A Little Bit of Baking Soda Makes Spoiled Milk Good Again.

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One human being'southward trash is another homo's treasure.

As nosotros prove in the video above, this is what chef Dan Barber demonstrated earlier this twelvemonth, when he temporarily turned Blue Hill, his Michelin-starred restaurant in New York City, into an incubator for garbage-to-plate dining.

Barber's intent was to enhance awareness nigh the vast issue of nutrient waste. As we've reported, an estimated 133 billion pounds of food is wasted in the U.South. each year. The typical American family tosses out about $1,500 of food yearly.

All this wasted food is the largest component of solid waste in our landfills, and when information technology rots, information technology emits methyl hydride — a strong greenhouse gas linked to climate change.

So, you may exist wondering, what can I do in my ain kitchen?

I talked to Dana Gunders of the Natural Resources Defense Council. Her new volume, Waste material-Free Kitchen Handbook, which is out this month, is full of tips for tackling food waste product at home. An edited transcript of our conversation follows.

I've got to get-go with my favorite tip in the book: eggs. There'south actually a elementary exam to tell whether they're still good to eat?

Aye. I was really surprised to learn that eggs are good for three to 5 weeks after their expiration date. And a fox to know if they're nonetheless good is to put them in a bowl of water, and if the eggs sink, they're still good to eat. But if they float, they're non good to eat.

The science is that the eggshells are somewhat air permeable, and so over time, they lose moisture and information technology gets replaced with air.

Most fruits and vegetables — specially subsequently being cut — shop improve in an airtight container, Gunders says. And it's best to store them in see-through containers so we don't forget most them. USDA hide caption

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USDA

Virtually fruits and vegetables — especially later existence cutting — store improve in an airtight container, Gunders says. And it'south best to store them in see-through containers so we don't forget about them.

USDA

Decoding expiration dates: A lot of Americans toss food abroad in one case the date stamped on a nutrient package passes. Only, as nosotros've reported, lots of food is still perfectly good to consume. Is this right?

Yes. A lot of people misunderstand the dates on food packages. Those dates are actually a manufacturer's best guess equally to when a production is at its freshest. Often products tin be eaten days, weeks and months after those dates, depending on the product.

To extend shelf life, there are a range of tips. For instance, cheese is best stored in wax paper, because it lets it breathe and it's less probable to mold.

[Editor'southward note: The volume has a directory listing over 85 types of food and information on how long the products stay fresh and how to shop, freeze and use them upward.]

I know I'm guilty of letting farmers market produce sit down in the dorsum of a crisper drawer likewise long, and once I finally observe, say, a caput of greens, it's all wilted . I see that in the volume, you say there may still be promise for these lamentable-looking vegetables?

Yes, nearly vegetables that wilt in the refrigerator can exist soaked in a bowl of ice water, and that will crisp them upward. [For instance, this works well with carrots, greens and broccoli.]

I've been amazed at how a droopy carrot can perk up in a basin of ice water.

Even lettuce? It seems once lettuce goes a little brown and watery, it'south as well far gone to consume.

We saute all our other greens. Why not lettuce? When information technology gets a little chocolate-brown or wilted, sauteing it is a manner to use it up. It's especially adept for those bags of mixed greens [that ofttimes sit in the fridge as well long].

Yous talk about the importance of using your freezer to its full potential. Can you requite some examples?

If I have a bit of a leftover ingredient — say, an onion — I'll chop information technology up and toss it in the freezer. Or, if I accept a half-tin of tomatoes, it's piece of cake to pop it in the freezer. They'll last longer.

Bread is a not bad thing to stick in the freezer. If information technology's unsliced, it's best to piece it before freezing. That way, you don't take to defrost the whole affair. You can just popular it in the toaster.

And milk. It's piece of cake to put your milk in the freezer when you go on vacation. Defrost information technology when you lot come back. And then you don't demand to go to the store to get milk for your coffee on the starting time day back!

I'm imagining that milk is one of the more common items that Americans toss out. I know nosotros don't often stop an entire gallon in a calendar week. But your tip here is that y'all don't have to throw away sour milk. You can actually cook with it?

Actually, cooking with sour milk is succulent. It's a substitute for buttermilk. Y'all can [use it] in pancake or biscuit concoction. And you can't taste the sour! I've pushed information technology, and let the milk go really sometime. The pancakes turned out fluffy, and actually good.

[Roll downwards for Gunders' pancake recipe. Note: Every bit long as it's pasteurized, sour milk is unlikely to make you sick, Gunders writes, considering equally milk ages, it becomes more acidic, creating an surroundings "unfriendly to microbes that might crusade affliction." Raw milk is a different story.]

In the book, yous talk about the proper ways to store food in the fridge. What are the virtually useful tips to call back?

