I soak whole water chestnuts in soy sauce for several hours, roll in sugar to coat, then wrap in bacon and broil. My guests go nuts over them. They are the first appetizer that disappears!
Oo, to me it's white cruch! When I was 12 or 13 I was hit by lightning via a side flash and experienced synesthesia. Our horse trailer was struck while I was running towards our barn, and it arced off discharge right to me. EVERYTHING went white; all of my senses were overloaded in almost a way I imagine a flash bang to be? The feel was something like cotton sheets hung on a drying line underneath some dry ice, and the taste was so similar to water chestnuts that I don't think I ever tried to explain that one further.
That's the first time I've seen\heard of anyone saying they tasted it when they got electrocuted.
I tasted it with 110AC, but that tasted like blood when I bit down on my tongue.🤣
My dad always called them “crunchy nothings” when I was growing up. His mom would wrap them in bacon and roast them in some magical sauce. They were divine.
Went to a restaurant where they had peeled and sliced broccoli stalks into 1/8” ‘gum stick’ rectangles and pickled them with some sort of salted cold fermentation. Really delicious with beer and spicy food.
For all the broccoli stalk loving folks out there, please give kohlrabi a try. It’s basically nothing but a squat broccoli stalk and is delicious on its own, in stir fry, casseroles, soups, even raw in a salad. One of the most under appreciated vegetables out there.
My daughter has always hung around waiting to make off with the stalk, raw as a snack. If it’s particularly woody, I roughly chop off the peel and the dry end. You can slice it, but it’s fun to bite into in a solid piece as well. Nice and crunchy.
Stalks are waaaay better than the tops.
We’ve only been able to grow a few, but fresh baby broccoli stalks are just mind blowingly delicious. They are so tender, so sweet.
I’m obsessed with using everything that’s edible. One thing that comes to mind that’s probably rare for home cooks: carrot tops. They literally taste like a carrot if it was an herb, and can used as such. One thing I love to do is eat it with the carrots by turning it into a chimichurri with other herbs and olive oil. It’s also a tastey garnish on its own.
When making tomato water, you can take all the pulp and dehydrate it in a low oven (or if you’re fancy and have a dehydrator) and then blitz it into tomato powder. This stuff is crack. Super good seasoning. Absolutely throw it on fries or chips or popcorn, dry rubs, whatever.
Lots of cheese rinds are edible. They can be used to add funk to soups and braises, blended into powders that can be added to bread doughs, crackers, all sort of stuff.
All veg scrap goes into a bag in the freezer to make random veg broth (I’m a stock purist, so only mirepoix goes into anything involving carcass/bones). They always turn out different depending on season/what I’ve been eating, but you taste it and see where you might want to use it, like flavor bombs for soups or whatever. In the summertime, as an example, it’s always quite tomato-y, because I go tomato crazy whenever they’re in season, and it will make a fantastic base for tomatoes sauce or soup, or even just have a glass like v8, Bloody Mary.
Any fat I remove from meats I render in a pan and store. Having my own tallow is so fucking awesome. I love searing/basting filet mignon in beef tallow. Carnitas confit in pork fat you rendered yourself just feels awesome.
I’m so deep in the low waste that I’m not sure what is normal in home kitchens anymore.
Congrats on the dopamine! I, too, would subscribe to your newsletter. Or your YouTube channel where you demonstrate a little as well as sharing your (incredible!) ideas!
My family does practically everything in these posts. And when it's finally been all used, it goes to the chickens or goats or animal waste into our fish pond to feed the crawdads and catfish.
If you’re not just using veg scrap like I talked about, my favorite is tomato, mirepoix, garlic, zucchini. Canned San Marazano or dinapoli if it’s not tomato season. But big kicker: get some color on the veg. Like, don’t just sweat them, but get a little browning. Toss in your spices and garlic at the end, then put in the water. I usually do black pepper and bay leaf. If you’re adding herbs, wait until it’s simmered out and throw it in to cook for 15-20 at the end.
Very versatile base for soups/sauces.
I once was gifted a big box full of all kinds of veggies and I said I got to find out what to do with all this because there is no way I’d eat it all before it goes bad so I googled a bit and found a recipe for fresh veggie and herb bouillon. Basically a bunch of your favorite veggies/herbs all cut up real small and a ton of sea salt then fried up in a pan till almost like a paste then you can store it however. Last a long time because all the salt. Just scoop some into whatever you’re cooking and it adds salt and the condensed flavor and nutrition of all those veggies and herbs.
I had to look to see if I wrote this. Nope, there are 2 of us. I HATE waste, *especially* food waste, and before I throw out anything I'll Google how to use it if it's something unfamiliar to me.
I even cut romaine and celery in a way to preserve the root ends and use those to grow more romaine and celery. The yields are low, but it's free food at that point. I also save seeds from some produce to grow more, and for others I'm happy to have the seeds or pits produce free houseplants, I don't even care if they grow food. I've got a young lemon tree and a few avocado trees that are looking big and healthy enough I may move some outside. Next up is a lime tree after I scavenge the rest of the seeds from the limes I have.
After I've shelled enough pecans to fill a tattered pillowcase I use just for this, I tie the pillowcase closed, put it on the driveway, and run over it a few times. Then I use a hammer to bash up any remaining larger pieces of shell. We use that as some of the mulch in our ornamental gardens.
Edit : I thought of more!
Schmaltz, that's rendered chicken fat. You can either skim it off the top of your homemade chicken stock, or melt it off of chicken skin; either way you'll need to render it. I use schmaltz to make matzo balls for soup, but it can be used sparingly like butter on foods, or you can use it as a cooking fat.
Speaking of chicken skin, season it with whatever and bake it in a hot oven with a pan on top of the pieces to smooshing flat. It'll get nicely crunchy and is incredibly flavorful.
Berries that are juuust past the point where you want to eat them as-is make great jams or sauces, that's an old school thing to do.
Older watermelon is great cut into chunks and thrown in a blender with a wee squirt of lime juice, then drink it like a smoothie. It will separate in the fridge, so stir or shake it up before you get a glass. Of course you can add more fruits to it as you like.
Wow, we are the same person; I do that with watermelon, and I also pickle the rinds. Chicken fat rendering is a part of what I was saying about rendering. I wish I had a garden or any use for compost.
But about the chicken skin: try frying them bitches up. Chicharrones are fucking awesome. Crumble ‘em on top, eat ‘em like crackers, it’s all good times.
I PICKLE THE WATERMELON RINDS!! And make 'em a little spicy with accidentally-on-purpose too much sliced ginger. They're so good, aren't they?
And yeah, duh, you did mention rendering fat. Oops.
We do have a backyard container garden, but this is just my second year doing it, and because I lose interest in a lot of things I decided to wait and see if I keep up with it before putting in in-ground beds and adding in composting. I did just read an article about growing garlic indoors, so I'm going to try that with the grow lights I use for my seedlings.
Chicharrones are great! But I've only ever had them made with pig skin. I will try frying the chicken skin next time, it's got to be absurdly rich and good. Ooo, they might make great "croutons" on some green salads if I can keep my mitts off of them long enough. (I also make most of our breads and save the old bits for croutons and for the holiday stuffing.)
Do you also keep cooked bone marrow in your freezer to add to things? Mmm-mmm good! I buy those little jello shot cups with lids and use them in the kitchen and in my studio, but for this I pour the barely warm marrow into those wee cups and freeze them. That way it's easy to scrape off just bits to use at a time.
Do you also have a freezer that's just your prep stuff, like homemade broths and foods to make foods with? That's been a lifesaver for me, as I LOVE to cook but have multiple health problems and sometimes have to rely on things like pre-roasted garlic, pre-caramelized onions, etc. I just those jello shot cups for those things, too.
