Rethink & revive your food
Those Brussels sprouts look wilty. That bread is crusty and stale. They can’t be good to eat, right? Think before you toss. There may be a way to revive that day-old veggie or bread into a tasty dish.
Monthly Topic Overview
Bread, fruit, and vegetables are just a few food categories at risk of getting wasted when items appear stale, bruised, or wilted. Embracing food imperfections with a little culinary creativity can significantly reduce food waste (and save you money!).
A note on food safety:
Many foods in these conditions (stale, wilted, etc.) are safe to eat. Following our tips on food expiration dates can help with understanding what is safe or not. Beyond these guidelines, use your senses – some foods are noticeably beyond saving if the look, smell, or taste is concerning.
Tips by food type:
- Bread: Make croutons, breadcrumbs, French toast, bread pudding, stuffing, and more with stale bread. Here are a few sources for recipes:
- Milk: Did you know that milk is safe to consume for a week past its expiration date (as long as it has been properly refrigerated)? Do a smell test.
- Slightly sour milk can be used as a substitute for buttermilk in cooking such items as pancakes or biscuits.
- Whole milk can be used to make ricotta cheese. Learn how with Emily from Table to Table.
- Not sure how to tell if milk is just a little sour or if it is spoiled? Check out this resource to learn more.
- Lettuce: Unwilt your lettuce by soaking in an ice bath. Learn how from Cook’s Illustrated.
- Bananas: Mushy and browned bananas? No problem! These are actually the best bananas for banana bread, smoothies, and more.
- Banana bread recipe from Allrecipes
- 36 other over-ripe banana recipes from Taste of Home.
- Have more bananas than you can eat right now? Freeze them.
- Apples: Bruised or wrinkled apples? These can be perfect for baking applesauce, pies, and other desserts. For a variety of recipes that use old or bruised apples, check out Kitchn.
- Tomatoes: There are a ton of recipe solutions for overripe or bruised tomatoes from lasagna, to marinara sauce, to soups. View recipes from EatingWell.
More tips:
- Mushy berries and other bruised, overripe fruits can be used to make smoothies. Blend fruit with water, juice, or milk. Add some honey or cinnamon for extra flavor and added nutrition!
- Got other wilted veggies besides lettuce? Soak wilted vegetables (carrots, celery and more) in an ice bath for about 10 minutes to bring them back to life. Wilted produce is usually a result of loss of water and they just need to be rehydrated. Learn more.
- Stale crackers or chips can be re-toasted in the oven to crisp them up. Learn more.
- Soup or sauce too salty? Add some vinegar, lemon juice, water, or brown sugar. Learn more.
Activity
Got some stale bread at home? Follow along with Emily in the kitchen and whip up some seasoned croutons or breadcrumbs!
Resources
- Tips to revive food from a variety of sources:
- NPR interview with Dana Gunders (formerly with the Natural Resource Defense Council and now Director of ReFED) on tips to cut kitchen waste
- How to revive food (Rachael Ray Show video)
- How to make croutons or breadcrumbs from stale bread (Table to Table video)
Read more Love Food, Fight Waste topics, brought to you by Table to Table and the City of Iowa City.
