Yes, you CAN make a difference right in the kitchen. Here's how.
What better time to pig out than the holidays, right? There are so many delicious foods to enjoy at this time of year that, quite frankly, it can be hard to choose which favorite dishes to cook. So why not make them all? It’s a natural response to cook a lot of different dishes and end up with a mountain of leftovers…which, after trying to get creative with some leftover meals, usually end up getting thrown in the trash.
The American Food Waste Problem
If this is your reality, don’t worry! You’re definitely not the only one. Food waste is a worldwide problem that companies, labs, even parts of the government, are continually working to improve. According to the National Resource Defense Council, 40 percent of food produced in the United States goes uneaten. Jonathan Bloom, a journalist who authored the book American Wasteland,wrote that Americans waste up to 160 billion pounds of food in a year—enough to fill the entire Rose Bowl and then some. That’s an awful lot to waste, given that it takes 10 percent of the U.S. energy budget to produce the food, 50 percent of the land to grow it, and 80 percent of the freshwater to cultivate it. This means that almost a third of the water used is wasted on food that is never eaten.
Our world faces a huge food waste dilemma, and trying to tackle the issue can feel like a pretty overwhelming feat. However, numerous experts believe that we can start to solve the food waste problem right in our kitchens—especially around the holidays. Here’s what you can do this holiday season to make a difference in this wasteful crisis.
Think About Portions
Thomas McQuillan, vice president of corporate strategy, culture and sustainability at Baldor Specialty Foods Inc., is convinced that home cooks can make changes that will make a great impact on food waste. The first step, he says, is to consider portions before even shopping for groceries.
“The most significant contribution we can all make to reducing food waste is to not create it in the first place,” says McQuillan. “And the way we do that is we buy the appropriate amount of food.”
Although having a full-size turkey, roast beef or ham looks picturesque on a holiday table, consider if your group will really be able to eat it all.
“Know what the palate of your audience is,” he says. “If you know that your children don’t eat leftovers, then you’d want to buy a bird that’s appropriate for that number of people and the amount of food you anticipate having the day after.”
Store Produce at the Proper Temperature
Storing food at the proper temperature is essential to avoid food spoilage. (Here’s a guide to storing some common holiday foods.) It’s important within your kitchen, but it’s also important at grocery stores. Kevin Payne, vice president of marketing at Zest Labs, points out how stores will place good-looking produce in the front of the store to entice people to buy, leaving that produce at too warm a temperature—leading to faster spoilage. Proper storing temperature is even an issue when products are traveling to retailers.
“Most of the cause of waste occurs within the first 24 to 48 hours after product is harvested,” says Payne. “And it’s due to temperature implications.”
Zest Labs is a freshness management system that works with analytics and artificial intelligence to determine the remaining shelf life of an item. It ensures that items being sold at the store have enough of a shelf life to last the few days until the product is eaten. They’ve partnered with popular grocery stores like Costco and Hy-Vee, along with many growers, to provide customers with the freshest ingredients. Their technology can reduce waste at the retail level by 50 percent or more.
Now that you have the perfect amount of food that’s being stored at the proper temperature, the next thing to do is wait before washing your products. According to Payne, washing the product can leave it moist, which can lead to bacterial growth. He recommends washing produce right before you eat it.
“A lot of these types of products—things like berries and lettuces, cauliflower and stuff like that—are what we call field packed,” says Payne. The product is cut, packaged, cooled and shipped—but never washed.
“Most fruits and vegetables are 95-percent consumable, but we waste so much of them,” says McQuillan.
Using up the entire food product is a passion of Baldor Specialty Foods, McQuillan’s place of employment. Baldor is a food distribution company with a commitment of zero organics to landfill. Their Fresh Cuts production processes a million plus pounds of produce a week, using their products to the absolute entirety. Whatever extra they have is sent to the local partner farms, where it’s fed to animals.