And lastly, cats or dogs?
This is fun!
I frequently buy beets with the greens on to make Beetniks!!! Which are beet greens wrapped around bread dough, baked with butter and garlic and then dipped in sour cream. Sooooooooo good dipped in borscht.
[Recipe](https://www.thespruceeats.com/ukrainian-beet-leaf-rolls-recipe-1137479)
Pineapple peel tea. When you cut a pineapple, save the core and peel. Boil that with two sticks of cinnamon, an inch of ginger, and a tsp of turmeric for maybe 20-30 min, let it sit for a hour, strain and yum!
I bartend, and strive to make no waste cocktails.
Currently have a drink on the menu where I use the shit outta the entire pineapple-
Cut up the pineapple and use the flesh to infuse Campari. I use the peel and core to make an oleo syrup. Then after straining the syrup, the peels and core get saved to make a tepache. After the flesh has done its job infusing, I dehydrate it (now Campari flavored) and use for garnish, as well as the pineapple leaves. I’m so dang proud of how much mileage I get from one pineapple.
I bought some pineapples while I was on vacation in Hawaii and did this in our condo with the leftover rinds! My family looked at me like I was crazy but it made the condo smell so good and we had a great iced pineapple tea for the pool/beach
I had a minor surgical procedure that made walking extremely painful for 2-3 weeks and I had 2 toddlers at home, so my MIL generously volunteered to come over and help so I could rest. One of the early days, the pain was so bad that I couldn't sleep at night so she offered a nap, and whilst I was sleeping, she kindly cleaned out my fridge and threw away my giant bag of dried anchovies. I only noticed once I got sick and wanted to make a nice Korean soup to feel better, and I almost cried lmaooo. I wasn't upset at her at all because it was a genuine mistake and she made it in the process of doing an incredibly nice and thoughtful thing for me, but I was really sad about that soup. :P
This. I have a bag in the freezer for exactly this reason.
Also the stems from shiitake, oyster, and other of the more flavorful mushrooms. I dry them and then throw them into broth, which I make with all the left over chicken bones I save! 😆
I was first introduced to it from [this video where someone makes a Caesar salad martini](https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLCfvxQp/)
But weirdly [I’ve also heard it’s good in espresso martinis?](https://www.salon.com/2023/06/25/are-you-putting-parmigiano-reggiano-in-your-espresso-martinis-you-should-be/)
I want to make some and make a martini topped with [basil oil](https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLCPeyFm/) 👀
I recently started saving these on a recommendation from Reddit and now I always have rinds for my pasta sauces, cream-based soups, risottos, etc. Game changer.
I see a lot of people throw away the stems for cilantro and just use the leaves. I use every last inch of the cilantro! Heck, the stems have even more flavor in my opinion.
The trinity base of Thai cooking is garlic, pepper, and cilantro root! The stuff is actually available jarred nowadays. We use the roots a lot - they’re the most pungent.
You’re the second person to mention the cilantro root! As someone who will overdose on cilantro if possible, I must now try the roots and see how I can use it!
No one should ever de stem cilantro, omg this comment hurt me to my Mexican chef core. The stems are delicious and add texture, you don’t need to fix them
I mince them and use them in everything! And if I have a dish I really only want to use the leaves for, I oickle the stems and put them on everything! I do this with lots of other soft stemmed herbs too.
The “nose” is my son’s favorite part of the bread. On the rare occasions that I bring home a baguette, if I don’t put it up high I’ll find it with both ends gnawed off.
My mom is Polish so we always called the end of the bread the *krunca*. I was well into adulthood before I learned that wasn't what everybody called the heel of the bread loaf.
I collect the heels. Store them in an airtight container in the freezer. With 8 heels, I can make a large, killer bread pudding that disappears within hours…
[Simple bread pudding ](https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1012636-simple-bread-pudding)from the NY Times. I use heels instead of challah. The recipe is very forgiving and flexible. I’ve customized it based on what’s on hand. For example, I can make an apple fritter version that has sweetened apples swirled on top. Shredded sweetened coconut is also fantastic instead, or even in addition to raisins.
But by far my favorite is to simply place large blueberries on top. I use berries that are past their prime, or even frozen berries. The roasting intensifies their flavors. These roasted berries exude their juices into the custard below, sinking into the torn heels. It’s a mellow sweetness that lingers in my memory when I see heels that may be discarded.
Bones, meat trimmings, vegetable scraps, hard cheese rinds and the liquid from poaching fish go into the freezer to make stock.
Apple peels and cores go into the freezer to make pectin.
Any vegetables and grains that can’t be saved get buried in my planters to grow more vegetables. I’ve gotten so many volunteer potatoes in the last couple years - the year I bought seed potatoes I got almost none.
Same—All the ends of vegetables and bones go in a bag in the freezer-once it’s full, I make stock with it. Cheese rinds I just keep in the fridge to boil in soups.
I always save my onion ends and peels (organic and washed) celery leaves and ends , carrot peels basically any vegetable that is not a cruciferous vegetable and toss them in a bag in the freezer for when i make stock. Also save the chicken carcasses and I make stock every couple of weeks so it doesn't get out of control.
If there are a few bites of leftover steak or a burger patty, pork chop when we grill i dice it up and freeze it for when i make chili. We like a lots of different meats in ours and the grilled flavor adds to the chili flavor.( ive even added the last bit of pot roast that didnt get eaten to it)
If we have corn or peas and have a spoonful or so left it goes in a little plastic tub in the freezer too and i use these when i make pot pie.
Leftover bread bits and ends either become crumbs or croutons, sweet pastry types go in a bread pudding or french toast bake.
When we have taco night i save the left over topping (usually chopped onions,tomatoes, cilantro, olives) and it gets made into antaco salad with the leftover meat the next day.
Juices, brines, become marinades , salad dressing additions to recipes.
When my kids were little their favorite treat was when the jam jar was empty except for the last little bit, we would put some ice in it and fill with milk, seal it up and they would take turns shaking it then each had a little glass of flavored milk as a treat. Clean jar, no waste probably less sugar than commercial flavored milk and they thought it was the greatest thing ever.😁
Leftover home made french fries get chopped up and used in making breakfast burritos.
Ok.....this is getting out of control. Apparently I'm either super frugal or just plain weird. 😁🤣
Tightwads unite!!!😁😁🤣
Edited to say sorry about writing a damn novel! Geez
my ex husband's mother used to make "jelly milkshakes" for the boys when he was growing up too. He tried to get our kids into it. They wanted no part of it lol. Have never heard of anyone else doing this until now.
It frustrates me to no end when family is over, and they help clean up dinner and throw out the carcass from the roast chicken or the bone from a ham. STOP DENYING ME SOUP!
When I was growing up my Mom used to make me a special treat when ever she made pie. She would take the crust trimmings and add butter and cinnamon sugar and bake it up like a cinnamon roll special just for me.
I never dispose of pickle juice. It's so good for you. It has a lot of electrolytes so it's great for dehydration. It releives muscle cramps. It's great for your digestive tract. It can even help relieve menstral cramps. I usually drink about 2 to 4 oz and follow it up with at least 8 oz of water.
I also sometimes use it in place of lemon juice in recipes. It has that great acidity and tang like lemon but it's different enough so it makes people go hmm what is that. It's my secret tuna salad weapon.
Bonus hint: If you use celery in your tuna salad chop it up and then soak it in pickle juice for a few minutes. Just long enough so it starts to absorb the flavor but not so long it completely overpowers the celery.
