do you use it ? or chuck it ?

COOLTRIKERCHICK

i was making an apple pie yesterday... and had some pasrty left... it was ony enought to make approx... 4/5 jam tarts.....i have put it in the fridge.. as i will make more pastry today... and make a cornbeef pasty pie.....and use the rest for jam tarts... along with the pastry from yesterday.....

this got me thinking... about other bits in the fridge... would i use it or chuck it..

like... one tomato thats left thats looking a bit sorry for its self...

the dreg end of a cucumber.......

the small bit of cheese that starting to go a funny colour ( drying out )

those few potatos.. that are starting to sprout or a bit wrinkley

i think you know what i'm getting at..

before i would have chucked but now i use....

so would you use it ? or chuck it ?

recovering_spendaholic

It depends on my mood entirely. Sometimes I will use up every last scrap but sometimes (more often:o ) I tend to chuck it, particularly if it is past its best. My Mum used to use EVERYTHING up though - we had some really odd meals I can tell you!!

carrottopsuk

I've read on an American site (although never done this yet-will try when I move) that you should freeze every tiny bit of veg/meat etc that you don't use (perhaps put different meat scraps in separate containers) and when you have enough in your container you can make soup out of it. I don't eat meat or poultry so will just try the veg.

I get the impression that they talking about cooked food that you don't use up but I suppose it applies to raw veg too.

frosty

I go through the fridge before I go shopping,all the fruit that needs using up goes in a pan with a bit of water and sugar and then I bring it to the boil and then simmer until tender,when cool blitz it with the stick blender and then it goes back in the fridge in an ice cream container,then we use it to flavour our homemade yogurt (before I would of binned it).At the moment we are using up the syrup I made from mixing strawberries,red currants,blackcurrants and raspberries.The yogurts taste like a muller one.
All veg that needs using up is turned into soup and served with homemade bread.
I try to use everything.
bits of cheese are grated and sprinkled on pasta or used in a sauce.

newleaf

If you get any sprouting potatoes it's worth planting them in a deep pot of compost, you can get some lovely new potatoes from them!

sophiesmum_2

I used to waste a lot of stuff in the fridge but when i did my storecupboard challenge a couple of months ago it made me realise just how much food i bought that wasn't necessary,and that was why it was being wasted. salad veggies, packs of cooked meats,etc used to get thrown away regularly.
Now I have just one pack of meat open at a time and freeze the rest until that is used.I meal plan and plan salad meals etc around the shopping days so I use them at their freshest, any odd bits eg a stray tomato or pepper etc I use up in sandwiches, as extras on jacket potato meals,or in omelettes,curries etc.I buy huge blocks of cheese from cash and carry and split into smaller blocks and freeze, then when these are defrosted I grate and keep in the fridge in bags ready to use. I have found a lot less wastage that way, and ends of bags can be added to the next bag or chucked in cooking as an extra ingredient. I don't buy prepack yoghurts any more just make my own as and when needed so have less waste, I keep it natural until needed as then it can be used for sweets, or added to savoury dishes,to make dips etc. Fruit is used up as additions to the yoghurt or as eves pudding,crumbles etc. DD even likes to have an apple cored, stuffed with raisins and honey and cooked in microwave as a dessert. Good way to use up an odd apple.
Odds and ends of veggies are used up in vegetable soups - I bulk up with frozen veg if i need to. Odds and ends of jars of jam are used up to make jam tarts or filling for sponge cakes. I try now to look what needs using up within a few days and finding a use, before I would have binned it all. Shopping bill is now much reduced and I feel as though we eat much better, and less processed food.I can't remember throwing anything away for ages.
Sorry for rambling on a bit.
sophiesmum

tra_2

Whenever, I have veg that is begining to turn, we always have fjahitas (did i spell that right?) for dinner. I also add apple or pineapple if it needs using. Stops a whole lot of throwing away.

cupid_s

frosty wrote:

I go through the fridge before I go shopping,all the fruit that needs using up goes in a pan with a bit of water and sugar and then I bring it to the boil and then simmer until tender,when cool blitz it with the stick blender and then it goes back in the fridge in an ice cream container,then we use it to flavour our homemade yogurt (before I would of binned it).At the moment we are using up the syrup I made from mixing strawberries,red currants,blackcurrants and raspberries.The yogurts taste like a muller one.

I'm really annoyed now cos I just threw away half a punnet of strawberries and half a punnet of blackcurrants and the saucy syrup sounds nice. I wont make that mistake again

moon_goddess

When I'm organised...before I go shopping I go through the fridge/cupboards, identify what needs using up & plan the next week's meals around it.

My ex & I halved our food shopping bill by pencilling in something for tea each night, only shopping once a week & ONLY buying what we knew we needed. We always had at least one meal on the list that would keep, eg pasta & pesto just in case we got any better offers! :cool:

Sarahsaver

It's fajitas;)

We had a lovely Borscht (beetroot soup) made from some really saggy beetroot I sort of put off using. It was lovely! I am going to have some more when the kids are in bed.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

i am trying very hard to use up stuff.....and not chuck anything .....well when i mean chuck in my case its chuck it in for the chickens........

tonight i had some manky mushrooms that needed to be used up.... so... i made the following.....

roasted some chicken drumsticks and thighs.. that needed to be used up these were free from tescos c/o the r & r policy... ( one more pack left for tomorrow )
when i bought mushrooms a while back there was a packet of garlic sauce to be used with the mushrooms....

so i stripped the meat off the bones once it was cooked put it into a frying pan with the mushrooms and onions.....then made the sauce ( just added milk and add to frying pan ) ...

put some pilau rice in the microwave ( another r & r from tescos ) ...

even though the sauce was for mushrooms it was really yummy with the chicken in it......

so i used up the manky looking mushrooms.... plus most of the meal was free due to tescos.... policy..... so no waste....and a very cheap meal...


so now i need to look into my cupboard to see what i can use up tomorrow

:rolleyes: :rotfl: :rolleyes: :rotfl: :rolleyes: :rotfl: :rolleyes: