How to make your food last longer!

by Rachel Robson on 03 July 2009  |  4 comments
Tweet

Find out how you can make your food last longer and reduce waste - which, in turn, will help you to pocket some extra pennies!

Food is always a good topic to get a discussion going. After all, we all have to buy it and most of us love a good rant about how much money it costs us.

Unfortunately, despite the cost, a lot of food gets wasted each year and many of us chuck food in the bin when it's actually perfectly edible.

So this blog is all about how you can make your food last longer and reduce waste - which, in turn, will help you to pocket some extra pennies!

Here are my six top tips:

1) It's freezing!

It might sound obvious, but if you know you're not going to eat certain foods before the use by date, then freeze them (providing they're freezable of course)! Unless you're definitely going to get through that loaf of bread before it goes stale, you're much better off freezing it and taking out what you need when.

Similarly, if you've got any leftovers, it's a good idea to bung them in the freezer and make use of them when you can.

2) Milking it

If you want to make your milk last longer, transfer it to a glass bottle rather than plastic one. It's also better to keep it on the fridge shelf, rather than the fridge door. The fridge door tends to be at a higher temperature due to constant opening/closing - not good for your milk.

3) Saucy jars

If you've opened a jar of sauce and have only used part of it, you can prevent it from going mouldy by turning it upside down and putting it back in the fridge! That's because no air can reach the lid surface, so no mould can grow!

4) Oh honey!

If your honey has gone a bit sugary, simply pop it in the microwave for a few seconds and watch it return to its usual runny self. You could also place a jar of crystallised honey over hot water and wait for the granules to dissolve.

Store honey in a dry cupboard, and ensure the cap is on tight as honey tends to absorb moisture.

5) Versatile veggies

Don't wash vegetables before refrigerating them. Certain veggies such as lettuce, spinach and broccoli, need to be stored in plastic bags. That's because these veggies lose moisture fast and the plastic bag will help them to retain this moisture.

Other vegetables such as peppers and cucumbers are better off being stored loosely in the fridge, while aubergines, butternut squash and potatoes should be kept in a cool, dry place.

6) Fresher flour

If you want to stop weevils and bugs getting into your flour and other grains, a good tip is to put a bay leaf or two on top of the flour. Keep the flour in an air-tight container in a cool place. And if you're really worried, put the flour into the freezer for a few days to kill the larvae/bugs and then keep cool.

Finally, if you're looking for recipes to help use up your leftovers, check out Lovefoodhatewaste.com for ideas.