Don't throw food away challenge

seehar

bit of wastage today cooked for boyfriends friends and one of them decided he wasnt hungry grrrr pretty much a whole portion of spag bol wasted did use up a garlic bread thats been in the freezr for months tho also some milk finally went off (managed a good while after the BBE date tho!)
So I reckon I've wasted mince, 76p + sauce 40p + spag 5p (?) + milk 6p = £1.27 arghhh! :O

There's a cheesecake in the fridge at work, i dont think anyone is going to eat it, might just take it...!

re freezing herbs - yes, they are fine. I froze a load that i got for about 10p each, yellow stickered. just cut a chunk off when you're cooking

tryingtoruletheworld

pjw123 wrote: »

I never finish a litre of soya milk before it goes off. I usually throw away half. I can buy 500 ml for the same price as a litre, but the smaller boxes of soya are not easy to find. I tried freezing it but it separated out. I bought milkshake syrup to try to use up the spare soya milk, but it did not taste nice.

I have had reasonable success using soya milk in a roux sauce. I usually add herbs/onion/garlic etc to add flavour as it is pretty bland on its own, but it does the job in an onion tart or as parsley sauce with fish.

It also makes a good custard with a little turmeric, cornflour, sugar and margarine and a good chocolate sauce with some cocoa! It works in the easy chocolate pudding recipe that is hiding on this site somewhere, although it works in most cake recipes that require milk. Adding a little vanilla often makes a difference if you want to use it in sweet dishes. If you use it for hot chocolate, melting real chocolate into the milk can add more body and texture than using cocoa powder.

franby64

Hi

Chopped and froze the dessiccated bunch of spring onions and I reckon I had to throw about 1/3 away so I'm calling that 25p.

thrifty-gal26

I am going to sort my fridge out in a bit and I am scared. There is going to be loads of waste as I haven't cooked since Saturday and that was a pizza :eek:

I just can't bring myself to eat or cook or even look at food. Stupid morning sickness.

thrifty-gal26

Ok, done the fridge and I have thrown away about £12 worth of food. Shocking! Will do much better this week.

squeaky

Is there nothing among all this that you can rescue?

If it's past a best BEFORE date - you can still use it but it may not be quite as tasty as it would have been when very fresh.

If it's past its USE BEFORE date - can it go out for the birds? Or into the cat/dog/wormery/compost?

If it's tatty but not actually rotten - could it (or the best bits of it) be used for stock?

Just trying to help - I think I'd cry if I had to throw away that much in one go.

mizmir

Making soup from my vegetable peel stock- and using some 'just on the edge" carrots in the process. Am enjoying this challenge!

sistercas

just thrown out 4 scones that Dh bought and didnt eat, ive just found them pushed to the back of the cupboard and they have green spots on :eek: are they ok to put out for the birds?
my total is 75p - thats the only thing ive thrown out so far ( peelings are either going to the guinea pigs or on the compost )

cooking-mama

Great topic,thanks Squeaky...i do try hard not to waste food,but i do also know i must try harder...gonna clean out the fridge later,I know there is a chicken carcass in there that will get binned,was gonna make soup,was gonna freeze it,just didnt find(make)the time to do so.
My biggest problem is actualy with freezer waste....I buy Whoopsied cartons of soup/yoghurt/ready meals etc,all state freeze on day of purchase(which i do)and use within one month(which i dont)
other issue i have is buying odd looking veg and then not knowing what to do with it,..i have a "celebration pumpkin" from last week,looks pretty,but no idea how to cook it,or what it will taste like? http://www.ruppseeds.com/divvegetable/celebration.htm?mnu=4
Got a huge delivery of fruit and veg on Tuesday,so im gonna make cauliflower and potato curry today(were not veggie,but i now have 2 cauliflowers,also trying to reduce meat intake),..there was also a large butternut squash in my delivery,so im wondering, should i cook the celebration thingy with the butternut for a soup?or add it to the curry?decisions decisions...I also have a large dodgy looking almost squishy honeydew melon..im actualy scared of what i might find when i open it up,but gonna have to use it today,cos theres another(thankfully fresher)honeydew in my delivery box.
All my veggie peelings go in the compost bin,and all meat scraps go in the dog,so not gonna count that as waste...I also like to see the birds come to the bird table,so im not counting the core from 3 Bramleys yesterday as "real waste" cos the wee birdies have been eating them today.
PS,Forgot to add,the wee guinea pig scoffs up carrots/lettuce/celery leaves/cauliflower leaves/outer green cabbage leaves/melon skin etc etc...I think it was a waste disposal unit in a previous life...a bit like the dog and OH.;)
will report back later on what was binned from the fridge,hang my head in shame,then make a fresh start.

prepareathome

EEks I have just had to throw away half a lamb joint - took it out slow cooker last night and we ate half and I left the other half on side, covered, to cool, but suddenly felt so tired I went straight to bed straight after eating totally forgetting the lamb, came down to it this morning and I wouldn't even give it to the dogs now - been out there since 6pm last night so thats about £2.50 wasted, it was marked down when i bought it so less loss that it would have been if full price but still so angry with myself - hubby never thinks to put things in fridge if he sees them on side, even if I ask him to put them in, he forgets

Going to have to have a rethink as not the first time this has happened, I must remember in future cut joints in half before freezing them so I only cook enough as with my health condition it is likely to happen again and again.

Now better go and see if chicken in slow cooker cooled enough to freeze - only half now will be used tonight instead of two meals frozen.