According the the Australian organisation Foodwise which works to promote sustainable living practices, household food wastage is significant. Did you know that the average Australian household throws out over $1,000 worth of food EVERY YEAR? In addition, the average household garbage is comprised of about 40 per cent of food waste! That’s a lot of half-eaten meals that head straight for the tip.

Today on ABC Radio’s 702 Breakfast program, Adam Spencer spoke about how to better use the food items in your fridge, specifically the leftovers. If you haven’t done so already, then perhaps now is the time to consider making better use of YOUR leftovers. There is nothing wrong with eating home cooked food the next day, provided it has been stored properly. It is essential that leftovers are sealed in food safe containers or with plastic film and placed in a fridge until they are needed. It is also practical to mark when the item was cooked or what the expiry date is. Adam Spencer also recommended this in his segment.

In our family we eat leftovers within two days of when they were first prepared (although they rarely last that long because someone always hoovers them up quick smart!) and I never reheat leftovers more than once. Some dishes actually taste BETTER the next day. Slow cooked, saucy meals like goulash, bolognese, soup of any variety develop a richer, more satisfying flavour and texture if left in the fridge for a day after cooking. 

Its also important to keep an eye on those containers of food that seem to bank up in the fridge. Half eaten jars and plastic containers of gherkins, olives, deli meats, yoghurt and cheeses have a used-by date that needs to be observed to avoid developing a belly ache. If they are not eaten on time then they too end up in the trash – such a waste of food and money. If you can see that an item is due to expire shortly, try to incorporate it into your next meal or batch of baking. I had about 350 grams of creamy ricotta remaining in my dairy fridge and it had to be eaten or disposed of by tomorrow. Rather than wasting such a delightful ingredient, I incorporated the ricotta (instead of the usual sour cream) into the Banana White Chocolate Muffins that I baked this afternoon. The result was a beautiful batch of golden, fluffy, flavoursome muffins that have also been added to my children’s recess boxes for tomorrow. 

We often have leftovers from meals because I do prefer to batch bake, that is to make larger quantities that can then be enjoyed for work, school or home lunches the next day either in their original form or combined with other ingredients  For example, leftover bolognese can be stuffed between slices of sourdough bread with cheese and toasted in a jaffle maker. Goulash makes an ideal pie filling the next day. My children munched on the veal schnitzels from last night’s dinner as part of their school lunch today. 

This evening’s dinner of Tender Roast Veal, Sautéed Carrots and Green Beans with Bay Leaves and Maple Syrup, was accompanied by My Mother’s Creamed Potatoes left over from last night’s dinner. The sautéed vegetable dish was an opportunity to use up the green beans before they lost their crispness and goodness, and adding the maple syrup made effective use of the small amount left in the bottle. 

There were still several slices of roast that remained after dinner and so I diced them up finely and tossed several handfuls through the home cooked stir-fry that I had prepared for lunch. Along with another two cups of cooked brown basmati rice this will become my children’s school lunch tomorrow. All I need to do in the morning is heat up the stir fry which is studded with a medley of seasonal vegetables and veal, fresh coriander, ginger, omelette and splashes of soy sauce. Into the food safe Thermos along with a side container of fresh fruit and juice and they each have a hearty, balanced meal to power them through the latter part of the day.