The kitchen might be the room of the house where we waste the most, mainly in terms of food waste. Fortunately, there are several ways we can tackle this issue, at least in our homes.
In 2011, FAO estimated that nearly 1/3 of the food is wasted every year all around the world.
Here are 5 easy ways to reduce food-related waste:
1. Meal planning and buying only what you actually need. The easiest way to reduce food waste is to plan meals and make lists before going grocery shopping. This way, you'll only buy what you need, without stocking too much food you won't be able to eat.
2. Long live the leftovers! If you can't eat everything you cook, remember that leftovers come in really handy when you don't have time to prepare your lunch (or don't feel like it). Alternatively, you could give them to your neighbors or freeze them.
3. Looking for ways to use every part of the ingredients that you cook. Take oranges, for instance: you can use them to make juice, use the peel to make infusions and put the pulp in the dough of cakes and cookies.
4. Storing food the best way you can. Correct food storage can lengthen the ingredients' lifespan. Ingredients like flour, pasta, rice, and legumes, for instance, must be stored in cool, dry and moist places.
Generally speaking, it's always a good idea to keep glass jars (from the sauces and jams that you buy, for example) and use them to store food. With time, I have collected many of them, which I use to store dried fruit, seeds and grains (each one has its own label - some call it obsessive, I call it organised).
To cover leftovers, instead of disposable plastic film, it would be better to reuse empty jars, use airtight containers, silicone covers or other food wraps (like bee's wrap, or for those wanting an alternative that doesn't involve beeswax, there are wraps made of candelilla wax, but I haven't tried them yet).
For limited time periods, simply using a plate to cover the leftovers bowl is usually more than enough.
5. Buying bulk product. In several shops, it's possible to buy bulk goods, which enables us to buy only what we need and avoid plastic packaging and wrapping. If you want to give it a shot, that's another good reason to keep your empty jars!
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