Or use an old pillow case and store in a cool dark cupboard.
What food item do you waste the most ?
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Bread- I hate it but need it for OHs pack up
Milk- always seems to go off before its finished
Bananas- go mushy and over ripe so quickly- sometimes I make banana cake but there's only so much cake you can eat
Milk- always seems to go off before its finished
Bananas- go mushy and over ripe so quickly- sometimes I make banana cake but there's only so much cake you can eat
Green peppers - I buy the bag of "traffic light" peppers (red, yellow, green), and whilst I'll use the red and yellow ones in the week, never seem to find much to do with the green one so it usually ends up in the bin, I suppose I should just buy a single red and single yellow pepper, but the thought's never occured to me until now 
There's little else I do throw away, although my fiance will often throw away perfectly good onions just because the date on the label has gone past. I've used onions 2-3 weeks past their "best before" date and never had a problem - sometimes I'll have to peel off a couple of the outer layers if they've gone soft, but nothing drastic. Same with potatoes - fiance throws them out because they've got a bit of green on, I'll just chop the green bit off and carry on.
There's little else I do throw away, although my fiance will often throw away perfectly good onions just because the date on the label has gone past. I've used onions 2-3 weeks past their "best before" date and never had a problem - sometimes I'll have to peel off a couple of the outer layers if they've gone soft, but nothing drastic. Same with potatoes - fiance throws them out because they've got a bit of green on, I'll just chop the green bit off and carry on.
Bags of salad & bananas.
Most of the time it's my lazy OH who doesn't put the salad back in the salad draw & it touches the back of the fridge & goes black! He's actually done it to a bag of spinach that was fine last night!
Most of the time it's my lazy OH who doesn't put the salad back in the salad draw & it touches the back of the fridge & goes black! He's actually done it to a bag of spinach that was fine last night!
Bread.
It is so difficult to find the right size loaf for a single person.
The best size is the half loaf, but they don't do it at my local shop.
The small size doesn't last long enough and the full size is way too big.
It is so difficult to find the right size loaf for a single person.
The best size is the half loaf, but they don't do it at my local shop.
The small size doesn't last long enough and the full size is way too big.
Bagged salads going slimy.
I have some guacamole and hummous out of date - wonder whether I can eat them
I have some guacamole and hummous out of date - wonder whether I can eat them
Originally Posted by Cstar2229:
“Bagged salads going slimy.
I have some guacamole and hummous out of date - wonder whether I can eat them”
“Bagged salads going slimy.
I have some guacamole and hummous out of date - wonder whether I can eat them”
IMO, the best bagged salad is 'Florette' - Tesco's own is dreadful - Lidl's isn't bad.
As for the dips - depends how many days they're out of date tbh - they will feel 'sour' & 'fizzy' on your tongue if they're too bad. Having said that, I've experienced that from dips I've just bought & are in date! Depends how the retailer stocks their food half the time too.
Why do I always feel guilty reaching to the back for the longest date? I'm paying for the stuff! Anyone else do this?
Originally Posted by Utopian Girl:
“Why do I always feel guilty reaching to the back for the longest date? I'm paying for the stuff! Anyone else do this?”
“Why do I always feel guilty reaching to the back for the longest date? I'm paying for the stuff! Anyone else do this?”
Oh yes. I went to buy a loaf of bread this lunchtime and I bought the loaf right at the back of the shelf with the longest use by on it.
I do it all the time. I assume most people do.
Originally Posted by Porcupine:
“Oh yes. I went to buy a loaf of bread this lunchtime and I bought the loaf right at the back of the shelf with the longest use by on it.
I do it all the time. I assume most people do.”
“Oh yes. I went to buy a loaf of bread this lunchtime and I bought the loaf right at the back of the shelf with the longest use by on it.
I do it all the time. I assume most people do.”
Thank goodness it's not only me! But I feel guilty. ( my daughter is a manager and her fiancé's family) are all long term employed by a major supermarket ( from regional managers to pharmacists) but I still feel bad.
No longer, I going to be blatant!
Originally Posted by koantemplation:
“Bread.
It is so difficult to find the right size loaf for a single person.
The best size is the half loaf, but they don't do it at my local shop.
The small size doesn't last long enough and the full size is way too big.”
“Bread.
It is so difficult to find the right size loaf for a single person.
The best size is the half loaf, but they don't do it at my local shop.
The small size doesn't last long enough and the full size is way too big.”
Why not freeze it? I stock up on Asda smartprice brown bread every 2 weeks. £1.41 for 3 x 800g loaves
Keep spuds out of light and let them 'air' and they'll last ages, no need to throw any away. If you buy pre packed in plastic bags take them out as soon as you get home. I hang a few over the Aga and they dry slightly, go waxy and make perfect chips. Store onions in the leg off a pair of tights (or a stocking 
) hang up and again they will last weeks. I store home grown carrots in trays of sand in the potting shed and they keep for two or three months.
) hang up and again they will last weeks. I store home grown carrots in trays of sand in the potting shed and they keep for two or three months.
Originally Posted by Southern Pride:
“We waste an awful lot of potatoes in our household. Bloody disgraceful it is!”
“We waste an awful lot of potatoes in our household. Bloody disgraceful it is!”
If they're not going bad, and you know you can't get through them all, just make them all into mashed potatoes. When they are cold either freeze the mash in portions or one big amount and place in a large zip-loc bag. Make sure it's totally cold and that you have pressed the air out of the bag as much as you can before sealing. Take out and defrost in the fridge and use it up in future meals. You can also reheat in microwave.
