Waste Not, Want Not - How To Reduce Waste

Looking for the best deals is only one way the first step in stretching the pound. After you’ve stocked up your kitchen, the next thing is to maximise your use of the ingredients you’ve got.

Meat Stock

Save bones and meat trimmings in a freezer bag till you have a substantial amount — making stock can take time, so making it in large batches is most economical. Put the bones and trimmings in a pot and add enough water to cover the main ingredients.

•          Bring the stock to boil, removing as much froth as you can.
•          Reduce the heat till there is only minimal bubbling.
•          After a few hours, strain out the bones and trimmings, taking care to scoop out any fat. Reduce the strained stock further.
•          Freeze in an ice tray.

Tip: leftover juice from roasts can also be put in the stock, directly in soups, or as sauce for stir-fries.

Vegetable Stock

Meaty leftovers make a good stock base, but so do your vegetable cuttings. We might not want to eat the skin and ends of onions or carrots, but they are still packed with flavour and nutrients. To do so, simply freeze your vegetable leftovers in a freezer bag. When the bag is full, you can make some stock! (Idea from here, read for tips.)

•          Coarsely chop and fry an onion till it’s almost brown.
•          Add the vegetable leftovers and cover with water.
•          Bring to boil, then simmer for about 45 minutes.
•          Strain out and discard the vegetables, before freezing the stock in an ice tray.

If you make your own vegetable stock with regular vegetables, here are some ideas to repurpose the left over vegetables 

Small Bits

We’ve all found ourselves with a few cracked bits of pasta, half a stalk of broccoli, a handful of beans…the list goes on. It’d be a waste to throw these bits and pieces out, but sometimes we’re not quite sure what to do with them. Here are some ideas to put those bits to use:

• In minestrone soup  — pasta bits come in extra handy!
• In a frittata 

If you’ve a slice or two of stale bread, make croutons for soup and salads! They’re good as snacks too. Cut each slice into small cubes, drizzle with olive oil, season with herbs of your choice, and bake at 180ºC for 10-15 minutes.

Tired Vegetables

Vegetables beginning to go limp don’t make for inspiring eating, especially if you’re already having trouble getting your child to eat them. What can you do with them?

• Put them in the freezer bag with the rest of the vegetable leftovers to make into stock.
• Make soup, such as this lettuce soup  or adapt this versatile recipe 
• Fry them in batter to make vegetable tempura. Some tips: mix the batter for less than a minute, ensure the batter is cold, mix some sesame oil into the vegetable oil, and avoid overcrowding the pan.

Why not read our one of our other "Waste Not, Want Not Articles".

Thanks to volunteer Jodi Chiang for this article