by Michael Smith
Have you ever felt you were throwing away more food than you were eating? It would appear that that is exactly what we are doing, whether in Britain or the USA. In fact we all throw away tons and tons of perfectly good food every year simply because we did not store it properly, or also because we assume that the “best before” date on a product means that it cannot be used a day or so afterwards. A “use by” date is a different story.
Many people do not buy much fresh produce because they are afraid that it will go bad before it gets eaten. The problem is that often people simply store fruit and vegetables wrong. Bananas, for instance, must never be put together with other fruit as the, the bananas, give off a gas that will cause apples, pears, and other fruit to go off much quicker than would normally be the case.
The proper kind of storage can make your produce last longer and, doing it right, you can avoid throwing good food – well it was before it went rotten – into the trash or the compost heap.
If you think everything should be stored in the refrigerator think again. Some people seem to stuff just about everything into the fridge but that could be the wrong place entirely for some produce. Potatoes, for instance, should never be refrigerated.
Avoiding wasted food is a bit like getting free food. OK, I know, you did pay for it to start with but I am sure you know what I mean.
Improper storage very often is the cause of food going to waste, in our homes as much as elsewhere. This can, however, be avoided by employing some rather simple storage habits which may help your food stay fresh days – if not months, even:
Apples
Store apples on the counter, away from other produce. For long-term storage, wrap perfect apples (no spots, bruises or blemishes) individually in paper. Then, place them in a box and store in a cool, dark place.
Bananas
Store bananas at room temperature until they ripen. Store ripe bananas in the refrigerator to impede further ripening.
Note: When you refrigerate or freeze bananas, the peel will turn black, but the fruit will still be good.
Do not store bananas with other fruit. Bananas exude a gas that will prematurely spoil other fruit.
Bread
Store bread in a breadbox or on the counter. The best kind would be of wood.
Butter
Store butter in its original packaging inside the refrigerator compartment (not inside the door). Butter can also be frozen for up to six months.
Cheese
Remove cheese from its original packaging. Then, re-wrap it in a piece of plastic wrap or wax paper, and seal it inside a plastic bag. Some hard cheese benefit from being packaged in a breathable cloth, such as muslin, and then stored in the fridge.
Eggs
Store eggs in their original carton inside the refrigerator and not inside the refrigerator door, despite the fact that the inside of the fridge door tends to have a compartment for eggs; use that for something else.
Flour
Freeze flour for 48 hours to kill any insect eggs that might be present. Then, place in a tight-sealing container; and store in a cool, dry spot away from sunlight. Keep whole-grain flours in the refrigerator or freezer to extend their life.
Garlic
Store heads of garlic unpeeled in an open container in a cool, dry place. For long-term storage, garlic can also be dried and braided.
Honey
Store honey in a cool, dark place in an air-tight container. No need to put it in the fridge though.
Lettuce
Remove the lettuce from its store packaging. Then, wrap it in paper toweling, and place it in an open storage bag.
Mushrooms
Store fresh mushrooms in a paper bag inside of the refrigerator. Do not keep them in the crisper.
Nuts
Store nuts in the shell until you are ready to use them. Refrigerate or freeze any that you plan to keep for more than three months.
Onions
Store whole onions in a cool, dark place away from moisture. For bulk storage, cut the legs off of a pair of pantyhose; drop an onion into one of the legs, and tie it off. Then, drop in another onion and tie it off again. Continue doing this until the legs are full. Then, hang.
Note: Potatoes give off a gas that ripens onions, so be sure to store them separately.
Pineapples
Store whole pineapples unwrapped in the refrigerator. Store cut pineapples in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.
Potatoes
Store potatoes unwashed in a paper bag, pantyhose or a similarly vented container. Then, place in a cool, dark and dry spot. Not so long ago I reviewed the “Potato Bag” from Lakeland and I must say that it certainly does the job. The same can also be achieved with a good old-fashioned burlap or Hessian sack, like those that peanuts often come in to the stores., if a potato sack itself it too bog for your storage requirements.
Tomatoes
Store tomatoes at room temperature. Keep out of the sun, once they have ripened.
