It’s no secret that Americans are grappling with food costs as many grocery staples continue to rise in price. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, food prices overall have risen more than 10 percent over the last year. And to rub salt into the wound, egg prices alone have skyrocketed over 60 percent thanks to recent shortages.
Considering the fact that nearly 40 percent of all food in America is wasted, it’s a good time to take a closer look at what unnecessarily ends up in your trash bin in an effort to reduce your food waste at home. We’ve gathered a few of the simplest ways to make the most out of your grocery supply and genius hacks for repurposing almost-spoiled ingredients in an effort to help save food and money from going down the drain.
7 smart, waste-free ways to repurpose food
1. Turn veggie scraps into fresh stock
According to a recent TikTok video by @sagebyhrnkova, it’s easy to use scraps (like leftover onions, garlic peels, and bell pepper stems) to make fresh stock. To do so, gather bits and pieces of leftover produce while meal prepping throughout the week in a bag, and toss everything in the refrigerator. Once you’ve accumulated enough scraps, simmer them in a pot of hot water until it’s infused with the delicious flavors and aromas of the veggies. Once ready, strain the mixture and reserve the stock in airtight containers in the fridge for up to one week to make soups, stews, and sauces.
2. Freeze almost-spoiled fruit for smoothies
Before your blueberries have a chance to develop a coat of fuzzy mold, it’s smart to freeze them for making smoothies later on in the week. The key to freezing your fruit to perfection is ensuring that it’s arranged in an even layer to prevent clumping before stashing in a freezer-safe bag, as is demonstrated in this TikTok video by @wyseguide. You’ll want to wait to wash your berries until just before freezing (to stave away mold growth), dry them thoroughly, and then arrange them on an even layer on a baking sheet before plopping them in the freezer. Once fully frozen, you can transfer them into a different freezer-safe baggie to save room. Pro tip: If you love seasonal fruit, this is one of the best ways to ensure you get to enjoy them year-round.
3. Turn eggs into freezable egg bites before they spoil
IYKYK: It’s nearly impossible to resist buying Starbucks’ egg bites every morning. But instead of dishing out the money to buy them when out and about, how about making them from scratch? According to a TikTok video by @rachelwarren66, silicone molds make it even easier to portion out and prevent sticking when cooking egg bites. Once completely cooled, she transfers them into freezer-safe bags to store in the freezer until ready to eat.
4. Confit your produce to preserve it for weeks
One of the best ways to preserve produce for weeks on end is to apply the French cooking technique called confit, which means to preserve. To confit an ingredient, you cook a food low and slow at around 200°F in a liquid, like olive oil, that seals off the oxygen and makes it inhospitable for bacteria to reproduce. One of our favorite ways to apply this method is by confiting garlic, as @alexawhatsfordinner shows us in this TikTok video.
5. Prep all of your garlic cloves at once
Before your garlic bulbs begin to sprout, @mamalindacooks on TikTok recommends batch-prepping them using a food processor to mince them all at once, then storing them in a resealable bag before stashing away in the freezer. Then, all you have to do is break off a section to add to whatever you’re cooking (without washing additional dishes).
6. Pickle your leftover veggies before they spoil
One way to extend the life of your almost-spoiled veggies is to pickle them, as demonstrated in this TikTok video by @thelazyfoodco. In the video, they make a homemade Italian-style giardiniera by submerging veggies in a brine consisting of water, vinegar, and spices. Though they use ingredients like peppers, cauliflower, and cucumber, the same method applies to just about any veggie of your choice.
7. Turn your leftover jarred sauces into salad dressing
Have a pesky amount of leftover pesto sauce clinging to the edges of your jar? According to a recent TikTok video by @nicolestaub, you can easily turn your leftover jarred sauce into salad dressing. All you have to do is add your favorite dressing ingredients, like olive oil, lemon juice, and mustard, then shake away until it’s all well-emulsified.
An RD shares ways to eat more sustainably:
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