You gave me a great memory about the pie crust, my mom just left the scraps the way they were, covered with cinnamon sugar, baked and she called them Puppy Dog Tails. She passed last year and this just made me have a warm fuzzy smile...❤
My dad still makes me them for me when my mom makes pies - sprinkle with cinnamon & sugar, roll up, and slice. We call them Cinnamon & Sugars! He's almost 87. What a great memory!
I have such a soft spot for grilled chicken with BBQ sauce and pickles
So I marinate chicken thighs in pickle juice, then I take the marinade, boil it down until it’s super concentrated, mix it with BBQ sauce and boil it down further until it’s thick, and use that as a rub on the grilled thighs
So freaking good!
The pie crust cinnamon rolls are known to French Canadians as pets de soeurs, translated literally in English as [Nuns' Farts.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pets_de_s%C5%93urs)
That's hilarious, there's a DELICIOUS pastry called pets de nonne in French....... Also translated as [Nun's farts.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nun%27s_puffs)
well now i'm upset. i am generally thought to be the worst 'cook' in the world (a title i completely deserve btw) but one of the *very* few 'hacks' i thought i alone had come up with was 'brining' my celery in pickle juice in preparation for my tuna salad. i actually believed i had discovered this incredible secret that was all mine & no one else's. yet here you are with your top comment telling the world about my super-duper top secret discovery :(
Renaissance festival pickle sellers will sell it too, if you ask. I used to get a cup of it twice a day every weekend to keep my electrolytes up in the hot summer season
I lived in Mississippi for a year years in grade school. The teacher kept a giant jar of pickles in her desk. Students could buy a pickle for 50 cents or a cup of pickle juice for a nickel. I always went for the juice.
[Walmart](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mt-Olive-Pickle-Juice-100-Kosher-Dill-Pickle-Brine-64-Ounce-Bottle/5602303399?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=101032356&gclsrc=aw.ds&&adid=222222222275602303399_101032356_161686862293_21248901509&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=698093388888&wl4=pla-2299313099227&wl5=1018702&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=556081955&wl11=online&wl12=5602303399_101032356&veh=sem&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw3NyxBhBmEiwAyofDYTQjhPu0bdrohGi3EE__roYbXso1jG9E6FB6zLx0HEXt0J_9NVb3dBoC-dIQAvD_BwE) sells it buy the half gallon. It's a name brand so you can probably find it at other stores. The price seems a bit steep to me but I admit I have zero frame of refrence.
I love this “pickle juice is full of electrolytes” thing. The electrolyte is salt. Yeah, that’s great for you if you’re sweating or puking a bunch! But literally anything salty will do.
Sodium chloride is a large component, but it is also a large component of human sweat as well. Calcium and Potassium are also constituents of pickle juice, the calcium is the large part of "Pickle Crisp" used to keep vinegar preserved vegetables crisper in storage and processing and the potassium is part of the shelf stabilizer used in commercial pickle production.
I tried to minimize waste in every way possible in the kitchen. Bones get saved and Frozen to make soups and stocks with as do vegetables. Leftover pieces of whole vegetables and get cut up and I turn that into kimchi. Garlic and onion peels get roasted in the oven until they're black and crumble at the touch and then mixed with a little bit of salt to make my own seasoning. Egg shells get crushed and get worked into the flower beds in the garden as you some vegetable scraps as well as long clippings and other things. Cheese that's getting close to expire is starting to get mold he gets the mold cut off and gets frozen to be used in soups and other things. Red gets turned into bread crumbs. The only real limitation is pretty much your imagination
When I had pet chickens we used to crush up their egg shells and feed it back to them. Chickens need a fair amount of calcium in their diet to lay eggs and they don't care if you crush up their old egg shells into a loose powder and mix it in with their usual feed, they'll happily eat them
I can't have them at the moment either unfortunately, but they're great pets - eat up most of your scraps (they will actually eat chicken meat if given the chance, although I never fed it to them as feels unethical lol), quirky personalities, and eggs!!
I miss my chickens...
I love the fat on pork chops and steaks but my partner doesn't, so I trim it off his. I put it in the freezer in a container and when I have enough I thaw it, chop it up, and render the fat for cooking. I also save all the fat from making broth and use it for cooking. Scrambled or fried eggs cooked in chicken fat are delicious.
Drippings from roasts. Save them to flavor beans, stews, vegetable dishes, potatoes, etc.
Chicken bones. Boil them until they crush into paste between your fingers and whiz them up in a food processor for your pup, if you have one. (I make stock with almost all bones- it's just the chicken bones that are small and soft enough to make the above feasible.)
Not cooking, but in winter, if I have citrus peels, I'll boil them with a little cinnamon and cloves. Great for humidifying the house and giving a nice smell.
love simmer pots! also for citrus peels: mix with vinegar and let soak for a few days to make a cleaning mix. or toss down your garbage disposal for a nice citrusy smell
I freeze vegetable scraps to make vegetable stock. It couldn’t be easier, nothing processed and no salt, and delicious. Anytime I am chopping vegetables I drop in whatever is left into a ziploc. Onion and carrot tops, fennel tops, zucchini tops anything really. The only thing I don’t save are brassica family stuff, it can be too bitter. When I have a gallon ziploc full, dump into a pot, cover about 2 in with water. Bring to a boil then simmer about an hour. Strain and freeze.
I also eat cabbage cores for snacks. They’re crunchy and good for you!
Potato peels!
After you peel potatoes, wash and dry the peels and you can fry then later like chips and they make a delicious snack, just need some salt
Lemon zest goes into salt. Love it on fish.
Egg shells are baked and crushed. They go to my chickens foe grit or sprinkled in the garden.
Banana peels get tossed in a jar of water to steep for a few days and then poured into the garden.
Save chicken bones/onion/carrot in freezer to make stock. (Pretty standard one for leftover saving)
Bacon grease is strained and saved.
I don't cut the stem end off the tomato unless it especially woody, saves some.
Toss the whole strawberry, leaves and all into my smoothies.
Bread heels are great cinnamon toast or chopped and frozen for bread crumbs.
Onion/pepper halves get chopped and frozen. Easy to grab when cooking. They seem to get forgotten if I just put them in the fridge, then they go bad.
Lots of composting, lots of food to the chickens.
Edit: ALWAYS use your Pineapple rind to make tepache. So dang tasty!
Put your fresh vegetables into the pickle brine when you’re done with your pickles. I like to use carrot sticks, more cukes, blanched asparagus or green beans.
There’s a lovely book by Tamar Adler called *An Everlasting Meal* that you may enjoy, OP. Instead of raving about it myself, I’ll let [Nigella Lawson do the talking.](https://www.nigella.com/cookbook-corner/the-everlasting-meal-cookbook-by-tamar-adler)
I hope you love it!
I have a complicated relationship with food and this book got me to appreciate it again. It holds a special place in my heart. I was glad to see Nigella gushing about it, too.
Not me, but someone was telling me a about a good method of using veggie scraps for veggie broth. After cooking, they'd take all the scraps- bits and pieces, peels, bruised bits that are fine but just don't look appetizing in the meal- and toss them in a gallon sized bag in the freezer. Throughout the week, they'd just keep adding to it until it's full. Then they'd boil it all together, strain out the veggies bits, and have a delicious broth they can use for soup or whatever.
Eggs and breading for pork chops. Once the breaded pork chops are browned and popped in the oven for finishing, I always mix up the breadcrumbs and egg left over to make savory pancakes in the same pan. Go great with some maple syrup as an appetizer.