The correct storage of food is what will keep it from spoiling too early and keep us from wasting food. We can certainly here take a few leaves out of the books of the old ones who managed to keep food better than we seem to do today.
© M Smith (Veshengro), 2009
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Free Food by Avoiding Wasted Food
Love your leftovers
A food waste reduction campaign by Sainsbury's
by Michael Smith
The “Love Your Leftovers” campaign was begun by J Sainsbury Ltd., one of Britain's biggest supermarket company, as a response to the findings in a report that identified that vast amount of still perfectly good food is being thrown away by the people. Often this is due to people not understanding that “Best Before Date” does not equal and mean “Throw Before-” or “Throw By Date” and most treat the BBE date as an indication that food should be thrown away by that time, which is not the case.
I must say that I have seen people do just that with comments such as “it's out of date”.
If it is meat or fish or poultry then, as far as I am concerned, if it say “use by” then that is a different story but...
Aside from that there are leftovers from meals that also get thrown and all of which, in most cases, ends up in landfill. Here the composting food, together with everything else rotting down, creates methane gas (and other gases) and methane gas is reckoned to be the most dangerous climate change gas.
This issue as to the methane gas from the landfill would, to some extent, be irrelevant if the UK, like other countries, would tap the methane gas and use it, but, alas, until then we must reduce the organic materials that go into landfill.
Suddenly, I am aware, the British Labor government has yet again got a step closer to inventing the wheel as they are now in favor – what kept them, one can but ask – of anaerobic digestion and power generation from the gas.
But it has, yet again, taken millions of Pounds Sterling to find this out in the first place and, apparently, we now need another ten million for yet another study on this as to whether it can actually be done in Britain. But, I guess, I digressed, yet again. Happes, I know.
The problem that so much leftover food is going to waste is because we, in the UK especially, have lost the art of cooking with leftovers. I know of people who, for instance, love “Bubble and Squeak” but who, because they have no idea of how to make it (with leftovers) go and buy it ready made to cook in microwave or over. This is sad.
We must take a leaf out of the book of wartime cooking and of the cooking in rural areas in, for instance, the USA, in order to learn to cook like that again. The recipes of World War II in Britain (and the USA, I am sure) should provide a great source of how to cook with leftovers. It is a shame that they have not as yet been republished. Maybe someone could do that.
Most people do not know, and I am addressing here the men as much as the women, how to cook from scratch and especially, as said already, how to make tasty meals from leftovers. Time to take some real good lessons from the past.
Our ancestors – mine particularly, but then we are a Gypsy family – knew how to conjure up tasty and wholesome meals from nigh on nothing and especially from leftover foods.
All that the great majority, so at least it would appear, of the people are capable of is to throw leftovers away. Then again, mind you, often the leftovers are from takeout meals of various origins and reheating them may not be a good idea; in some cases that is for certain. Reheating rice too often and incorrectly could be fatal.
For its campaign “Love Your Leftovers” Sainsbury's has also brought out a little brochure in accompaniment by that titles, namely “Love Your Leftovers” with a couple of ideas and recipes.
A whole series of recipes, as Sainsbury's have done for other subjects, for this campaign and issue in order to literally teach – yes, teach – people how to make wholesome meals from leftovers that the entire family would want to eat.
Such a venture, a series of recipe cards, especially if given away free in store, like the other ones, could go some way in reducing food waste.
I think it would really be nice if we could have some “Love Your Leftovers” recipe cards – and entire collection – about in the same way as the “Feed Your Family For A Fiver” and such.
In addition to such cards recipes using leftovers could be made available downloadable on the websites.
© M Smith (Veshengro), October 2008
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National campaign aims to reduce food waste by changing the nation's approach to leftovers and food storage
- Research reveals widespread confusion between “best before” and “use by dates”, contributing to significant waste
- Sainsbury's pledges to help shoppers understand that “best before” does not mean “bin before”
- “Catwalk cookery” obsession contributes to throwaway culture
- Fruit bowls are a major contributor to waste, research finds
National YouGov research for Sainsbury's points to potential confusion between use by dates and best before dates. When asked whether they saw a “use by date” or a “best before date” as a cue to throw away food, 31% and 24% of respondents said yes respectively. The research carried out for Sainsbury's reveals that almost a quarter of Britons throw food away once past its “best before date” even though it may be perfectly edible.
