From the September edition of Chatelaine Magazine.

As I was sitting in the waiting room for an appointment, I abstractly picked up a magazine and flipped through the pages. Before I knew it, I found myself reading a great article about the amount of food our society wastes and how we can be better at saving the stuff we eat.

Along with the article, was a great list of 10 Ways To Slash Food Waste. I thought I'd share it with you because it was so full of amazing ideas that really CAN help reduce our food waste.

1. Know what’s in your fridge and cupboards before you shop so you don’t double up on ingredients you already have. Then write down the expiry dates of perishables and post them on the refrigerator so they’re in your face every time you open the door.

2. Use a thermometer to check the temperature of your refrigerator. Health Canada advises setting the thermostat at or below 4 C.

3. Don’t freeze supermarket meat, fish or poultry in its original packaging. “The plastic film used by most supermarkets allows oxygen to reach the product, which can cause freezer burn,” says Abe Van Melle, who trains future butchers at Calgary’s Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. Instead, unwrap the meat, rewrap in plastic wrap and then put it in a zip-lock bag and press down to get rid of extra air – this will keep fish and chicken fresh in your deep freeze for up to six months and beef and pork for up to a year.

4. Throw leftover parmesan-cheese rinds into a hearty tomato soup for loads of added flavour.

5.  Use stale bread for French toast or bread pudding, suggests Anneli Rufus, co-author of The Scavengers’ Manifesto. (You can also pulse it in a food processor for bread crumbs, or cube, toss in olive oil and toast in a medium-heat oven for croutons.)

6. Toss mushy tomatoes with olive oil and garlic, then roast and serve in pasta, in salads or as a side dish.

7. When Sandi Richard, host of Food Network’s Fixing Dinner, needs to clean out the fridge, she makes a strata: “Spray a casserole dish with oil. Toss in leftover meat, veggies, cheese, three cups of cubed bread and any herbs you like. Cover with four beaten eggs mixed with one cup of milk, then bake for 45 minutes.”

8. Have a basket of overripe peaches or nectarines on your hands? Rufus freezes halved, pitted stone fruit on cutting boards before transferring them to plastic containers. She also freezes lemon juice to use up later in salad dressings and desserts.

9. Jennifer McLagan drains and freezes liquefied animal fat from cooked meat for future use. “Sautéing chicken in poultry fat, for example, adds another level of flavour,” says McLagan, author of Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, with Recipes. She also drizzles reheated bacon fat over steamed veggies.

10. Rethink your serving sizes. Nobody benefits from enormous portions, especially when they go straight into the waste bin.

You can read the full article by Bonny Reichert by clicking HERE.