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Think Twice Before Throwing Out: 6 Ways to Rehabilitate Aging Food and Curb Waste
 The word “consume” can mean both to waste and to eat. We in the United States consume in two senses of the word–both eating and wasting–but we may be wasting a whole lot more than we’d think. There are various ways we can reduce food waste in our homes, and one of my favorite methods is reinventing stale or aging foods to make something tasty. While we tend to throw out foods that look like they are past their prime, you’d be surprised by how easily you can bring these products back to life. Here are a few:
1. Soft bananas.
If you think bruised bananas means it’s time to throw them out, think again. Overripe bananas are great for banana nut bread and milk smoothies.
2. Stale crackers or chips.
When a recipe calls for bread crumbs, crumble up stale crackers or chips instead. They’re also a great for rubbing on different meats.
3. Wilting veggies.
Sorry looking veggies may not be great in salads but they’re wonderful in soups. Toss whatever leftover vegetables you have in the pot to make some delicious stock.
4. Stale bread.
Stale bread can be cut into cubes for bread pudding. They’re also great for croutons. In fact, there are countless ways to revive stale bread.
5. Aging peaches.
Peaches are my favorite for use in jams in jellies, but you can use pretty much any fruit–from berries to apples to pears–for the same purpose. As with bananas, overripe peaches and assorted fruits are good candidates for spicing up a muffin or other baked recipe. You can also dehydrate old fruits to throw in some homemade granola.
6. Funky cheese and yogurt.
You’d think that the last items you could possibly reuse would be dairy. Think again—if you cut out the moldy bits of leftover cheeses, you can make rather boring Mac ‘n Cheese into an exciting, multi-cheese dish. Plain yogurt that is too old for traditional use is a great replacement for buttermilk in baked recipes.
These are just a few items you can reinvent instead of throwing out. There are doubtlessly millions more foods that you can rescue if you use a little creativity. Reducing food waste doesn’t have to involve simply freezing leftovers.
This guest post is contributed by Angelita Williams, who writes on the topics of online college courses. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: angelita.williams7@gmail.com.
Source: Eat.Drink.Better.
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