Sainsbury's head of brand policy and sustainability, Alison Austin, said: “Consumer reactions to 'use by' and 'best before' dates are largely similar despite the fundamental difference in their meanings. 'Use by' is an instruction and 'best before' is guidance. The implications of this misunderstanding are that households are throwing away substantial volumes of food on its 'best before' date when it may be perfectly edible. Sainsbury's will take the lead in communicating the important message that best before does not mean bin before and we would like to see cross-industry collaboration on this point.”
The research also indicates a growing obsession with perfect looking 'catwalk cookery' that is contributing to a throwaway culture, with a new generation of cooks losing touch with the value of leftovers, a cornerstone of British cookery for centuries. Almost a quarter (22%) of 18-24 year olds throw away fruit and vegetables as soon as they have lost their perfect look. Alison Austin commented: “Once they've been in the home for a few days, fruit and vegetables can look a bit bruised or tired but they're probably still tasty and perfectly edible.”
“We are so used to seeing 'catwalk cookery' on TV, with its use of perfect-looking ingredients, that we have forgotten how to use leftovers to make meals that the family will love. With a little creativity it's easy to turn leftovers into a culinary delight. Using leftovers, particularly fruit and vegetables, helps meet the five a day targets and saves money.”
Sainsbury's and Good Housekeeping magazine are forming a campaigning alliance, encouraging a new generation of cooks to develop the cookery and home economics skills of their grandmothers and at the same time help the environment and save money.
The campaign, launched in the July issue of Good Housekeeping magazine and backed up by practical advice in all Sainsbury's stores and online, urges shoppers to change their habits and start using leftovers from meals such as the Sunday lunch in other dishes.
Louise Chunn, editor of Good Housekeeping magazine, says: “We're delighted to join forces with Sainsbury's in its “Love Your Leftovers campaign”. With food waste currently topping the news agenda, this initiative will hopefully inspire the nation to think before throwing out perfectly good food. Well be running a series of Tried and Tested tips, celebrity recipes and Good Housekeeping Institute favourites in the magazine for the next eight months. This campaign will not only help UK households save money and reduce waste, but also give leftovers a new lease of life.”
Sainsbury's is creating an online archive of advice on leftover cookery that will also offer tips and recipes to inspire better use of leftover food and is asking its 16.5 million customers to contribute their own ideas for tasty, money-saving recipes.
Alison Austin added: “This campaign is all about showing people that leftovers don't have to be binned. Stews and casseroles often taste better after a day in the fridge when flavours have infused and leftovers can be used in everything from fruit smoothies to cottage pies and home made soups.”
Shoppers will also be urged to store fruit and vegetables in the fridge and only put out in the fruit bowl what is needed for the next day or two. The supermarket has pledged to work closely with campaign group Love Food Hate Waste to discover why so much fresh produce is thrown out. Initial research shows that fruit and veg stored in the fridge can keep fresh for up to two weeks longer and now Sainsbury's will become the first supermarket to display advice on the refrigeration of loose fruit and vegetables in its stores.
Despite the benefits of refrigeration, research shows that 63 per cent of people store most fruit in an open food bowl.
Good Housekeeping and Sainsbury's tips to Bin Less and Save Money:
- Before doing the weekly shop, check whats in the fridge and consider what you can make from it.
- Try to plan a weeks recipes in advance, with use of leftovers firmly in mind.
- Keep your cupboard stocked with herbs, spices, sauces and pickles, all of which can add a magic touch to leftovers.
- Bring back to life food that looks past its best with a little culinary know-how. Cube stale bread and toast for croutons or whiz in a food processor to make breadcrumbs. Cook an onion until soft and add any combination of vegetables for a great soup.
- Pour remnants of wine into ice-cube trays and freeze. Use the frozen cubes to boost the flavours of gravies or sauces.
- Slice leftover lemons or limes and freeze. Add to squash or water to boost the flavour.
- After a roast, cooked lamb leftovers can be used in a moussaka or shepherds pie and shredded chicken or pork in a stir-fry.
Source: 1238.com
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