Food waste reduction: cooking with scraps and other food saving tips

Food waste reduction fact: food waste is worse than plastic

Saying that food waste is worse for the environment than plastic is a pretty bold statement. But is it true? It’s widely known that the plastic problem is wreaking havoc on our planet. Destroying precious ecosystems, floating in the oceans or laying in landfill for generations to come. Not to mention releasing dangerous gases and chemicals into the air, soil and waterways as it gradually breaks down.

But according to research from WRAP UK’s Love Food Hate Waste initiative, 4.5 million tonnes of edible food is wasted in UK households every year. This is not only expensive for us as consumers – we effectively scrape £500 into our household bins every year – but also damaging for the environment.

When food waste is put in landfill, it starts to rot, releasing gases including methane into the atmosphere. Whilst methane is a more short-lived greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, it is still about 28 times more powerful than CO2 at trapping heat energy over a 100-year timescale. This means that our household food waste (not to mention waste from farms, restaurants, supermarkets and other areas) is having a worse effect on climate change than plastic. So what can we do about reducing our food waste at home, in our kitchens?

Food waste reduction tip #1: stop peeling everything!

A few years ago, my husband did an Indian cooking course. He learnt to make some pretty delicious recipes, and I must remind him that he hasn’t made them for a while. But the most valuable piece of information he brought home is that we do not need to peel everything we are currently peeling. 

Take a carrot for instance. Why are we peeling carrots? The skin is perfectly edible. It’s not woody, or bitter, or in any way offensive. The worst thing about it is that it’s maybe a bit muddy. But it’s surely easier to wash it than peel it.

This goes for so many things we might default to peeling. Roast potatoes are absolutely delicious and extra crunchy with the skins left on.  If we forget our obsession with super-smooth mashed potato, leaving the skins on adds texture, flavour and saves time too!

Note: as potatoes are listed in the “dirty dozen” in terms of residual pesticides (even after peeling), it’s best to buy organic potatoes if at all possible. However, this is not an option for many people so if you’re using non-organic, make sure you give them a good scrub before using them.

The most surprising thing my husband learnt on that course is that even ginger doesn’t need peeling. If you’re mincing or chopping it finely enough, you’ll never notice the skin is still there.

So next time you’re cooking, think about whether you really need to take the skin off.

Food waste reduction tip #2: cooking with scraps

Once we have assessed whether it’s really necessary to peel that parsnip or chop the end off that runner bean, it’s time to take the things we’d usually throw in the bin and start cooking with scraps! One of the most effective ways to reduce food waste is by creating delicious recipes with peel, seeds, ends and leaves.

Carrot top pesto

A delicious alternative to the basil variety, this carrot top pesto recipe from Fork In The Road is a fantastic way to use up the green tops of carrots. It includes parmesan cheese but is easily made totally plant-based by using dairy-free parmesan or nutritional yeast. This is also a very good reason to go and buy carrots with their tops intact from your local greengrocer, rather than the pre-cut supermarket variety. More bang for your buck, generally tastier and no plastic packaging. Once you get into the habit of regularly making pesto with your carrot greens, it doesn’t even feel like you’re cooking with scraps anymore – it feels like you’re using something delicious and edible to make dinner!

Crispy potato peelings

If you really do want smooth, creamy mash and you end up having some potato peelings ready to be composted, wait! These spicy potato peel crisps from Vegan On Board are SO moreish and delicious, you’ll be making them all the time and wondering what to do with all the leftover peeled potatoes you end up with.

Banana peel sandwich – food, not waste!

This is probably the weirdest suggestion I’ve come across, but stick with me. In an effort to use as much of the food she buys as possible, Ailuna co-founder Helene was looking into recipes for cooking with scraps and found this pulled pork-style sandwich.  I never would have thought that there would be a use for the peel from all the bananas our family gets through each week, but this is one recipe that I REALLY can’t wait to try.

Stock from vegetable food “waste”

Roasted seeds

Another thing we tend to throw away without thinking is seeds. Whether it’s from a pumpkin, a butternut squash or a melon, they are only good for the compost, right? Absolutely not right!

Most seeds can be tossed in oil and seasonings and be roasted into a tasty snack, or to be used to sprinkle on risotto or pasta dishes or as an addition to homemade cereal bars.  I love this recipe from The Spruce Eats for roasted watermelon seeds, and these sugar and spice roasted squash seeds from Teaspoon of Spice. Seeds are also nutritional powerhouses, containing loads of good-for-you macronutrients and vitamins. So don’t throw them, roast them! 

Aquafaba – magical chickpea water

Reducing kitchen waste doesn’t just stop at fresh ingredients. Until recently, I’ve spent years just draining the water out of my tins of chickpeas until I heard it had a name – aquafaba. Aquafaba is all the rage in the egg-free cooking world at the moment. It can be whipped to create beautiful meringues or meringue cream, and chocolate mousse. Or if you’re more of a savoury fan, you can use it to make delicious egg-free mayonnaise and quiche! Food blogger Lets Eat Smart has some amazing ideas on her site – well worth a look.