuits Your sourdough starter is looking bubbly and you’re in routine maintenance—so what do you do with all of the sourdough discard you’re bound to end up with? Cut them all up to bite size and cover them with a tangy and herby brine to make a quick refrigerator pickle that’s ready to eat in just one day and can last in the fridge for a month or more.

Method from Edible San Diego Leftover Wine Salad Dressing The party’s over and you’re left with the last dregs of the wine, what should you do? Method from Edible Vancouver Island Fromage Fort (Cheese Dip) Use: Leftover cheese scraps, leftover dry or sparkling white wine This versatile dip is a delicious way to use up the odd clumps of cheese you have left over in your fridge.

Image: Fish Stock , Edible Sarasota Steve Sando’s Italian Pasta e Fagioli (Pasta. Beans Soup) Use: Leftover pasta, leftover cooked beans, leftover bean broth, vegetable scraps While this dish can be made from fresh ingredients, it’s as well a great one to make with leftovers and scraps. Method from Edible Boston Waste Not Gumbo Use: Overabundance of greens, leftover broth, leftover chicken (turkey or pork), vegetable scraps Sometimes, especially if you’re a gardener, you’re lucky enough to end up with an overabundance of fresh produce and you’re faced with the happy problem of what to do with it all.