Using up leftovers

Aril

Cooked veg can be added to a quiche. Cold leftover sausages finds its way into risotto. Like many others leftovers from the SC are frozen and then reappear as soup...I also use up all old veg to make soup. Bits of bread are blitzed for crumbs and then frozed for later use.
Aril

JoeyEmma

Sola wrote: »

I can't seem to get into the habit of using all our veg each week (I don't buy huge amounts but clearly I buy too much) and it ends up in the compost bin.

Do you buy prepacked fruit and veg or buy it loose? Buying loose veg cuts down loads on wastage. I get a lot of my veg at the local greengrocers, it saves money and cuts back on (a bit) of wastage.

I also use these bags, which my OH calls a freak of nature. I have no idea how they work, but they do. I seal them with a clip and reuse them, as they are quite ££ http://www.lakeland.co.uk/product.aspx/!1932_1094_1092 My mum had them and raved about them, and I thought she'd been conned by another useless scam, but then I read about them on here and thought I'd give em a go. Isn't it bad when you trust MSE more that your mother?

Sola

I was buying loose, but DH is recovering from an operation so I don't get out to the shops as much as I did because I have to be on hand for him when I'm not at work and get Mr. Sainsburys to deliver to the door once a week; perhaps that's my problem.

Jolaaled

Farway wrote: »

For me it was the way I was brought up, post war rationing, eat it or go without and never waste food

Oddly enough there was an interview on "Today" radio 4 only 30 minutes ago about food waste

There is a new web site going live at 0900 this morning with loads of tips [so they said], but for the life of me I can't remember what it was called

Found this link from Sunday's Guardian:

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2200647,00.html

thriftlady_2

Jolaaled wrote: »

Found this link from Sunday's Guardian:

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2200647,00.html

Good article but I take issue with the prevalent belief that people are fat because they don't cook any more. I could do with losing a few stone, but I cook everything from scratch. I don't think the obesity problem is because we don't cook, it is because we eat too much whether it be junk, ready-meals or homemade bread.

Anyway I digress, wartime cooking habits can teach us a lot about economy in the kitchen.

Churchmouse

And to shove in my twopenneth:D My grandmother, and even my mother would have thought nothing of reheating (cooking?) food twice or more! Nowadays the food police are on us in an instant. Cook once, reheat once, then bin:mad: Also food does not *go off* at the stroke of midnight on its *date*, and back then food wasn't dated:rotfl: I do throw some food away because I don't *trust* it and my mother used to be horrified:o

I think if they want us to use leftovers (wish my greedy lot left some!) then they'll have to rethink a lot of their food doctrine.

Jolaaled

Farway wrote: »

For me it was the way I was brought up, post war rationing, eat it or go without and never waste food

Oddly enough there was an interview on "Today" radio 4 only 30 minutes ago about food waste

There is a new web site going live at 0900 this morning with loads of tips [so they said], but for the life of me I can't remember what it was called

The new website that they referred to is:

http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/

Looks interesting!

Debt_Free_Chick

OK - you're not only preparing and cooking too much, but you're buying too much if you're throwing raw veg away.

Keep it simple .... start by buying less. You'll need to experiment to get it right, but simply buy less.

At the same time prepare a little less. I think many of us have a tendency to overestimate the amount one person can eat, let alone 2, 3 or more. And then we tend to "throw a couple extra in, just in case". Well stop it

Buy less, prepare less and then re-evaluate after a couple of weeks.

If you run out of veg, you can always substitute pulses .... not for 10 meals running! Just for the odd one, here and there

rosieben

Churchmouse wrote: »

And to shove in my twopenneth:D My grandmother, and even my mother would have thought nothing of reheating (cooking?) food twice or more! Nowadays the food police are on us in an instant. Cook once, reheat once, then bin:mad: Also food does not *go off* at the stroke of midnight on its *date*, and back then food wasn't dated:rotfl: I do throw some food away because I don't *trust* it and my mother used to be horrified:o

I think if they want us to use leftovers (wish my greedy lot left some!) then they'll have to rethink a lot of their food doctrine.

You're so right!! I remember my mother would make a huge pan of stew (I am the youngest of 8) and that would be reheated over 3 days or however long it could be stretched with extra potatoes and dumplings added. I am careful with out of date stuff, but if it looks ok, smells ok and has been stored properly I usually take a chance, and I use the 'does it float in water' test for eggs.

thriftlady_2

Jolaaled wrote: »

The new website that they referred to is:

http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/

Looks interesting!

It does look good, but I did feel a little patronised when reading it -the phrase 'teaching your grandmother to suck eggs' came to mind .

I also thought the portion suggestions were inaccurate, children have widely differing capacities for food. My youngest eats far less than my eldest for instance, and teenage boys eat more than any other group.

There was a misused apostrophe too, and if there is one thing that really annoys me it is misused apostrophes . This is an official campaign after all :rolleyes:

By the way Sola don't forget that frozen veg is as good for you as fresh. If you are worried you might run out of veg by buying less you can always have a stash of frozen as back up.