Most fruits and vegetables — particularly after being cutting — shop meliorate in an closed container. [There are exceptions to this rule.] And it'southward best to store them in see-through containers and so we don't forget about them.

Your refrigerator is coldest on bottom and warmest on top, says Dana Gunders. So store items that need to exist colder, similar meats, on the bottom and those that don't need to be quite as common cold, like yogurt, higher up. Waste-Free Kitchen Handbook past Dana Gunders hide explanation

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Waste material-Costless Kitchen Handbook past Dana Gunders

Your refrigerator is coldest on bottom and warmest on tiptop, says Dana Gunders. So shop items that need to be colder, similar meats, on the bottom and those that don't need to exist quite equally cold, like yogurt, higher upwardly.

Waste matter-Gratuitous Kitchen Handbook past Dana Gunders

Also, your refrigerator is coldest on bottom and warmest on top. So storing things that need to be colder, like meats, on the bottom is helpful. And [store] things that don't need to be quite as cold, similar yogurt, higher up.

Where should eggs be stored? My fridge has a built-in egg crate space on the door.

Never put eggs on the door of the fridge! This is the warmest place, because it gets a smash of room temperature air every time you lot open the door. So it's better to keep eggs in the main part of the fridge.

There must exist things that we should toss, right? For case, meats that accept gone off in odour or color? Or what are some other examples?

Potatoes are really something you want to be careful with. If there'southward whatsoever kind of green tint to the spud, that'southward something you lot do not want to consume. It has a natural toxin one time it turns dark-green.

Speaking of what non to eat, I was surprised to read that the leafy tops of strawberries are edible. Or possibly I'm just used to slicing them off.

The green tops to strawberries are edible, but they don't taste very good. If you want to use [the whole] strawberry in a smoothie, it saves time.

How tin we be smarter in the grocery shop?

Manufacture research shows that about 55 percent of purchases we make in the grocery shop are unplanned.

So if we programme amend, we may waste less?

Yes, accept a few meals in mind. And when you lot get to the checkout, look in your cart and make sure you're going to accept time to eat everything that'south in there.

Planning your meals does non need to take 2 hours. It'southward just thinking ahead about what you're going to cook that week.

There are lots more planning tips, recipes and storage guidance in the book.

How practise y'all forestall nutrient waste at dwelling house? Join the conversation with @NPRFood on Twitter and share your kitchen tips at #foodwaste.

Dana Gunders' Sour Milk Pancakes

Makes about viii pancakes

Uses upward: milk that is first to sour

Ingredients:

1 cup/120 grams all-purpose flour or whole-wheat flour (or use one/ii cup/60 grams of each)

1 tablespoon neutral-flavored oil, such as light olive, grapeseed or canola

two teaspoons sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

one/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 loving cup/240 millileters sour milk

ii eggs

Butter or oil for the pan

Optional toppings:

Maple syrup

Raspberries, blueberries, sliced strawberries

Sliced assistant

Peanut butter or almond butter

Well-nigh of us have had the feel of sniffing a carton of milk, making a gruesome face up and going directly to the drain with it. Simply it turns out there's something better you can practice with that milk! Next time yous give the sniff test and yous're on the fence virtually it, utilize it as you would buttermilk in pancakes, waffles and other baked appurtenances. Information technology'south amazing how you won't taste even the slightest chip of bitterness.

Of course, you tin can only eat so many pancakes, so if y'all know y'all're not going to get to use milk before it turns sour, put it in the freezer. It may separate a bit when it thaws, but it will be perfectly fine. And if you completely forget about your milk and it's a clotted mess surrounded by a thin, biting liquid . . . well, it might be time to throw it out.

In a big bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda until well-combined. In a medium bowl, beat together the milk, eggs and oil. Make a well in the eye of the dry ingredients and blend in the milk mixture until the batter is smooth.

Heat a big skillet or griddle over medium heat and coat with a petty butter.

Ladle 1/4 cup/threescore millileters batter onto the pan to make 4- to 5-inch/10- to 12-centimeter pancakes. Melt for 1 to ii minutes, until bubbling appear and "dry out," and so flip and cook for another ane to 2 minutes on the second side. Echo with the remaining batter, using more butter for the pan equally needed.

Serve warm with the toppings of your choice.

Planning alee: Baked appurtenances freeze very well, so y'all can bake them up to rescue your sour milk, and then freeze them for afterward. You tin can even practise this with pancakes and waffles: One time they're cooled, freeze them solid and shop in an closed container or nada-top bag. Then reheat direct from frozen in a toaster oven or microwave for a real take hold of-and-go breakfast.

A Little Bit of Baking Soda Makes Spoiled Milk Good Again.

Source: https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/09/23/441460163/don-t-toss-that-sour-milk-10-tips-cut-food-waste-in-your-kitchen

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