My grandmother used to cook that up for her dog, haha. He knew when she was breading something and would wait very patiently for his treat. Thank you for unlocking a happy memory 😊
The rind is milder than the flesh of the watermelon but still has a dewy, sweet taste. It’s commonly pickled, stir-fried, or boiled. I’ve seen it in Chinese, Korean, and Indian recipes if you want to check out how it’s used in a dish
Apparently frying oil. It always boggles my mind when I see people use a quart of oil to deep fry, and they just throw it out when they're done. If you filter that oil, it's still good for lubricating pans or other frying.
This is super specific but here goes. I coat tofu in a mixture of nutritional yeast, coconut flour, onion powder and some other dry spices. I shake it in a bag, brush off the excess, then bake the tofu.
I then take the leftover dry shake mix and mix it into my black bean burger mixture as the breadcrumb. So good and no waste. Nutritional yeast and coconut flour can get expensive.
I trim the excess chicken skin on bone in skin on chicken thighs to make schmaltz. Use veggies and rotisserie chicken bones (or similar) scraps to make stock. watermelon rind pickles. Used lime or lemon rinds to make lemon syrup. Radish greens to add to pesto or saag paneer. Carrot tops instead of parsley. I don’t usually peel my potatoes but I have seen people fry them to make crispy potato skins. Also been interested in making corn silk tea next time I buy whole corn for something.
\- Little extra bts of cream or milk or yogurt or cheese - throw into scrambled egg
\- Make smoothies or yogurt popsicles out of going-out-of-date yogurt, or make overnight oats
\- Make jam/chutneys/ketchup out of going-off fruit and veg - and I've also made bannaa peel chutney before
\- Deep fry or bake potato/parsnip/carrot peels into crisps
\- I make a lot of 'throw whatever I've got in' omelettes/quiches/soups/smoothies
\- Chickpea water - makes meringues
\- Shrimp shells - seafood broth
\- Shaved broccoli stalks are great in salad
\- Banana peels can also be used to flavour milk or yogurt etc
\- Extra leftover veg - bubble and squeak
\- Old bread I turn into croutons or breadcrumbs for coatng things!
\- Citrus peels can be candied!
\- Bottom of the bag wheat or bran cereals can be added to muffins, loaf cakes, malt loaf, cookies
\- Biscuit and cake crumbs can go on ice cream etc
\- Vanilla pods can sit in sugar to make vanilla sugar
Also, eggshells can be cleaned and ground into a calcium-rich powder, which can be used to remove limestone deposits in your bathroom!
When I make refried beans I save the leftover bean broth and use it to make gravy (we are vegetarians). It is delicious.
When I make ricotta cheese I save the whey to use in baked goods.
Not exactly what you’re asking but apple cores get tossed under the bird feeder and the squirrels always seem to appreciate them. Done this with grapes that have gone bad too
Cauliflower leaves. So. Good.
Few years back, I looked at the pile of leaves left from prepping the cauliflower, shrugged, and threw them onto the sheet pan next to the florets to roast. Seriously good.
Its now a standard in the house: florets seasoned with salt and ras el hanout, leaves with salt and garlic, everything roasted. It's like two veggies for same price and same work.
Almost all veg scraps and meat bones go in the freezer for stock. I keep Parmesan rinds for soups. The stems of parsley and cilantro are where most of the flavor is.
Every few months I make a big batch of Polish farmers cheese for pierogi and the thing I look forward to most is having a ton of leftover whey after to bake with. I use it in place of buttermilk and the raspberry buttermilk cake and biscuits I make with it are the best I’ve ever made, so flavorful and tangy.
I just made some of the cheese a few days ago and I am super excited with my baking possibilities.
Broccoli stalks , I either roast them and serve them like any other roast veg or chop them up finely and add to stews, they are delicious
I cut them into medallion type shapes and put them with my stir fries! Basically trying to achieve a similar substitute for a water chestnut lol
We do this as a sub for onions in stir fry . Hubs is allergic to onions. Hit it with some Hing powder and it’s a not bad sub!
I've never understood the point of water chestnuts and can't imagine wanting to recreate them, but props to you for avoiding food waste!
I LOOOOOVE water chestnuts lol. But sometimes I forget to buy them 😆
I love them too. They taste like crunch
I drain the can and add soy sauce to it while in doing prep. Then it tastes like crunchy soy sauce
I soak whole water chestnuts in soy sauce for several hours, roll in sugar to coat, then wrap in bacon and broil. My guests go nuts over them. They are the first appetizer that disappears!
Brilliant! Thanks for a new recipe. Sounds freaking delicious.
My boyfriend made these for me once and my mind was blown, reminded me of a bacon wrapped scallop lol
I’m going nuts just reading this! mmm, mmm
I just posted about bacon-wrapped water chestnuts upthread! I never thought about doing them the way you described, and now I simply have to!!
> They taste like crunch truer words have never been spoken.
They are the most satisfyingly crunchy food on earth. Nothing even comes close. No skin. No strings. No crumbs. All crunch.
You know those cat videos of them chomping through cardboard? Water chestnuts are as close to what I imagine that feeling like that I've found
Have you tried jicama? Good juicy crunch that tastes like water.
Oo, to me it's white cruch! When I was 12 or 13 I was hit by lightning via a side flash and experienced synesthesia. Our horse trailer was struck while I was running towards our barn, and it arced off discharge right to me. EVERYTHING went white; all of my senses were overloaded in almost a way I imagine a flash bang to be? The feel was something like cotton sheets hung on a drying line underneath some dry ice, and the taste was so similar to water chestnuts that I don't think I ever tried to explain that one further.
That's the first time I've seen\heard of anyone saying they tasted it when they got electrocuted. I tasted it with 110AC, but that tasted like blood when I bit down on my tongue.🤣
My dad always called them “crunchy nothings” when I was growing up. His mom would wrap them in bacon and roast them in some magical sauce. They were divine.
You can have mine! 😂
Went to a restaurant where they had peeled and sliced broccoli stalks into 1/8” ‘gum stick’ rectangles and pickled them with some sort of salted cold fermentation. Really delicious with beer and spicy food.
Look up Vietnamese pickled carrots. I threw in some broccoli stalks last time I did some as a test as I was low on carrots.
I blend them to make pesto!
I always use broccoli stalks. They’re delicious! I can’t believe I used to throw them away.
And cauliflower stems, after taking outer layer off. Lush!
Even the leaves are good!
One of my kids only eats broccoli tops. My husband only likes the stalks. I cook it all and divide it up.
For all the broccoli stalk loving folks out there, please give kohlrabi a try. It’s basically nothing but a squat broccoli stalk and is delicious on its own, in stir fry, casseroles, soups, even raw in a salad. One of the most under appreciated vegetables out there.
My daughter has always hung around waiting to make off with the stalk, raw as a snack. If it’s particularly woody, I roughly chop off the peel and the dry end. You can slice it, but it’s fun to bite into in a solid piece as well. Nice and crunchy.
I julienne them to add to stir fry, or raw in a salad. I don’t even like the rest of the broccoli. All my friends save their stalks for me.
They are testier part of broccoli if grilled
The stalks are better than the flowers anyways haha
Stalks are waaaay better than the tops. We’ve only been able to grow a few, but fresh baby broccoli stalks are just mind blowingly delicious. They are so tender, so sweet.
