How to reduce food waste – ft. Charlotte Mei

BY DBS, 21 FEB 2020

Is your kitchen a food waste trap? Take this quiz to find out!

Question 1 of 3

Your loaf of bread just expired yesterday, but it hasn’t turned moldy – what’s your next step?

Question 1 of 3

Well done!

Bread that hasn’t turned moldy is still good for up to 7 days. Just store it in the freezer and pop it in the toaster before you eat it.

Did you know?
Carbohydrates, including bread, contributes to half of the food we waste!

Find out more about the rice-y situation here.

Question 1 of 3

Good try

…but there are other ways to save your bread without the risk of overeating!

Bread that hasn’t turned moldy is still good for up to 7 days Just store it in the freezer and pop it in the toaster before you eat it.

Did you know?
Carbohydrates, including bread, contributes to half of the food we waste!

Find out more about the rice-y situation here.

Question 1 of 3

Try again!

You don’t necessarily have to bin it once its past its expiry date. While it’s definitely wise to toss out bread that has turned moldy, bread that hasn’t is still good for up to 7 days. Just store it in the freezer and pop it in the toaster before you eat it.

Did you know?
Carbohydrates, including bread, contributes to half of the food we waste!

Find out more about the rice-y situation here.

Question 2 of 3

You bought a whole bunch of fresh herbs but only used a little for your meal – what do you do now?

Question 2 of 3

Well done

Fresh herbs tend to go soggy after a few days in the fridge.

If you know that you’re not going to be using the herbs in the next few days, freeze them with an ice cube tray and olive oil:

Chop up your herbs into tiny pieces and place them in the ice cube tray.
Top up the trays with olive oil to protect the herbs from the cool temperature in the freezer. Pop it in the freezer. Every time you need some herbs, take out a small little cube to use in your cooking.

You can also pickle your leftover fruits and vegetables!

Question 2 of 3

Good try!

This works if you use herbs in every meal. But if not, they tend to go soggy after a few days in the fridge.

If you know that you’re not going to be using the herbs in the next few days, we have a pro tip for you. All you need is an ice cube tray and olive oil!

Chop up your herbs into tiny pieces and place them in the ice cube tray.
Top up the trays with olive oil to protect the herbs from the cool temperature in the freezer. Pop it in the freezer. Every time you need some herbs, take out a small little cube to use in your cooking.

You can also pickle your leftover fruits and vegetables!

Question 3 of 3

Your bananas are over-ripened again! It always happens so fast. What do you do?

Question 3 of 3

Well done

Treat yourself to some banana cake. The riper the bananas, the sweeter the cake will be.

Here’s a simple recipe from host and self-taught cook, Charlotte Mei:

Ingredients:
3 ripe bananas
1/3 cup melted butter
1 tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Steps:

Preheat your oven to 175deg c
Spread some butter on a baking pan
Mash the bananas and stir the melted butter in
Beat the eggs and add in the baking soda, salt, sugar and vanilla extract
Mix it all into the flour
Pour the batter into the pan
Bake for 50mins to an hour
Let it cool before slicing and serving

Question 3 of 3

Good try!

As you may have realized, freezing is a great way to extend your food’s shelf life.

Bananas won’t ripen any further once its frozen, but you probably won’t get that sweetness and soft texture as if they weren’t frozen. What you can do, is to make banana cake to treat yourself! The riper the bananas, the sweeter the cake will be.

Here’s a simple recipe from host and self-taught cook, Charlotte Mei:

Ingredients:
3 ripe bananas
1/3 cup melted butter
1 tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Steps:

Preheat your oven to 175deg c
Spread some butter on a baking pan
Mash the bananas and stir the melted butter in
Beat the eggs and add in the baking soda, salt, sugar and vanilla extract
Mix it all into the flour
Pour the batter into the pan
Bake for 50mins to an hour
Let it cool before slicing and serving

Question 3 of 3

Good try!

But if you have a whole bunch of ripened bananas, you may want to try your hand at baking banana cake to treat yourself and your neighbours.

Here’s a simple recipe from host and self-taught cook, Charlotte Mei:

Ingredients:
3 ripe bananas
1/3 cup melted butter
1 tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Steps:

Preheat your oven to 175deg c
Spread some butter on a baking pan
Mash the bananas and stir the melted butter in
Beat the eggs and add in the baking soda, salt, sugar and vanilla extract
Mix it all into the flour
Pour the batter into the pan
Bake for 50mins to an hour
Let it cool before slicing and serving

Thank You

Good effort! Keep going!

When we reduce food waste in our homes, we are also saving the resources that go into producing, growing, harvesting and transporting the food from its source to our refrigerators.

Learn more about food waste and how we can save more, waste less, here: