Freezing food that you won’t be able to finish before its expiration date is another effective way to minimize waste. Almost everything can be frozen and defrosted to perfection when done properly (e.g. placing items in the fridge overnight).
Just don’t forget about what you’ve frozen and accidentally double up on ingredients. Regularly look inside your freezer to know what’s available to you before going to the grocery store.
3. Plan and Prep Meals in Advance
Pay close attention to sell-by and expiration dates on all food items, especially those labeled on produce and dairy products. By creating a weekly meal plan for you and your family, only buying what you need—while taking expiration dates into account—you can ensure that food doesn’t rot under your watch.
Prepping meals is an excellent idea, but don’t overdo it by cooking up excessively large quantities of one dish. You don’t want to find yourself unable to eat everything before it goes bad, or worse, avoiding pre-made meals because you’re burnt out!
5. Use Every Ingredient in Your Kitchen
We’ve all stood in front of the fridge, hungrily scanning full shelves for snacks and thinking “I have nothing to eat!”—only to realize the irony of the situation.
To avoid doing this, consider adopting a minimalist lifestyle. It’ll help save you money and protect the environment because its driven by the idea that every product should be used in full (minimalists rarely have more than they need). And the same principle can be applied to our eating habits. Knowing what ingredients you have, using “the whole fish” and buying bulk are all ways of being resourceful.
Wasting food is, unfortunately, easy to do. But there are countless ways to break this habit. Maximizing every ingredient in your kitchen (in a timely manner) goes a long way towards saving the environment and your bank accounts. Waste not, want not—right?
Looking for more ways to reduce food waste? See our tips for extending the shelf life of Tilapia.
Photo Credits: Bogdan Sonjachnyj / Shutterstock Inc., Africa Studio / Shutterstock Inc., yurakrasil / Shutterstock Inc.