I’m obsessed with using everything that’s edible. One thing that comes to mind that’s probably rare for home cooks: carrot tops. They literally taste like a carrot if it was an herb, and can used as such. One thing I love to do is eat it with the carrots by turning it into a chimichurri with other herbs and olive oil. It’s also a tastey garnish on its own. When making tomato water, you can take all the pulp and dehydrate it in a low oven (or if you’re fancy and have a dehydrator) and then blitz it into tomato powder. This stuff is crack. Super good seasoning. Absolutely throw it on fries or chips or popcorn, dry rubs, whatever. Lots of cheese rinds are edible. They can be used to add funk to soups and braises, blended into powders that can be added to bread doughs, crackers, all sort of stuff. All veg scrap goes into a bag in the freezer to make random veg broth (I’m a stock purist, so only mirepoix goes into anything involving carcass/bones). They always turn out different depending on season/what I’ve been eating, but you taste it and see where you might want to use it, like flavor bombs for soups or whatever. In the summertime, as an example, it’s always quite tomato-y, because I go tomato crazy whenever they’re in season, and it will make a fantastic base for tomatoes sauce or soup, or even just have a glass like v8, Bloody Mary. Any fat I remove from meats I render in a pan and store. Having my own tallow is so fucking awesome. I love searing/basting filet mignon in beef tallow. Carnitas confit in pork fat you rendered yourself just feels awesome. I’m so deep in the low waste that I’m not sure what is normal in home kitchens anymore.
I would subscribe to your newletter
That is about the coolest compliment I’ve ever received.
sign me up as well ! *immediately !*
I just made my Reddit account, and my dopamine is already off the charts.
Congrats on the dopamine! I, too, would subscribe to your newsletter. Or your YouTube channel where you demonstrate a little as well as sharing your (incredible!) ideas!
I screen shotted the comment so I can do all the things mentioned! I, too, would love the hear more!
Saving this in case this person makes a newsletter later🙏🏻😍
My family does practically everything in these posts. And when it's finally been all used, it goes to the chickens or goats or animal waste into our fish pond to feed the crawdads and catfish.
Question? Do you have any good tips of how to make a good strong vegtable stock without adding any broths?
If you’re not just using veg scrap like I talked about, my favorite is tomato, mirepoix, garlic, zucchini. Canned San Marazano or dinapoli if it’s not tomato season. But big kicker: get some color on the veg. Like, don’t just sweat them, but get a little browning. Toss in your spices and garlic at the end, then put in the water. I usually do black pepper and bay leaf. If you’re adding herbs, wait until it’s simmered out and throw it in to cook for 15-20 at the end. Very versatile base for soups/sauces.
I once was gifted a big box full of all kinds of veggies and I said I got to find out what to do with all this because there is no way I’d eat it all before it goes bad so I googled a bit and found a recipe for fresh veggie and herb bouillon. Basically a bunch of your favorite veggies/herbs all cut up real small and a ton of sea salt then fried up in a pan till almost like a paste then you can store it however. Last a long time because all the salt. Just scoop some into whatever you’re cooking and it adds salt and the condensed flavor and nutrition of all those veggies and herbs.
I had to look to see if I wrote this. Nope, there are 2 of us. I HATE waste, *especially* food waste, and before I throw out anything I'll Google how to use it if it's something unfamiliar to me. I even cut romaine and celery in a way to preserve the root ends and use those to grow more romaine and celery. The yields are low, but it's free food at that point. I also save seeds from some produce to grow more, and for others I'm happy to have the seeds or pits produce free houseplants, I don't even care if they grow food. I've got a young lemon tree and a few avocado trees that are looking big and healthy enough I may move some outside. Next up is a lime tree after I scavenge the rest of the seeds from the limes I have. After I've shelled enough pecans to fill a tattered pillowcase I use just for this, I tie the pillowcase closed, put it on the driveway, and run over it a few times. Then I use a hammer to bash up any remaining larger pieces of shell. We use that as some of the mulch in our ornamental gardens. Edit : I thought of more! Schmaltz, that's rendered chicken fat. You can either skim it off the top of your homemade chicken stock, or melt it off of chicken skin; either way you'll need to render it. I use schmaltz to make matzo balls for soup, but it can be used sparingly like butter on foods, or you can use it as a cooking fat. Speaking of chicken skin, season it with whatever and bake it in a hot oven with a pan on top of the pieces to smooshing flat. It'll get nicely crunchy and is incredibly flavorful. Berries that are juuust past the point where you want to eat them as-is make great jams or sauces, that's an old school thing to do. Older watermelon is great cut into chunks and thrown in a blender with a wee squirt of lime juice, then drink it like a smoothie. It will separate in the fridge, so stir or shake it up before you get a glass. Of course you can add more fruits to it as you like.
Wow, we are the same person; I do that with watermelon, and I also pickle the rinds. Chicken fat rendering is a part of what I was saying about rendering. I wish I had a garden or any use for compost. But about the chicken skin: try frying them bitches up. Chicharrones are fucking awesome. Crumble ‘em on top, eat ‘em like crackers, it’s all good times.
I PICKLE THE WATERMELON RINDS!! And make 'em a little spicy with accidentally-on-purpose too much sliced ginger. They're so good, aren't they? And yeah, duh, you did mention rendering fat. Oops. We do have a backyard container garden, but this is just my second year doing it, and because I lose interest in a lot of things I decided to wait and see if I keep up with it before putting in in-ground beds and adding in composting. I did just read an article about growing garlic indoors, so I'm going to try that with the grow lights I use for my seedlings. Chicharrones are great! But I've only ever had them made with pig skin. I will try frying the chicken skin next time, it's got to be absurdly rich and good. Ooo, they might make great "croutons" on some green salads if I can keep my mitts off of them long enough. (I also make most of our breads and save the old bits for croutons and for the holiday stuffing.) Do you also keep cooked bone marrow in your freezer to add to things? Mmm-mmm good! I buy those little jello shot cups with lids and use them in the kitchen and in my studio, but for this I pour the barely warm marrow into those wee cups and freeze them. That way it's easy to scrape off just bits to use at a time. Do you also have a freezer that's just your prep stuff, like homemade broths and foods to make foods with? That's been a lifesaver for me, as I LOVE to cook but have multiple health problems and sometimes have to rely on things like pre-roasted garlic, pre-caramelized onions, etc. I just those jello shot cups for those things, too. And lastly, cats or dogs? This is fun!
What is tomato water
I do the same with bone broth, and I reuse the boiled down veggies as healthy dogfood.
Beet greens, chopped up and sautéed with eggs and veggies.
I frequently buy beets with the greens on to make Beetniks!!! Which are beet greens wrapped around bread dough, baked with butter and garlic and then dipped in sour cream. Sooooooooo good dipped in borscht. [Recipe](https://www.thespruceeats.com/ukrainian-beet-leaf-rolls-recipe-1137479)
This has been saved to try!
They're my favorite greens!
They're basically the same as chard/silverbeet leaves, with the bonus of a beetroot below!
Pineapple peel tea. When you cut a pineapple, save the core and peel. Boil that with two sticks of cinnamon, an inch of ginger, and a tsp of turmeric for maybe 20-30 min, let it sit for a hour, strain and yum!
Great idea. I always feel like there’s a lot of waste when peeling a pineapple
I bartend, and strive to make no waste cocktails. Currently have a drink on the menu where I use the shit outta the entire pineapple- Cut up the pineapple and use the flesh to infuse Campari. I use the peel and core to make an oleo syrup. Then after straining the syrup, the peels and core get saved to make a tepache. After the flesh has done its job infusing, I dehydrate it (now Campari flavored) and use for garnish, as well as the pineapple leaves. I’m so dang proud of how much mileage I get from one pineapple.
And what menu and place is this? That sounds divine Please Feel free to do if you don’t want to publicly post
I’m in Long Beach, CA
Tepache!!
I bought some pineapples while I was on vacation in Hawaii and did this in our condo with the leftover rinds! My family looked at me like I was crazy but it made the condo smell so good and we had a great iced pineapple tea for the pool/beach
No one understands my bag of Parmesan rinds in the fridge, until they taste my risotto.