Originally Posted by SeasideLady:
“If they're not going bad, and you know you can't get through them all, just make them all into mashed potatoes. When they are cold either freeze the mash in portions or one large zip-loc bag. Make sure they are totally cold and that you have pressed the air out as much as you can before sealing. Take out and defrost in the fridge and use it up in future meals. You can also reheat in microwave.”
“If they're not going bad, and you know you can't get through them all, just make them all into mashed potatoes. When they are cold either freeze the mash in portions or one large zip-loc bag. Make sure they are totally cold and that you have pressed the air out as much as you can before sealing. Take out and defrost in the fridge and use it up in future meals. You can also reheat in microwave.”
i do that and i freeze cabbage too so we often have bubble and squeak for sunday breakfast.
Freezing mash is a good idea and works well in fritters/bubble and squeek but if not nice if reheated and severed as mash. Frying imparts flavour into the mash...B&S fried gently and slowly in a little butter or better still some smoked bacon fat
Going back on to an earlier post I made about letting spuds dry out a little for chips, you can do the same with swede, let the swede dry out for a week or two and chip it, it makes really nice chips similar to using sweet potato for chips.
Going back on to an earlier post I made about letting spuds dry out a little for chips, you can do the same with swede, let the swede dry out for a week or two and chip it, it makes really nice chips similar to using sweet potato for chips.
Originally Posted by bowland37:
“Why not freeze it? I stock up on Asda smartprice brown bread every 2 weeks. £1.41 for 3 x 800g loaves”
“Why not freeze it? I stock up on Asda smartprice brown bread every 2 weeks. £1.41 for 3 x 800g loaves”
I keep forgetting to freeze it, but TBH I'm not keen on the texture after it has thawed out.
Tomatoes.
I buy them in such great quantity because I use them in salads, sauces, soups, bakes etc but they seem to go off as quickly as I use them.
I buy them in such great quantity because I use them in salads, sauces, soups, bakes etc but they seem to go off as quickly as I use them.
I rarely need to thow anything out
but once in a while:-
I throw out a few potatoes that have turned green
Carrots that go black-spotty or soft
and sometimes a cucumber has got too cold in the fridge
~so that ends up in the compost~
same has happened with the odd luttuce
I will often freeze bread and pop slices straight into the toaster
the birds get well fed here daily~as I make sure I buy their assorted foods
Birds enjoy lots of foods and fruit that most people throw away
[NEVER give them dessicated coconut ~or dried rice ]
I recently found out that if you crush all your egg shells
~ and add it to their foods~
it helps them and their young to get much needed calcium into their diet
but once in a while:-
I throw out a few potatoes that have turned green
Carrots that go black-spotty or soft
and sometimes a cucumber has got too cold in the fridge
~so that ends up in the compost~
same has happened with the odd luttuce
I will often freeze bread and pop slices straight into the toaster
the birds get well fed here daily~as I make sure I buy their assorted foods
Birds enjoy lots of foods and fruit that most people throw away
[NEVER give them dessicated coconut ~or dried rice ]
I recently found out that if you crush all your egg shells
~ and add it to their foods~
it helps them and their young to get much needed calcium into their diet
Here are a couple of tips to prolong bread (wrapped in plastic) and lettuce, e.g. cos or iceberg.
Bread in plastic bags. When you get it home, make lots of small incisions all over it with the tip of the knife. This helps stop it getting mouldy.
Lettuce, e.g. iceberg/cos. If the bottom part is getting brown slice the brown part off. Rinse the whole lettuce, replace in plastic bag and sit it by a window - to get some daylight. This helps the leaves go a deeper green (more nutritious), i.e. useful if not planning to eat that day or the next. Just rinse anew each day.
Bread in plastic bags. When you get it home, make lots of small incisions all over it with the tip of the knife. This helps stop it getting mouldy.
Lettuce, e.g. iceberg/cos. If the bottom part is getting brown slice the brown part off. Rinse the whole lettuce, replace in plastic bag and sit it by a window - to get some daylight. This helps the leaves go a deeper green (more nutritious), i.e. useful if not planning to eat that day or the next. Just rinse anew each day.
Nothing.
Salad and lots of veg go in large Lock and Lock boxes (real ones not cheapie plastic boxes) in the fridge and they last for ages in there. Infact lots of my stuff goes into them.
Worth paying for as they keep food fresh for a long time - carrots and cauliflower especially
Salad and lots of veg go in large Lock and Lock boxes (real ones not cheapie plastic boxes) in the fridge and they last for ages in there. Infact lots of my stuff goes into them.
Worth paying for as they keep food fresh for a long time - carrots and cauliflower especially
Another vote for potatoes, which is crazy as I love them.
And occasionally in the veg box we get some unidentified earth-clad rootoid with antennae coming out of it which I have to google image to try to work out what it is and end up chopping into a stew but get put off actually eating it because I had to google image the thing in the first place.
Yes, I know, it's probably celeriac or something and I will do my homework better in future.
And occasionally in the veg box we get some unidentified earth-clad rootoid with antennae coming out of it which I have to google image to try to work out what it is and end up chopping into a stew but get put off actually eating it because I had to google image the thing in the first place.
Yes, I know, it's probably celeriac or something and I will do my homework better in future.
Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts:
“Why do you throw them out? If stored properly in a cool dark place they should last for months.”
“Why do you throw them out? If stored properly in a cool dark place they should last for months.”
You are joking, at this time of the year potatoes will start to sprout in a week kept in the dark or not, old potato season will soon be coming to an end.
Remember they were dug up last autumn.
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