EASY WAYS TO REDUCE FOOD WASTE
Here’s some handy tips on how to make the most of your food!
How should you store food to minimise food waste?
Knowing how to store food properly will reduce the amount of food waste you produce significantly. Here are some tips to get you started:
Store raw meats on one of the lower shelves on your fridge to stop crosscontamination of products if there are any leaks.
Keep goods that expire quickly at the front of your fridge so that you don’t forget about them.
Clean out your fridge once a week and your freezer once a month.
If you are meal-prepping or batch cooking, label each dish so that you can remember exactly when you cooked it.
Ensure that you know how each food item should be stored – be that within the fridge or at room temperature. If you are unsure, check the packaging.
Which foods can be frozen?
You’d be surprised at the range of foods that can be frozen! Meat, fish, bread, cheese, milk, cream, eggs, cake, nuts, pulses, rice, pasta, herbs, fruit, vegetables… the list goes on and on!
And here are some of our favourite freezing hacks:
Blitz bread crusts or stale slices into breadcrumbs. Pop into a container, label and freeze to use another time. Use for crumble or pasta bake topping, adding to stuffing, or thickening sauces.
Freeze chopped herbs in an ice-cube tray, covered with some water. Once frozen, the cubes can be removed from the tray and placed in a reusable bag for easy storage. You can add them from frozen to casseroles, stews and sauces.
Grated or blocks of cheese can be stored in the freezer for up to 6 months. Defrost in the fridge. Perfect for cheese on toast, adding to an omelette, or to top pizza or pasta bakes.
Packaged food can be frozen right up until the Use By date.
TIP - The freezer really is your friend when it comes to making your food last longer. Remember to label everything clearly with the contents, portion sizes and the date before freezing.
How do I know if my fruit and vegetables are still OK to eat?
Wrinkly peppers? All good.
Green bits and sprouts on potatoes? Just remove them and use the rest.
Bendy carrots?! Yep, still good to eat.
If you have fruit and vegetables that have gone a bit mushy or wrinkly, they’re still ok to eat. As long as there are no visible signs of mould or rot.
Over-ripe fruit like brown bananas and squishy berries are perfect for baking or to make a delicious smoothie. And vegetables can be used up in sauces and soups.
TIP - The best place to store fruit and vegetables is in the fridge. (Apart from pineapples, bananas and onions). This will make them stay fresher for longer. The fridge should be set at below 5°C.
Can I freeze rice? Yes! If it’s cooled quickly. Place the container of rice in cold water and freeze once it’s cold. Ideally within an hour. Put it into an airtight container and label with the contents, portion size and date. You can store rice in the freezer for 3 months or in the fridge for 24 hours.
The best way to defrost rice is in the fridge. Once defrosted use within 24 hours. Or you can defrost it in the microwave on ‘defrost’ mode directly before using it.
Reheat it in the oven or microwave until it’s piping hot.
Rice can only be reheated once. We do not recommend reheating rice from a takeaway because it may have been pre-cooked and reheated before it was served to you.
TIP - Cook the correct portion of rice in the first place! A mug-full of uncooked rice is enough for four adults. Or roughly 75g per person.
What’s the difference between Use By and Best Before dates?
Use By relates to safety. This is the most important date to remember. Food can be eaten up until and on the Use By date, but not after.
Best Before relates to quality. Food will be safe to eat after this date, but it may not be at its best. Use your judgement to decide.
For more information about ways to reduce food waste, check out https://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/