How to Make the Most of all Sorts of Food Scraps

It’s sad that so many potentially delicious food scraps are thrown away. Have a look at all these food scraps that can be eaten and ways to enjoy them – see what you’ve been missing!

Creative Ways to Use Up Food Scraps

Bacon Fat

Replace butter or oil in suitable recipes, with bacon fat.  Here are some suggestions …

~   Soup – when cooking onions, and any other vegetables, at the start of making soup replace the oil or butter with bacon fat.  Here is a tremendously flexible and useful soup recipe which can be used to make almost any soup you can think of!
~   Liver is extra good cooked in bacon fat and even better if you have any crunchy bits of bacon you can sprinkle on top when serving.
~   Chicken livers are great cooked in bacon fat. Trim chicken livers of any stringy and/or greenish bits. Sauté the good bits in a little butter and when turning brown but still a bit squidgy add a spoonful of brandy (away from the flame), a good grind of black pepper and a little salt and turn your liver in it, so to speak. Delicious mashed onto toast!    See here for a simple duck liver paté recipe, use chicken livers instead and replace the duck fat with bacon fat.
~   Fish and seafood with bacon are an excellent combo so cook them in bacon fat.
~   Sauté potatoes or potato hash in it.
~   Brussels sprouts, cooked al dente with a little bite left to them, are delicious finished off by sautéing briefly in bacon fat.
~   Red Eye Gravy – this is quite a surprising (if you are not American) way to cook ham and gammon steaks.
~   Bacon vinaigrette – this is lovely on lots of things but gorgeous on grilled lettuce!
~   Hot Bacon Bread – make like garlic bread but use bacon fat instead.

I am not saying any of these are healthy, but
they are good!

Meat Scraps and Trimmings

My Unorthodox Stock

This not-classic stock has served me very well; I like to add a spoonful to sautéed mushrooms, to steak pans when deglazing, to creamy sauces, and to anything that could do with a meaty boost. Once you’ve used or frozen the stock the fat can be used to fry your next steak.

This keeps very well in the fridge. As it cools the fat rises to the top and solidifies thus sealing the dish. It can be frozen, freeze in cubes as it is strong, and you may only need a little at a time.

Vegetable Peelings and Scraps

Make sure to wash and dry vegetables before peeling if you are going to use the peels.

~   Add them to any stock you are making or make …

Vegetable Broth

You need quite a few vegetable scraps to make a good flavour broth so, if necessary, freeze your veggie peeling plus unwanted stalks, tatty leaves etc. all together in one bag.  To make the stock put the vegetables in a large pot and cover with cold water.  Season with salt, bring to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer for an hour or so. Cool and chill till needed.

~ For a more robust flavour sweat the vegetables in a little olive oil till taking colour before adding the cold water.
~   It is a good idea to include onions or leek tops or spring onion green bits (although they are fine just eaten alongside the other end of the spring onion!).
~   Mushroom peelings and stalks will make a darker broth.
~   Tomato skins make for a prettier broth.
~ Don’t add root vegetables potatoes, parsnips or turnips as they will make the stock cloudy. Beetroot is a little strong

If you don’t want to make vegetable broth add your vegetable trimmings to meat stock (above).

~   Roast Root Vegetable Peels (potatoes, carrots, parsnips, beetroot and sweet potatoes yum!) for instance – brush clean and dry potato peelings with oil and season to taste. Spread on a baking tray and cook in an oven preheated to 400ºF/200ºC/180C fan/gas 6 till crispy and golden which should take about ten minutes.
~   Or you could deep fry them!
~ Make fritters.

Broccoli Stalks

Don’t use woody stems, just tender ones.

~   Slice and add to stir fries.
~   Broccoli Soup – see here for my flexible soup recipe referred to earlier. Peel and chop the stalks and add when the potatoes are almost cooked. Cook till tender and mash or purée just as you like it.  Season to taste.
~ Shred tender broccoli stalks and add to coleslaw.
~ See here for someone else’s amazing broccoli stalk idea!

Parmesan Rind

~ Parmesan rinds have a lot of flavour which it would be a real shame to waste, so see here for 3 excellent ways to use the tastiness Parmesan rinds.
~ Cook’s Treat – if the rind has no waxy coating on it try grilling till it becomes soft and chewy. A modicum of red wine is perfect with this.  

Bread Crusts, Crumbs

Well, obviously the things to make with these are …

~   Croutons – see here for how to make croutons according to my very strong beliefs!
~ Breadcrumbs – see here for how make Pangrattato, which are lovely crisp breadcrumbs so good they can improve almost any meal!
~ Here are 7 great ideas for stale bread.

Citrus Zest, Skin, Peel

This is so useful, versatile and delicious it is almost ridiculous to throw orange, lemon, lime and grapefruit zest away! Lots of citrus zest ideas here.

Drizzle on ice cream, pancakes, etc., make a fizzy drink by topping up with sparkling water (or prosecco?) or see here for cocktails based on apple syrup.  

So please, please think before throwing away food scraps – there are so many ways to make delicious use of them all of which will prevent food waste, save money, help our lovely planet and avoid missing a good eating opportunity!

And if you have any good ideas I haven’t thought of please comment below!

Creative Ways to Use Up Leftovers

I have always been inspired by leftovers, so much so that a few years ago I wrote a book – Creative Ways to Use Up Leftovers which gives ideas for over 450 potential leftovers foods.  Just saying!

Oh, and here are some non-foodie ideas for food scraps.

I’ll be so grateful if you share this food scraps post – it might help!