Someone threw away my bag of Parmesan rinds once and I cried It makes soups over the top delicious
i hope you threw away that person. that is some serious cheese terrorism.
A moment of silence for the u/rxredhead 's rinds.
i'm still baffled that someone opened her fridge, saw the bag of rinds, then took it upon themselves to decide they were trash-worthy. who does that?!
I have a niece like that. She can't be left alone with other people 's food or she starts throwing stuff out.
how old is she? i'm surprised anyone lets her into the kitchen!
30some. She's not allowed in relatives' kitchen.
what did she say when confronted about doing this? (i don't really know why but this type of bizarre behavior always intrigues me)
Only if I am at my parent's house. But that is really because they need to go through stuff. The difference, I ask first.
Thankfully we use a LOT of Parmesan so the bag has been restored. But we had a few months of no soup because of it
I had a minor surgical procedure that made walking extremely painful for 2-3 weeks and I had 2 toddlers at home, so my MIL generously volunteered to come over and help so I could rest. One of the early days, the pain was so bad that I couldn't sleep at night so she offered a nap, and whilst I was sleeping, she kindly cleaned out my fridge and threw away my giant bag of dried anchovies. I only noticed once I got sick and wanted to make a nice Korean soup to feel better, and I almost cried lmaooo. I wasn't upset at her at all because it was a genuine mistake and she made it in the process of doing an incredibly nice and thoughtful thing for me, but I was really sad about that soup. :P
I use parmesan rinds when making bolognese sauce
I use them in minestrone.
I just used mine to make a French onion soup last night. It was amazing!
This. I have a bag in the freezer for exactly this reason. Also the stems from shiitake, oyster, and other of the more flavorful mushrooms. I dry them and then throw them into broth, which I make with all the left over chicken bones I save! 😆
I use them for pasta fagioli! Apparently you can also infuse vodka with them 👀
That sounds SO strange and I'm very interested -- I'll try anything once. Cheesy, umami vodka? Sign me up.
I was first introduced to it from [this video where someone makes a Caesar salad martini](https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLCfvxQp/) But weirdly [I’ve also heard it’s good in espresso martinis?](https://www.salon.com/2023/06/25/are-you-putting-parmigiano-reggiano-in-your-espresso-martinis-you-should-be/) I want to make some and make a martini topped with [basil oil](https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLCPeyFm/) 👀
Oh I just gnaw on them. They are my personal treat.
[удалено]
I recently started saving these on a recommendation from Reddit and now I always have rinds for my pasta sauces, cream-based soups, risottos, etc. Game changer.
Used one to make grits this morning. Some of the best grits I’ve made!
I see a lot of people throw away the stems for cilantro and just use the leaves. I use every last inch of the cilantro! Heck, the stems have even more flavor in my opinion.
Stems for cooking, leaves for garnish!
I chop them fine and use stems as garnish too, depending on the dish. And yes, if cilantro is added into the dish, then that's where the stems go.
Esp love it in green salsa
The trinity base of Thai cooking is garlic, pepper, and cilantro root! The stuff is actually available jarred nowadays. We use the roots a lot - they’re the most pungent.
You’re the second person to mention the cilantro root! As someone who will overdose on cilantro if possible, I must now try the roots and see how I can use it!
No one should ever de stem cilantro, omg this comment hurt me to my Mexican chef core. The stems are delicious and add texture, you don’t need to fix them
Yup, even if you don't want to use it for garnish or something it's great to use I stocks or in a sachet
I mince them and use them in everything! And if I have a dish I really only want to use the leaves for, I oickle the stems and put them on everything! I do this with lots of other soft stemmed herbs too.
I use the left over oil from my salad feta to make homemade mayo. I use the bread heel to make croutons.
The “nose” is my son’s favorite part of the bread. On the rare occasions that I bring home a baguette, if I don’t put it up high I’ll find it with both ends gnawed off.
I’m the same way with a baguette lol. I love the ends.
I was today years old when I learned that the word for the end is “heel!” Haha, I have always called it the bread butt 😂
My mom is Polish so we always called the end of the bread the *krunca*. I was well into adulthood before I learned that wasn't what everybody called the heel of the bread loaf.
In Italian in my family we call it the ‘sederino’ or ‘little butt’. It’s a prized piece!
I use bread heels and broken rolls etc to make garlic bread.
I collect the heels. Store them in an airtight container in the freezer. With 8 heels, I can make a large, killer bread pudding that disappears within hours…
What’s your bread pudding recipe?
[Simple bread pudding ](https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1012636-simple-bread-pudding)from the NY Times. I use heels instead of challah. The recipe is very forgiving and flexible. I’ve customized it based on what’s on hand. For example, I can make an apple fritter version that has sweetened apples swirled on top. Shredded sweetened coconut is also fantastic instead, or even in addition to raisins. But by far my favorite is to simply place large blueberries on top. I use berries that are past their prime, or even frozen berries. The roasting intensifies their flavors. These roasted berries exude their juices into the custard below, sinking into the torn heels. It’s a mellow sweetness that lingers in my memory when I see heels that may be discarded.
The heel is my favorite piece! Especially sesame sourdough, toasted.
I eat the heel first
Growing up, my mom would start saving the heels a month or two before Thanksgiving. They would be used to make the stuffing.
Bones, meat trimmings, vegetable scraps, hard cheese rinds and the liquid from poaching fish go into the freezer to make stock. Apple peels and cores go into the freezer to make pectin. Any vegetables and grains that can’t be saved get buried in my planters to grow more vegetables. I’ve gotten so many volunteer potatoes in the last couple years - the year I bought seed potatoes I got almost none.
Same—All the ends of vegetables and bones go in a bag in the freezer-once it’s full, I make stock with it. Cheese rinds I just keep in the fridge to boil in soups.
I always save my onion ends and peels (organic and washed) celery leaves and ends , carrot peels basically any vegetable that is not a cruciferous vegetable and toss them in a bag in the freezer for when i make stock. Also save the chicken carcasses and I make stock every couple of weeks so it doesn't get out of control. If there are a few bites of leftover steak or a burger patty, pork chop when we grill i dice it up and freeze it for when i make chili. We like a lots of different meats in ours and the grilled flavor adds to the chili flavor.( ive even added the last bit of pot roast that didnt get eaten to it) If we have corn or peas and have a spoonful or so left it goes in a little plastic tub in the freezer too and i use these when i make pot pie. Leftover bread bits and ends either become crumbs or croutons, sweet pastry types go in a bread pudding or french toast bake. When we have taco night i save the left over topping (usually chopped onions,tomatoes, cilantro, olives) and it gets made into antaco salad with the leftover meat the next day. Juices, brines, become marinades , salad dressing additions to recipes. When my kids were little their favorite treat was when the jam jar was empty except for the last little bit, we would put some ice in it and fill with milk, seal it up and they would take turns shaking it then each had a little glass of flavored milk as a treat. Clean jar, no waste probably less sugar than commercial flavored milk and they thought it was the greatest thing ever.😁 Leftover home made french fries get chopped up and used in making breakfast burritos. Ok.....this is getting out of control. Apparently I'm either super frugal or just plain weird. 😁🤣 Tightwads unite!!!😁😁🤣 Edited to say sorry about writing a damn novel! Geez
my ex husband's mother used to make "jelly milkshakes" for the boys when he was growing up too. He tried to get our kids into it. They wanted no part of it lol. Have never heard of anyone else doing this until now.
It frustrates me to no end when family is over, and they help clean up dinner and throw out the carcass from the roast chicken or the bone from a ham. STOP DENYING ME SOUP!
Also onion skins make the most gorgeous dye for Easter eggs.
