Home is where the food is. How you cook, serve and reuse food can ensure you get great value for your money, have really tasty meals and also reduce food waste a lot.

 

 

But where does the food waste come from in your kitchen? Most people think that it is from plate scrapings at the end of a meal - is this the case for you or is it in the preparation??

 

If you have the typical Irish mammy then your plate will be loaded with food. But is this too much for you? It has been found that you can reduce the amount of food on a plate by 1/4 and people will still be happy and content with their lot.

 

So check out where the food waste comes from in your house, you might be surprised what you find.

 

Below are a series of tips for the kitchen. Or have a look in Random Recipies for ideas about simple, healthy and filling meals made from leftovers and basic kitchen ingredients.

 

LOW WASTE COOKERY TIPS!

 

Use your freezer but don’t forget what’s in there for 3 years!

Make sure your fridge and freezer are maintained properly - this will ensure food is cooled properly and saves on electricity costs too

Packs of meat and fish can be separated into smaller pieces for the freezer so you can take out the right amount you need

Use correct portion sizes - these are usually included on the packet instructions - the tricky part is following them!

Try using the same measuring method each time - you'll learn what suits you and those you live with

Use leftovers to make delicious and cheap meals - try this once a week - call it the last supper!

If you are unsure about portions, make a bit extra and have it for lunch or the next evenings meal. Otherwise you can freeze it for another day

Soups are easy to make from leftovers - a tasty lunch for tomorrow

Make stock with leftovers and freeze it as ice cubes - these can be stored in the freezer and used when needed. This also works great for red wine...if there is any left in the bottle!