Top 5 wasted foods - and how you can make the most out of them
Here is a little top list of the five most wasted foods and how to make the most of them at home. One thing that shouldn't go unmentioned is of course that it all starts with buying the right amount of what you use. Start planning your shopping and you will save money och throw away less food!
#1 Bread
Bread is wasted in HUGE amounts, both in the homes and in retail. Good news is that bread freezes very well, so be sure to put it in the freezer if you’re not using it right away. If the bread goes stale, there are many things you can do easily to upcycle it. Turn it into croutons or breadcrumbs, it’s super simple.
#2 Milk
According to Wrap, more than half a million tonnes of dairy products are wasted every year – with the majority thrown away in the homes. Things you can do to reduce that number is to keep your fridge at a temperature below 5°C. This will keep your milk fresh longer. You can also freeze it like ice cubes and use them in fruit smoothies or in iced coffees. The retailers are also taking action on the dairy wastage by scrapping the use by-labels. Read more about that here.
#3 Potatoes
Another highly wasted item is the potato. The first thing you can do to make them last longer is to store them properly. Best practice is to store them in a dark and dry place. Also store them in breathable bags like paper or burlap, not plastic. If you have leftover cooked potatoes there are many ways of saving them, such as making potato cakes or gnocchi that can be freezed to be used later. Back in the 70’s, standard procedure in grocery stores was to sell the potatoes unwashed. By leaving the potato with soil on them it blocks out the light and slows down their natural decay. Maybe that would be an idea to bring back?
#4 Cheese
Different sorts of cheeses last different amounts of time of course. But if we talk about hard cheeses they can last for quite some time. Store a hard cheese correctly by packaging it in parchment paper instead of tightly wrapping it in saran wrap. The cheese needs to breathe. If you have too much cheese just grate it and freeze it and use it for cooking. No reason to throw it out, even if some mould appears, you can cut that piece out and use the rest.
#5 Apples
Millions and millions of apples get wasted every year. To make apples last longer you should clean and dry them and then store them in a cold, dark and well-ventilated place. Apple can also dried into apple snacks in the oven or, yes you guessed right, you can also FREEZE THEM.
Let’s give the freezer the love it deserves 👏👏👏 A true food waste hero.
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