Zero Waste Cuisine: 15 Tips from a Chef to Reduce Everyday Waste
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Zero waste cooking isn't just a trendy green concept, it's a way of creating tasty dishes while reducing your environmental impact. Every ingredient has more potential than we can imagine, and with a few chef tricks, it's easy to reduce waste and give new life to your leftovers. Here are 15 practical tips for zero-waste cooking, worthy of a chef!
1. Adopt Batch Cooking: Organized, Waste-Free Cooking
Batch cooking involves preparing several meals in a single session. In the kitchen, this technique is a great way to avoid waste. For example, cook your seasonal vegetables in large quantities, then divide them up into different recipes for the week. Do you have carrots, leeks and sweet potatoes? Use them in a soup, a pan-fried dish or a gratin.
2. Homemade Bouillon with Peelings
Peelings are often thrown away, even though they're packed with flavor and nutrients! Keep carrot, onion, celery and leek peelings in a bag in the freezer. When it's full, boil it with herbs for a delicious homemade broth.
Zero Waste Bouillon Recipe:
- Put about 4 cups of peelings in a large saucepan with water.
- Add a bay leaf, thyme and a few peppercorns.
- Bring to the boil, then simmer for 1 hour.
- Strain and store in jars in the fridge for use as a soup or sauce base.
3. Husk Pesto: A Unique Flavor
Carrot, radish or beet tops are perfect for making pesto. This sauce is quick to prepare and full of fresh flavor.
Pesto de Fanes recipe:
- Blend 1 cup of tops with 1 clove of beetroot.Garlic, 1/2 cup of Nuts or almonds, and 1/3 cup olive oil.
- Add Salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice.
- Serve over pasta, or as a spread on toast. This pesto will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge.
4. Bone Broth for a Flavor Base
If you have leftover poultry or bones from a roast, don't throw them away! These bones add incredible depth to broths.
Recipe for Bone Broth :
- In a large saucepan, place the bones, herbs (thyme, bay leaf), a chopped carrot, and a Onion.
- Cover with water and simmer for 4 hours (or longer for a more intense flavor).
- Strain and refrigerate. Use for soups or risottos.
5. Pain Rassis: Croutons, Breadcrumbs and Pain Perdu
Stale bread is perfect for making homemade croutons, breadcrumbs or even French toast. Here's a crunchy tip:
Recipe for Homemade Croûtons :
- Cut bread into cubes.
- Mix with a drizzle of olive oil, some Salt, and herbs such as thyme or ginger.Garlic.
- Bake at 180°C for 10-15 min until golden brown.
6. Fresh Herbs in the Freezer: A Practical Gesture
Fresh herbs don't keep long, but by chopping them up and freezing them in ice cube trays with oil, you can preserve them for months. Add a cube to a hot pan to add instant flavor to your dishes.
7. Leftover Cheese: Creamy Sauce and Cheese Pasta
Instead of throwing away small pieces of dried cheese, use them in recipes!
Recipe for Leftover Cheese Sauce :
- Heat 1/2 cup milk or cream.
- Add leftover cheese (Brie, Parmesan, Emmental), cut into pieces.
- Stir until melted and creamy. Perfect for pasta, gratins or vegetables.
8. Compost what you can't use
Some food scraps, such as apple cores and apple shells, can be composted. Nuts are not suitable for reuse, but you can compost them to create a natural fertilizer for your plants.
9. Citrus peels: flavor and freshness
Citrus peels (lemon, orange) are perfect for adding a touch of freshness to your recipes. They can also be used to flavour drinks and desserts. You can even dry them in the oven for later use.
Fresh Tip :
- Zest your citrus fruits before use, dry them in the oven at low temperature, and store them in a jar. They'll be perfect for teas, sauces or desserts.
10. Glass Jars: Preserve with Style and Durability
Investing in glass jars lets you store food without plastic. They're perfect for legumes, cereals and leftovers.
11. Eggshells as Natural Fertilizer
Crushed eggshells are a source of calcium for your plants. They can be added directly to potting soil to boost growth.
12. Fermentation and Marinade: Extending shelf life
Turn leftover vegetables into pickles or kimchi to add punch to your dishes and extend their shelf life.
Recipe for Homemade Pickles:
- Mix 1 cup water with 1/2 cup vinegar, 1 tbsp. Salt and sugar to taste.
- Place sliced carrots, cucumbers or onions in jars.
- Pour in the brine and leave to stand for 2-3 days. These pickles are delicious as Side dishes.
13. Replant Seeds and Leftovers for a Mini Vegetable Garden
Avocado pits, tomato seeds and even lettuce stems can be replanted. Plant them in pots to grow your own vegetables or herbs. A zero-waste tip that also brightens up your space!
14. Reuse Cooking Water for More Nutrients
Nutrient-rich vegetable cooking water can be reused for soups and sauces. You can also use it to water your plants (as long as it's not salty). It's a great way of reusing nutrients rather than throwing them away.
15. Plan your shopping to avoid waste
Making a shopping list based on your planned meals allows you to buy only what you need, thus avoiding waste. With a little planning, you can buy only what you need, and use every ingredient to its full potential.
Practical tip:
- List your meals for the week and prepare a precise shopping list. This little effort will help you avoid wasting products that will expire too quickly.
Conclusion: Zero waste cooking is possible!
Adopting zero-waste tips on a daily basis considerably reduces food waste, while making cooking more inventive. At bienBon, we integrate this philosophy at every stage: from the production of our jarred dishes to their long-term storage, we strive to minimize food waste. Our dishes, with their long shelf life, are a simple and practical way to contribute to responsible cooking.
