29 April 2024
Sometimes the answer is right in front of you: Love Food Hate Waste NZ Partners with Food Rescue Kitchen
Being a better cook is more than mastering recipes at home. It is also about getting the most from your food, wasting as little as possible and learning techniques to reuse the odd bits and bobs from the back of your fridge.
From learning how to revive lettuce and making your own stock to keeping track of food labels and storage techniques, Love Food Hate Waste has championed the reduction of food waste in homes for more than 17 years.
While the battle against climate change has accelerated the need to reduce food waste across the globe, we’ve also seen the movement gain monumental traction for simpler reasons such as people wanting to save money, and also wanting to re-learn some of the old ways in which we used to look after and make our food.
Echoing this movement in Aotearoa, Food Rescue Kitchen is a new TV Series that airs this month on ThreeNow and runs until the end of May 2024.
Hosted by foodie influencer and home baker, Naomi Toilalo, Food Rescue Kitchen brings together top chefs like Peter Gordon, Mike Van de Elzen and Michelin Green Star chef Chantelle Nicholson.
The good news series will challenge viewers’ perception of food waste while tantalizing taste buds with gourmet creations made from rescued ingredients.
Teaming up with Love Food Hate Waste NZ, the series also provides the audience with practical ideas – how to reduce household food waste, eat healthily and save money. The partnership is something the team from Love Food Hate Waste NZ is extremely proud of and hopes will raise more awareness of the simple tips we can use at home to reduce food waste, save money and save the planet.
Celebrating the launch, our team has pulled together some of their favourite ways to improve kitchen storage and use up the odds and ends you might so easily throw away.
Produce Tips:
- Wrap greens like lettuce and cucumbers in paper towels or a tea towel in the crisper drawer for longer freshness.
- Repurpose carrot tops into flavourful chimichurri or pesto.
- Use citrus peels for zest, sauces and dressings, making peel powder or a natural cleaner.
Meat and Seafood Ideas:
- Make rich stocks from leftover bones and shells.
- Utilise excess fat or skin for flavouring and cooking. You can also freeze fats for the future.
- Check the use by date and place in the freezer if it won’t be cooked by that date.
Dairy and Bread Hacks:
- Use sour milk for baking which would require buttermilk.
- Repurpose cheese scraps into new dishes like fondue or salads.
- Transform stale bread into croutons or breadcrumbs.
General Storage Tips:
- Create an Eat Me First shelf in your fridge and pantry for all the food that needs to be used up or is close to expiration dates.
- Store potatoes and onions in a dark cool place away from other vegetables and away from each other.
- Use the 2:2:2 rule to keep track of leftovers: You have 2 hours to get food into the fridge, 2 days to eat leftovers and food can be kept safely in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Share your food waste saving hacks and ideas with us so we can spread the love of food with even more people throughout Aotearoa.
Watch Food Rescue Kitchen, Saturday 7pm or Stream free on @ ThreeNowNZ.
