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How Not to Waste Food

Eileen

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I've been thinking a lot about food, finances, and justice/ethics lately, and that has led me to consider ways that I can avoid wasting food (but eesh, we had to throw a bunch away yesterday because of pantry moths!).

This is a really smart thing to do with vegetable scraps, I think: http://www.poorgirleatswell.com/2011/03/guest-post-scrappy-veggie-stock.html

There's also the "using the whole chicken" thing, which I haven't done yet (as in, I haven't roasted a chicken and used it for various meals and then made stock with it, nor have I butchered a whole chicken) but think is pretty smart. I have stopped buying boneless skinless chicken breasts because OMG it is SO much more expensive (and then I can't use the bones for stock).

We've also made a pantry inventory in a google doc so we buy only stuff we need (are out of).

What are some other ways to use food more smartly?
 

Thalassa

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You can make soups out of bones, keep bread longer in the fridge, keep eggs at least two weeks past their expiration date, milk products a week usually after their expiration date (make sure you smell these last two, though) ...use dried beans and legumes instead of canned, buy fresh vegetables in small amounts as you need them so they don't rot in the fridge (Americans tend to overshop, where as you should probably get these kinds of fresh items every couple to few days instead) and get smaller cuts of meat from the butcher if you have a smaller family, and wrap and freeze what you don't use.

Rice and other grains should be kept in airtight storage containers, and don't buy them in bulk unless you live in a commune or are a caterer.

You can use fruit peels and rinds as fertilizer, give animals fatty or tough pieces of meat you don't like, and never go out to eat. Buy pre-packaged foods as little as possible and you can eat fruit, cheese or bread or veggies that are slightly moldy if you just cut the moldy parts off, as long as it isn't ravaged.
 

Halla74

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Buy what you need.
Eat whay you buy.
VOILA! :holy:
 

Randomnity

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I did the chicken thing once and it worked awesomely - the soup was delicious. Have multiple chickens in the freezer to repeat it, but have been lazy.

Best tip is to do the opposite of what I do far too often: buy food with vague ambitions of cooking it and then get too lazy until it goes bad. :( :(

keep eggs at least two weeks past their expiration date
Much longer, actually - you can test by seeing if they float in water. Any non-cracked egg that sinks should be fine, unless it smells bad when you crack it open. Although eggs are such a cheap source of good-quality protein that it's a better tip to eat enough eggs that you don't have to worry about them expiring!

Most food expiry dates are useless anyway - food can expire before them or much later. Smell test is usually the way to go.
 

Thalassa

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I did the chicken thing once and it worked awesomely - the soup was delicious. Have multiple chickens in the freezer to repeat it, but have been lazy.

Best tip is to do the opposite of what I do far too often: buy food with vague ambitions of cooking it and then get too lazy until it goes bad. :( :(


Much longer, actually - you can test by seeing if they float in water. Any non-cracked egg that sinks should be fine, unless it smells bad when you crack it open. Although eggs are such a cheap source of good-quality protein that it's a better tip to eat enough eggs that you don't have to worry about them expiring!

Most food expiry dates are useless anyway - food can expire before them or much later. Smell test is usually the way to go.

Yeah the egg thing is so weird, my Argentine friends don't even always refrigerate their eggs, it's pretty wild, mang.
 

UniqueMixture

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[YOUTUBE="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdUDBMqdlWk"]Drive around in a car full of tacos[/YOUTUBE]
 

rav3n

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Make large batches of freezable meals like stew, then freeze left-overs in meal sized portions. Not only do you save money from buying meat in bulk, you also save time and have healthy, handy meals for nights you don't feel like cooking since all you have to do is to microwave the frozen portions. This ensures you resist buying fast food or take out which will save you money, will be healthy if you avoid using processes products and are lower in fat content.
 

Eileen

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You guys are awesome! Keep the ideas coming! I'm so inspired! :wubbie:
 

prplchknz

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don't have eyes bigger than your stomach. this is my problem, i'm always like yeah i can eat a whole chicken, when in reality i can only eat a piece of chicken.
 

Stanton Moore

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The veggie stock idea is really a good one that I've done. I know of a guy in Portland who list over 300 lbs by making that the staple of his diet.

I found for myself, that if I added fiber and cut reduced sugar, salt and dairy, and eat multiple small meals instead of 3, I lost weight immediately.

Oh, and you have to stop with the beer. This one sucks, I know!
 

Eileen

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The veggie stock idea is really a good one that I've done. I know of a guy in Portland who list over 300 lbs by making that the staple of his diet.

I found for myself, that if I added fiber and cut reduced sugar, salt and dairy, and eat multiple small meals instead of 3, I lost weight immediately.

Oh, and you have to stop with the beer. This one sucks, I know!

Yeah, I care about losing weight, but mostly I just don't want to waste the food I buy.
 

ilikeitlikethat

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How not to waste food... I thought this was going to be a thread about mulch or compost.
 
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