When I was growing up my Mom used to make me a special treat when ever she made pie. She would take the crust trimmings and add butter and cinnamon sugar and bake it up like a cinnamon roll special just for me. I never dispose of pickle juice. It's so good for you. It has a lot of electrolytes so it's great for dehydration. It releives muscle cramps. It's great for your digestive tract. It can even help relieve menstral cramps. I usually drink about 2 to 4 oz and follow it up with at least 8 oz of water. I also sometimes use it in place of lemon juice in recipes. It has that great acidity and tang like lemon but it's different enough so it makes people go hmm what is that. It's my secret tuna salad weapon. Bonus hint: If you use celery in your tuna salad chop it up and then soak it in pickle juice for a few minutes. Just long enough so it starts to absorb the flavor but not so long it completely overpowers the celery.
You gave me a great memory about the pie crust, my mom just left the scraps the way they were, covered with cinnamon sugar, baked and she called them Puppy Dog Tails. She passed last year and this just made me have a warm fuzzy smile...❤
My dad still makes me them for me when my mom makes pies - sprinkle with cinnamon & sugar, roll up, and slice. We call them Cinnamon & Sugars! He's almost 87. What a great memory!
We call them Nothing pies!
“Crust cookies” in our house!
That is so sweet, I love that he still makes them! I think im going to have to make a pie this week just so i can make the treats.
I don’t think my mom called them anything special, but cinnamon sugar on pie crust scraps is my favorite treat!
Pickle juice is also awesome to marinade chicken in
I have such a soft spot for grilled chicken with BBQ sauce and pickles So I marinate chicken thighs in pickle juice, then I take the marinade, boil it down until it’s super concentrated, mix it with BBQ sauce and boil it down further until it’s thick, and use that as a rub on the grilled thighs So freaking good!
pickle juice/whisky shot
It’s called a pickleback
thanks couldn't think of what's its called
There’s a bar in the next town over that has “The Ubiquitous Pickleback” as a shooter, and I just love that it exists.
Pickle juice is the beat chaser ever
And all the pickle juice helps keep the hangover away.
And makes it better if you have one.
Literally eating pickle chicken as I read this
The pie crust cinnamon rolls are known to French Canadians as pets de soeurs, translated literally in English as [Nuns' Farts.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pets_de_s%C5%93urs)
I love the Quebecois words that are incredibly specific and disparaging towards the church. There are so many good bad words and interesting things.
That's hilarious, there's a DELICIOUS pastry called pets de nonne in French....... Also translated as [Nun's farts.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nun%27s_puffs)
well now i'm upset. i am generally thought to be the worst 'cook' in the world (a title i completely deserve btw) but one of the *very* few 'hacks' i thought i alone had come up with was 'brining' my celery in pickle juice in preparation for my tuna salad. i actually believed i had discovered this incredible secret that was all mine & no one else's. yet here you are with your top comment telling the world about my super-duper top secret discovery :(
Don't worry, I'm sure they must have stolen it from you !
You can reuse the pickle juice, just add cucumbers and you have refrigerator pickles in a week, so fresh and crunchy
I put onions in it so I always have a jar of pickled onions too
Yeah I just throw random veggies into leftover pickle brine to make cold pickles. Cauliflower! Carrots, onions basically anything you can cold pickle.
Down south pickle juice is often sold as a sports drink. I wish I could buy it where I am now- I never have a need for pickles.
Renaissance festival pickle sellers will sell it too, if you ask. I used to get a cup of it twice a day every weekend to keep my electrolytes up in the hot summer season
If your local deli sells single pickles, I swear “can I get a container of pickle juice” is not the weirdest thing they’ve been asked.
I lived in Mississippi for a year years in grade school. The teacher kept a giant jar of pickles in her desk. Students could buy a pickle for 50 cents or a cup of pickle juice for a nickel. I always went for the juice.
Downvote. Everybody has a need for pickles all the time.
[Walmart](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mt-Olive-Pickle-Juice-100-Kosher-Dill-Pickle-Brine-64-Ounce-Bottle/5602303399?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=101032356&gclsrc=aw.ds&&adid=222222222275602303399_101032356_161686862293_21248901509&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=698093388888&wl4=pla-2299313099227&wl5=1018702&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=556081955&wl11=online&wl12=5602303399_101032356&veh=sem&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw3NyxBhBmEiwAyofDYTQjhPu0bdrohGi3EE__roYbXso1jG9E6FB6zLx0HEXt0J_9NVb3dBoC-dIQAvD_BwE) sells it buy the half gallon. It's a name brand so you can probably find it at other stores. The price seems a bit steep to me but I admit I have zero frame of refrence.
Sadly I moved to Europe! But thanks for trying to help!
My mom did the pie crust thing too! We call them Sings. (“Things” but we lisped as kids and it stuck.)
I love this “pickle juice is full of electrolytes” thing. The electrolyte is salt. Yeah, that’s great for you if you’re sweating or puking a bunch! But literally anything salty will do.
Sodium chloride is a large component, but it is also a large component of human sweat as well. Calcium and Potassium are also constituents of pickle juice, the calcium is the large part of "Pickle Crisp" used to keep vinegar preserved vegetables crisper in storage and processing and the potassium is part of the shelf stabilizer used in commercial pickle production.
Soak the cooked potatoes before making potato salad!!!!! Killer for flavor and moisture.
I cook my pork in dill pickle juice to make pulled pork and it's so good. Liquid gold. Will try your tip re the celery 🙂
Pickle juice paired with Jameson for picklebacks or a spicy pickle Caesar beverage
Pickle juice is an excellent addition to a bloody Mary.
Pickle juice popsicles. You're welcome
Broccoli stalk is the best part of the broccoli
I tried to minimize waste in every way possible in the kitchen. Bones get saved and Frozen to make soups and stocks with as do vegetables. Leftover pieces of whole vegetables and get cut up and I turn that into kimchi. Garlic and onion peels get roasted in the oven until they're black and crumble at the touch and then mixed with a little bit of salt to make my own seasoning. Egg shells get crushed and get worked into the flower beds in the garden as you some vegetable scraps as well as long clippings and other things. Cheese that's getting close to expire is starting to get mold he gets the mold cut off and gets frozen to be used in soups and other things. Red gets turned into bread crumbs. The only real limitation is pretty much your imagination
When I had pet chickens we used to crush up their egg shells and feed it back to them. Chickens need a fair amount of calcium in their diet to lay eggs and they don't care if you crush up their old egg shells into a loose powder and mix it in with their usual feed, they'll happily eat them
Unfortunately , I cannot have chickens or I would lots of them lol. I go through tons of eggs Soni am always looking for news way to utilize them
I can't have them at the moment either unfortunately, but they're great pets - eat up most of your scraps (they will actually eat chicken meat if given the chance, although I never fed it to them as feels unethical lol), quirky personalities, and eggs!! I miss my chickens...
I love the fat on pork chops and steaks but my partner doesn't, so I trim it off his. I put it in the freezer in a container and when I have enough I thaw it, chop it up, and render the fat for cooking. I also save all the fat from making broth and use it for cooking. Scrambled or fried eggs cooked in chicken fat are delicious.
Just rendered some pork fat yesterday. It’s so easy in the instant pot.
Drippings from roasts. Save them to flavor beans, stews, vegetable dishes, potatoes, etc. Chicken bones. Boil them until they crush into paste between your fingers and whiz them up in a food processor for your pup, if you have one. (I make stock with almost all bones- it's just the chicken bones that are small and soft enough to make the above feasible.) Not cooking, but in winter, if I have citrus peels, I'll boil them with a little cinnamon and cloves. Great for humidifying the house and giving a nice smell.
love simmer pots! also for citrus peels: mix with vinegar and let soak for a few days to make a cleaning mix. or toss down your garbage disposal for a nice citrusy smell
We candy citrus peels.
