Create Less Waste: Here’s How…

Do you enjoy few things more than the day your meal-prep kit arrives in the post? Brands like HelloFresh and Gousto are taking cooking at home to new and exciting levels – and guess what? It’s also been revealed that the boxes (which come complete with recipe cards and all the ingredients you need to make a fresh and delicious meal) are actually better for the environment.

A piece on The Guardian website states: “Researchers at the School of Environment and Sustainability found that, on average, while kits provided by companies like Blue Apron, Sun Basket and HelloFresh often do involve more packaging waste, the emissions for grocery store meals carried two kilograms more of carbon dioxide per meal than those of the meal-prep kits.”

But what if you don’t sign subscribe to an often costly meal-prep box? How can you ‘do your bit’ and still eat well? Here at My Appliances, we’re committed to looking after the world we live in – and we wanted to share with you some tips from the team.

Our advice may help you cut your food waste drastically and ensure you think about the meals you’re cooking and how you can make your money go further, too. Read on…

Consider a Time When Food Was in Short Supply…

During the war, food was in short supply – and families literally couldn’t afford to waste it. With wartime rations dictating what was on the menu, people had to be creative with their meals. Leftovers had to be used wisely, too.

There’s absolutely no harm in adopting the same approach, planning your meals accordingly and making a conscious effort to use every last ingredient before it ends up in the bin.

Have your bananas turned black? Well, they’re perfect for a banana loaf.

Lemons which are past their best can be used to flavour your water – and vegetable peelings can be used in vegetarian baking. By thinking more creatively, you can ensure everything is put to good use. So start now and consider this: you may be able to wait a day or two longer until your next supermarket visit. Hooray!

Plan Your Meals

Don’t just head to the supermarket and throw things in the trolley, ‘willy nilly’. Instead, think about what you’d like to cook before you shop for the ingredients. That way, you’ll know nothing is going to waste.

Sure, frozen food items are fine to stock up on – especially if they’re on offer. But think carefully about the amount of fresh food you need. If, for example, you know you’re going to be out for much of the weekend (or away on holiday) plan ahead and use up what you have in the cupboards well in advance.

By putting together a meal plan, you can get the whole family involved and only shop for what you need.

Stir Fry It!

Have some veg that needs using up? Add it to a stir fry! Better yet, bung it in a soup. Even if it’s slightly past its best-by date, when blended you’ll hardly tell. Of course, make sure you don’t eat anything that’s mouldy, smelly or way past its best. But if it’s simply a case of your leeks not being quite as fresh as you’d like, you won’t notice the difference in a leek and tatey soup.

Bung ’em in the pan, blitz – and enjoy!

What are your top tips to reduce food waste? Let us know over on our Facebook page.

Until next time…