Zero-Waste Environmental Friendly Cooking Ideas

Food wastage is a big problem these days. From cutting the ends to discard the peel- we all do various mistakes while cooking which leads to wastage of food. Using all the chunks of different veggies and fruits in the diet makes your meal more nutritious and saves the food from getting wasted. The basic aim of zero wastage cooking is to diminish the waste of food and to stock the ingredients that you actually need. There are various ways to avoid the food wastage like using smaller plates, serving small portions, proper storage of foods, buying veggies that are actually required and properly designing the menus.

Planning, designing the menu, organizing the ingredients are the basic steps that can help in zero or less wasting of foods or ingredients. Thinking smartly can easily diminish the wastage and save the veggies from going into the waste-bin.

Here are some smart cooking ideas that can lead to zero waste.

• Utilize the peels: Utilizing the peels of various fruits especially citrusy rich fruits like oranges and sweet limes are of the great ways to make the best of the leftovers. The zest, flavour and aroma of the skin of such fruits are unique and distinctive and you can utilize it in various ways. From making natural essential oils to use it as a home fresher to facemasks- there could be plenty of creative ways to make use of the peels. Other than this, you can also prepare home-made vinegar from such peels and use it in salad dressings and sauces. You can also crush and chop peels and use in your salads and cocktails.
• Add the leaves: Leaves are safe to consume and are extremely healthy. The leaves of various veggies and fruits are filled with various nutrients and can make you all hale and hearty. Say, for instance, leaves of radish can easily be utilised in sabzi and in salads. Similarly, the leaves of fruits can easily be boiled and converted into stocks.
• Use stems and stalks: If you too find difficult to utilize stems and stalks of fruits and veggies then you can use the stems of herbs like parsley, cilantro, mint, and even dried rosemary into pesto, salsa, and sauces. Similarly, you can use the stems of kale, collards and other greens in stews and soups. The stems of herbs can also be utilised in making stocks.
• Make use of the ends: We all cut the end of various vegetables and discard them. True isn’t it? But you can creatively use those ends in different ways. Remember the ends of carrots that you always chop? Think of the first skin of onion that you always peel off and throw! All of these are perfectly edible and you can use it to add flavour and taste to various soups and broths.

Footnote
Do incorporate these ideas in your cooking and save the veggies and fruits from getting wasted. Get creative, add some extra efforts and efficiently use the different parts of the ingredients in something new-fangled.