“We need to think about ways to utilize food products that we’ve already cooked, like leftover produce items that we choose to discard,” says McQuillan. “So I think the challenge at home is, whatever produce item that we’re going to cook, that we make a commitment to eating all of it.”
So if a company like Baldor can do it, is it really that hard to do at home? There are a lot of ways you can use those leftover food scraps—like these 13 food scraps you never knew you could eat!
Try Composting
Not every home has a nifty partnership with a local farm like Baldor does, but composting is an easy, environmentally friendly alternative. This can be as easy as starting a pile in your own backyard or finding a compost collection service if you live in an urban environment. Here’s how to start composting at home.
“These food products are going to provide our future soils, and the home cook needs to understand that they have an impact on that just as much as everyone else,” says McQuillan.
“A lot of people have a garbage disposal that grinds everything up. They think that as long as it makes it through it’s good to go,” says Doyle James, president of Mr. Rooter Plumbing. He points out that potato peels, in particular, cause serious issues and are one of the top reasons plumbers get so many service calls the day after Thanksgiving. (The other cause is grease-clogged drains.)
“We recommend people put potatoes and potato peels, vegetable peelings and things like that, into a compost pile,” says James. “Eventually they will biodegrade and go back into the earth.”
Don’t Fill the Fridge
How many times have you found food in the fridge that you didn’t even know was in there anymore? Since refrigerators have a lot of storage space, many people try to fill it all up. But McQuillan has a brilliant solution that will help you stop that leftover food waste from occurring: Stop filling the fridge!
“Try to use half of your refrigerator or freezer space,” he says.
McQuillan points out that having a full fridge means you probably have at least five days of meals in there, maybe seven. He doesn’t recommend eating food that far out. Instead, evaluate what you already have in the fridge, plan meals around that and buy only what you need.
“The other thing I like to encourage home chefs to do is to try and almost eat completely all of the food you have in the refrigerator or freezer,” says McQuillan. “That means pairing foods together in order to eliminate that food product. That may require you to go to the grocery store a little more often. But the food will be [fresher]. And if your goal is to eliminate waste, you absolutely will achieve that.”
Donate Food
It’s the holidays, after all. One of the sweetest ways to use up the food you have is to donate it to the immediate community members in need around you. Remember, donating food doesn’t have to look so corporate—like giving canned foods for a drive, or giving food to a soup kitchen. Donating food can be as simple as sitting together at your table or handing a platter to someone next door.
“I do think we have homes among us that need food,” says McQuillan. “Think about who those people are and invite them over to your holiday meal, or let them know that you’re making food at 4 and could make a platter to bring over at 6 when you’re done eating.”
If you’re not sure where to donate in your community, he recommends asking a local pastor or rabbi. They may be able to point you in the right direction, or even coordinate a donation to keep the family’s identity confidential.
“There [are] lots of people in our community in need,” McQuillan says. “Share food, share love, and that’s what the holidays should be all about.”
