Waste Not

I often tell people that one of the benefits of using Dinner's Done Personal Chef Service is that I only buy the ingredients that I need for the dishes that I'm cooking for them.  There's no waste. 

We've all done it--bought something that we can picture on our dinner table later in the week, but we forget about it.  Later we find it in some sort of decomposed state and have to throw it out. 

According to a recent msnbc.com article, it's estimated by some that as much as 30-50% of the world's food goes uneaten.  In a world rampant with hunger, imagine the impact that this trashed food could have.

The average American throws away an estimated 33 pounds of food each month.  That's a lot of food. 

Some estimates say that about 23% of eggs are trashed.  Even more produce is tossed for a number of reasons.  Some are thrown away because of the above "Forgotten in the Fridge" scenario.  Many fruits and vegetables go unused because they aren't "pretty" enough for sale in markets.  (Another good reason to shop at local farmers' markets.)  And loads of food are scraped off of the plates of restaurant patrons into the garbage can.

We're all guilty of it, but there are ways to avoid wasting food.  Don't buy more than you will use.  If you're buying meats, buy in bulk and freeze portions of it.  Simply being creative with your meals will help you to use those things that may go to waste otherwise. 

How do you avoid wasting food?  Do you have any tips to share?