Waste Food Challenge ???

superrhinos

As several other posters seem up for starting this I have amended the first page so that there is space to list all the challengers and their target amount.

As this is the first time trying to quantify waste I am not sure what to go for. Generally I waste little but I know I could do better. Therefore I have set myself quite a strict target of £10 for the year.

I will add the targets of anybody else who wishes to set themselves one. Hopefully, this thread will then keep us all on track.

MOD: Would you please be able to change the title to Waste Food Challenge 2014. It didn't seem to let me do that in the edit post function.

lindsaygalaxy

okay, I think I am going to start with a bit of room, so £2 a week please (gosh that's still £104 a year just thrown away!)

Soworried

cornishchick wrote: »

I hate waste, but some things are beyond me.

I used a pack of cooking bacon today,and chopped off all the fat, then froze it, can't think of what to use it for though... lol
Any Ideas?

ETA that's just fat I froze, I used all the good bits.
So ideas for using the fatty bits please...

Put them in to a pan of rice to add flavour or in to a pan of veg for the same reason. Cauliflower absorbs the flavour well then it would be nice with cheese sauce over.

Cheapskate

For me, this ties in nicely with needing to concentrate more on the GC, and general belt tightening as our tax credits have been reduced a fair bit. I'm aware I chuck out a bit more than I should, partly laziness and partly being so busy I forget what's lurking in the fridge, cupboards, etc. As a starting point, when I made tea I froze the veg peelings to make stock at a later date, and tomorrow I'll do a thorough stocktake and meal plan. It's half term next week, so plenty of opportunity to use up stuff for proper cooked lunches for the kids instead of pack ups - they'll be in heaven!

Definitely up for the challenge, will think on how to record.

A xo

Seakay

cornishchick wrote: »

I hate waste, but some things are beyond me.

I used a pack of cooking bacon today,and chopped off all the fat, then froze it, can't think of what to use it for though... lol
Any Ideas?

ETA that's just fat I froze, I used all the good bits.
So ideas for using the fatty bits please...

you could render the fat next time the oven happens to be on and then keep it in the fridge ready for frying potatoes etc

Westywoodpecker

I mix seed in it and give it to the hungry birds

[Deleted User]

lindsaygalaxy wrote: »

We have leftover veg that I am going to attempt to make into bubble and squeak later - last time it was a disaster? Any tips?


Hi I have found that if you add a beaten egg to the mashed up potato,cabbage,chopped onion mixture it helps it to stick together a bit better.I also add a handful of dried stuffing mix to give it a bit of a boost or a splash of sweet chilli sauce.I will add SWC sauce to almost anything as its got such a nice taste.I have even added grated strong cheese to B&S for flavour
My local Family Bargain shop does a huge bottle for 99p instead of the tiny little Blue Dragon £1.99 bottles in the big supermarkets which helps :):)

As for the fat I would put in a frying pan and cook gently until you get the fat run out of the bits .Squeeze and flatten the bits with a spatula to get every bit out and put in an old cup to set in the fridge This is used to fry almost anything istead of oil.a bit the size of a nutmeg is more than enough in the frying pan and will give you a nice flavour of bacon when cooking an omellette or even just some fried bread.I made a slice for my DGS Henry yesterday with an egg on top and he wolfed it down
He said he'd never tasted fried bread before .Not something to have every day but now and again it won't kill you.Moderation in everything.

My late Mum had a 'dripping bowl in the larder that virtually all the 'dripping' bits went into.During rationing you couldn't afford to throw anything away.I always, if I have maybe lamb chops or a pork chop drain off the fat into a bowl for use later.I have a bowl of dripping in the fridge at the moment that came from some beef a couple of weeks ago.

lindsaygalaxy

Thanks JackieO, I will give it a go tonight. Last time I tried I burnt it! Last night I cooked up a huge amount of bolgnese sauce - I bought 2 big packs from T last week. I would notmally just throw the packets in the freezer which normally ends up in the bin eventually. Instead we had spag bol for 2 then I made a couple of lasagnas (1 big and 4 small) and put them in the freezer for a no effort after work dinner.

I have a fair amount of meat in the freezer but I always worry when I use it that it will be no good once defrosted. I start smelling it and convince myself it smells off then throw it away!

newthrift

This looks good, I really need to be better at wasting less. My OH hates waste and when we do have to throw things I do feel like it's wasted money; I must strive to be better. Hopefully I will learn some more from following this thread. Tonight's tea is leftover lasagne from last night.

maman

lindsaygalaxy wrote: »

Thanks JackieO, I will give it a go tonight. Last time I tried I burnt it! Last night I cooked up a huge amount of bolgnese sauce - I bought 2 big packs from T last week. I would notmally just throw the packets in the freezer which normally ends up in the bin eventually. Instead we had spag bol for 2 then I made a couple of lasagnas (1 big and 4 small) and put them in the freezer for a no effort after work dinner.

I have a fair amount of meat in the freezer but I always worry when I use it that it will be no good once defrosted. I start smelling it and convince myself it smells off then throw it away!

We like HM burgers but you need to make those and then freeze them. They're really tasty and I'd never go back to bought burgers.