Our congregation was holding a luncheon at which I was helping, and we were supposed to use turkey left over from the church's Thanksgiving supper. Everyone liked this so much that—at another church luncheon—we cooked a turkey for the specific purpose of making my salad. —Donna Rear, Olds, Alberta
Got Thanksgiving Day leftovers? Forget ho-hum turkey sandwiches and try this unique take on pizza instead. Get creative with different variations: use whole berry or jelly cranberry sauce; add dollops of mashed potatoes on top; drizzle with turkey gravy; sprinkle with stuffing or dressing; or try unique pizza crust varieties. —Carla Parker, Anderson, South Carolina
A sweet-tart cranberry salsa is the ideal accompaniment to leftover turkey in this breezy quesadilla. With a hint of lemon and pear, the salsa is also good with chicken or pork. —Jodi Kristensen, Macomb, Michigan
Turkey, stuffing and veggies come together into a fabulous day-after casserole. Top it off with chopped pecans. There’s comfort in every bite.—Barbara Lento, Houston, Pennsylvania
Simmering up a big pot of this soup is one of my favorite holiday traditions. This is a variation on a recipe my mom made while I was growing up. My husband and children can't get enough of the tender dumplings. —Debbie Wolf, Mission Viejo, California
This classic open-faced sandwich created at the Brown Hotel in Louisville is easy to do with deli or leftover turkey, toast and a quick cheese sauce. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen
Give your Thanksgiving leftovers a south-of-the-border vibe with these zesty rellenos. They’re easy to make any time of year with roasted deli turkey and a box of corn stuffing. Adjust the heat by adding more or fewer peppers, or more or less adobo sauce. —Christine Friesenhahn, Boerne, Texas
If you love stuffing, you won’t be able to get enough of these fun muffin cups that make use of not only leftover stuffing but also green beans, turkey, mashed potatoes, cheddar and gravy. It’s a taste of Thanksgiving in every bite! —Pauline Porterfield, Roxboro, North Carolina
When I have leftover turkey and a hankering for non-holiday food, I make turkey curry with carrots, cauliflower and mango chutney to spoon over rice. —Nancy Heishman, Las Vegas, Nevada
While growing up in Texas, I spent a lot of time helping my grandma cook. Lemon and cilantro add a deliciously different twist to turkey soup.
—Margarita Cuellar, East Chicago, Indiana
Turkey sliders with ginger, horseradish and cranberry sauce refrigerate well, so I keep them ready for get-togethers when we bake gifts and wrap presents. —Pamela Miller, Big Rapids, Michigan
Leftover turkey, dressing and sweet potatoes make terrific stuffing for jumbo pasta shells. We add cheese and use turkey gravy as the sauce for this crowd-pleaser. —Robin Haas, Cranston, Rhode Island
Leftover turkey combines with penne and cheeses to make a classic comfort food. The pasta bake works with chicken, shrimp or beef, too.—Mary Cokenour, Monticello, Utah
I always use the leftovers from our big holiday turkey to prepare this recipe. I think my family enjoys the potpies more than the original feast! —Lily Julow, Lawrenceville, Georgia
Here's proof that chili doesn't have to be red. I combined several recipes and changed flavors until the recipe was just right. Trust me, this one is a keeper. —Tina Barrett, Houston, Texas
As a college student, I go for stick-to-your-ribs foods that are also easy on the budget. Here's one that fits the bill. I like to bake this casserole for friends' birthdays. —Stephanie Denning, Mt. Pleasant, Iowa
Your family will flip over this turkey and mushroom casserole. In fact, the creamy Parmesan-topped tetrazzini is so satisfying, no one will suspect it's lower in fat! —Irene Banegas, Las Cruces, New Mexico
This is a fun way to enjoy holiday leftovers as if presenting them for the first time. Serve for brunch, with champagne and cranberry juice. —Brittany Allyn, Mesa, Arizona
I love making this soup because it makes good use of leftovers from Thanksgiving. And it's quick, easy and tasty. No one feels as if they're eating leftovers because this soup is nothing like traditional turkey with gravy. —Margee Berry, White Salmon, Washington
I really like the rich taste of sesame oil in this Thai-inspired dish. If you don't have it, canola oil does the trick, too. To get a similar nuttiness, toss in a handful sliced almonds before serving. —Kelli Whiting, Fortville, Indiana