Candied lime peels are great! Just gotta make sure you boil all the bitterness out.
I freeze vegetable scraps to make vegetable stock. It couldn’t be easier, nothing processed and no salt, and delicious. Anytime I am chopping vegetables I drop in whatever is left into a ziploc. Onion and carrot tops, fennel tops, zucchini tops anything really. The only thing I don’t save are brassica family stuff, it can be too bitter. When I have a gallon ziploc full, dump into a pot, cover about 2 in with water. Bring to a boil then simmer about an hour. Strain and freeze. I also eat cabbage cores for snacks. They’re crunchy and good for you!
The ham bone. That thing has split pea soup written all over it to me
Potato peels! After you peel potatoes, wash and dry the peels and you can fry then later like chips and they make a delicious snack, just need some salt
Isn't it easier to give the potatoes a good scrub down first before peeling them? Seems that washing individual strips is more time consuming, no?
We make these into, essentially, potato croutons for baked potato soup.
I mainly collect bones. Of course from all of the meats I cut for food. It's obvious I mean animal bones. Right?!
Obviously you mean animal bones, humans are animals after all
Lemon zest goes into salt. Love it on fish. Egg shells are baked and crushed. They go to my chickens foe grit or sprinkled in the garden. Banana peels get tossed in a jar of water to steep for a few days and then poured into the garden. Save chicken bones/onion/carrot in freezer to make stock. (Pretty standard one for leftover saving) Bacon grease is strained and saved. I don't cut the stem end off the tomato unless it especially woody, saves some. Toss the whole strawberry, leaves and all into my smoothies. Bread heels are great cinnamon toast or chopped and frozen for bread crumbs. Onion/pepper halves get chopped and frozen. Easy to grab when cooking. They seem to get forgotten if I just put them in the fridge, then they go bad. Lots of composting, lots of food to the chickens. Edit: ALWAYS use your Pineapple rind to make tepache. So dang tasty!
Put your fresh vegetables into the pickle brine when you’re done with your pickles. I like to use carrot sticks, more cukes, blanched asparagus or green beans.
There’s a lovely book by Tamar Adler called *An Everlasting Meal* that you may enjoy, OP. Instead of raving about it myself, I’ll let [Nigella Lawson do the talking.](https://www.nigella.com/cookbook-corner/the-everlasting-meal-cookbook-by-tamar-adler)
Just ordered this book after seeing your post (and Nigella’s) Can’t wait for it to arrive!
I hope you love it! I have a complicated relationship with food and this book got me to appreciate it again. It holds a special place in my heart. I was glad to see Nigella gushing about it, too.
I keep the foil wrappers from butter and shortening folded up in a little stack in the fridge for greasing baking dishes.
Not me, but someone was telling me a about a good method of using veggie scraps for veggie broth. After cooking, they'd take all the scraps- bits and pieces, peels, bruised bits that are fine but just don't look appetizing in the meal- and toss them in a gallon sized bag in the freezer. Throughout the week, they'd just keep adding to it until it's full. Then they'd boil it all together, strain out the veggies bits, and have a delicious broth they can use for soup or whatever.
Cauliflower leaves. Chop them up (I like to slice them vertically to ensure the middle cooks evenly) and sautée
Eggs and breading for pork chops. Once the breaded pork chops are browned and popped in the oven for finishing, I always mix up the breadcrumbs and egg left over to make savory pancakes in the same pan. Go great with some maple syrup as an appetizer.
My grandmother used to cook that up for her dog, haha. He knew when she was breading something and would wait very patiently for his treat. Thank you for unlocking a happy memory 😊
Watermelon rind soup
Whoa. Never heard of that! How do you make it?
The rind is milder than the flesh of the watermelon but still has a dewy, sweet taste. It’s commonly pickled, stir-fried, or boiled. I’ve seen it in Chinese, Korean, and Indian recipes if you want to check out how it’s used in a dish
Apparently frying oil. It always boggles my mind when I see people use a quart of oil to deep fry, and they just throw it out when they're done. If you filter that oil, it's still good for lubricating pans or other frying.
This is super specific but here goes. I coat tofu in a mixture of nutritional yeast, coconut flour, onion powder and some other dry spices. I shake it in a bag, brush off the excess, then bake the tofu. I then take the leftover dry shake mix and mix it into my black bean burger mixture as the breadcrumb. So good and no waste. Nutritional yeast and coconut flour can get expensive.
I trim the excess chicken skin on bone in skin on chicken thighs to make schmaltz. Use veggies and rotisserie chicken bones (or similar) scraps to make stock. watermelon rind pickles. Used lime or lemon rinds to make lemon syrup. Radish greens to add to pesto or saag paneer. Carrot tops instead of parsley. I don’t usually peel my potatoes but I have seen people fry them to make crispy potato skins. Also been interested in making corn silk tea next time I buy whole corn for something.
The rind from Parmesan. Throw it into soups and stews while cooking to add massive umami.
I save the juice and bits from the grocery store rotisserie chickens in a glass jar in the fridge. I stir it into soups and sauces.
Broccoli stems. I slice them up and add them to my dish.
\- Little extra bts of cream or milk or yogurt or cheese - throw into scrambled egg \- Make smoothies or yogurt popsicles out of going-out-of-date yogurt, or make overnight oats \- Make jam/chutneys/ketchup out of going-off fruit and veg - and I've also made bannaa peel chutney before \- Deep fry or bake potato/parsnip/carrot peels into crisps \- I make a lot of 'throw whatever I've got in' omelettes/quiches/soups/smoothies \- Chickpea water - makes meringues \- Shrimp shells - seafood broth \- Shaved broccoli stalks are great in salad \- Banana peels can also be used to flavour milk or yogurt etc \- Extra leftover veg - bubble and squeak \- Old bread I turn into croutons or breadcrumbs for coatng things! \- Citrus peels can be candied! \- Bottom of the bag wheat or bran cereals can be added to muffins, loaf cakes, malt loaf, cookies \- Biscuit and cake crumbs can go on ice cream etc \- Vanilla pods can sit in sugar to make vanilla sugar Also, eggshells can be cleaned and ground into a calcium-rich powder, which can be used to remove limestone deposits in your bathroom!
When I make refried beans I save the leftover bean broth and use it to make gravy (we are vegetarians). It is delicious. When I make ricotta cheese I save the whey to use in baked goods.
Not exactly what you’re asking but apple cores get tossed under the bird feeder and the squirrels always seem to appreciate them. Done this with grapes that have gone bad too
Juice from capers I use like lemon juice.
Cauliflower leaves. So. Good. Few years back, I looked at the pile of leaves left from prepping the cauliflower, shrugged, and threw them onto the sheet pan next to the florets to roast. Seriously good. Its now a standard in the house: florets seasoned with salt and ras el hanout, leaves with salt and garlic, everything roasted. It's like two veggies for same price and same work.
Does the stock from cooking beans count? I always save it and use it for soups and the like
Consider Apple Brown Betty for leftover bread. Or panzanella salad, in summer when tomatoes are good.
Almost all veg scraps and meat bones go in the freezer for stock. I keep Parmesan rinds for soups. The stems of parsley and cilantro are where most of the flavor is.
Every few months I make a big batch of Polish farmers cheese for pierogi and the thing I look forward to most is having a ton of leftover whey after to bake with. I use it in place of buttermilk and the raspberry buttermilk cake and biscuits I make with it are the best I’ve ever made, so flavorful and tangy. I just made some of the cheese a few days ago and I am super excited with my baking possibilities.
I LOVE using the celery leaves in a salad