While trying to find a creative use for leftover turkey, we decided to add gnocchi instead of noodles. My 8-year-old daughter always asks for more. If you don't have leftover turkey, a rotisserie chicken works just as well. —Amy Babines, Virginia Beach, Virginia
My grandmother was an amazing cook, who brought new life to leftovers. I've tried to do the same here in these creamy, mushroom-packed sandwiches.—Angela Leinenbach, Mechanicsvlle, Virginia
A little creative recycling will take your post-holiday morsels from boring to brilliant. A homemade sauce of pumpkin puree and chipotle peppers gives these delicious chimis a spicy-sweet finish.—Sherri Gordon, Olmsted Falls, Ohio
Here's a wonderful, stick-to-the-ribs dish that slices well since the filling is thicker than that of traditional potpies. Prebaking the crust makes it crunchy.—Tamara Furda, Naperville, Illinois
This salad is a welcome alternative to the usual post-Thanksgiving fare. It's a tasty main dish loaded with good-for-you protein.—Lily Julow, Lawrenceville, Georgia
I always look forward to making strata after Thanksgiving. We invite our neighbors, and they think it’s neat that I prepare another whole meal. — Bonnie Hawkins, Elkhorn, Wisconsin
My family is crazy about this slow cooker chili because it uses ingredients you don't usually find in chili. Believe it or not, I discovered that pumpkin is what makes the dish so special. Cook up a big batch and freeze some for later; it tastes even better reheated. —Deborah Vliet, Holland, Michigan
A unique take on traditional pizza, this is an instant family favorite thanks to the tangy sauce and crisp crust. If you're not a fan of Swiss cheese, substitute provolone or mozzarella.—Keri Cotton, Lakeville, Minnesota
Here’s a quick and easy way to use up leftover turkey. My son likes to try foods from different nationalities, and he really enjoys these pitas. —Renee Dent, Conrad, Montana
It's a challenge to find imaginative ways to use leftovers, especially for turkey after Thanksgiving. Here's a favorite of mine that you can easily make ahead for another dinner option. Prepare the recipe as directed, then transfer to a casserole dish and freeze up to three months. —Patricia Kile, Nokomis, Florida
I've always loved turkey, dumplings and stuffing, so I combined them and added a punch of Creole flavor. My family loves it, even my little ones. It's got some kick, but a dollop of sour cream can mellow that out. —Relina Shirley, Reno, Nevada
Your clan will love these wonderful, stick-to-the-ribs potpies with a Mediterranean twist. I always use the leftovers from our big holiday turkey to prepare this recipe. I think my family enjoys the potpies more than the original feast! —Marie Rizzio, Interlochen, Michigan
As a frugal mom, I try to use leftovers in a way that provides good nutrition. This recipe does just that and it’s also a great way for my children to learn to enjoy the flavors of their Mexican heritage. —Aimee Day, Ferndale, Washington
My kids go for sweet potatoes stuffed with leftover turkey and dressing. We enjoy being in the kitchen together, each of us making our own potato boats. —Ane Burke, Bella Vista, Arkansas
At our house, we wrap holiday leftovers in pizza crust as a yummy way to finish them off. Here’s to getting the flavor, without the all-day cooking. —Alia Slatton, Boulder, Colorado
I watched a chef make crab cakes and decided to try it with turkey and stuffing. Now the kids request them year-round, so I buy cooked turkey. —Suzee Krebs, Brielle, New Jersey
This is the perfect recipe when you're hungry for a dish with Mexican flavor and want to use turkey. These roll-ups are fun and so tasty, even kids like them. It's a different use for leftover turkey. —Marlene Muckenhirn, Delano, Minnesota
Use the leftover cooked turkey in the fridge to speed up dinner. You'll be ladling up bowlfuls of goodness in only 30 minutes. —Maggie Brewer, Canandaigua, New York
We stuff acorn squash with leftovers like turkey, dressing and cranberry sauce. Make as much or as little as you need to use everything up. —Cindy Romberg, Mississauga, Ontario
My wife created this recipe as a healthy way to use up Thanksgiving leftovers. It’s a nice alternative to the typical fare, and it’s so easy. Our family looks forward to this soup every year. —Matthew Szyndler, Maumee, Ohio.
I work for a priest, Fr. Leo, who loves to cook and shared this recipe with me. Perfect for the day after Thanksgiving, the dish encompasses the holiday spirit, while adding a twist. —Stefen Lovelace, Marriottsville, Maryland