The 7-13th of March 2022 marks Love Food Hate Waste - Food Waste Action Week. At Baked In we value no food waste so thought we would come up with some ideas on how you can use up any leftover baking ingredients and baked goods.
The 7-13th of March 2022 marks Love Food Hate Waste - Food Waste Action Week. At Baked In we value no food waste so thought we would come up with some ideas on how you can use up any leftover baking ingredients and baked goods.
Fancy something sweet? Make a caramel sauce to drizzle over ice cream, alternatively whip up with a little icing sugar and vanilla extract and use in a victoria sponge or pavlova. Got any leftover dessert from the weekend? Why not pour the cream over it to make an extra indulgent treat.
Want to use it in something savoury? Why not make a quick and easy pasta sauce for a midweek meal. Roast off some red peppers and garlic in a little oil, sprinkle over some dried oregano (or any dried herbs you have lying around in the cupboard; mixed herbs, basil, thyme, the list goes on) and season with salt and pepper. Once the peppers and garlic are soft, transfer to a food processor and add in the leftover cream and a little vegetable stock, or water. Blitz until a smooth sauce is formed, adding a little more stock or water if the sauce is too thick. Stir through some pasta and your mid week meal is done.
Don't like peppers or have other veg that needs using up, then no worries you can make this with any veg you like. From butternut squash to tomatoes to broccoli, don't forget to add in the stalk as well, even spinach and peas (these you don't need to roast just quickly cook off in a pan), this dish is super versatile.
This one is quite common in baking, so what to do with them? Whisk into stiff peaks and add in a little caster sugar. Pop into the oven at a low temperature and make a meringue. You can then use the meringue crumbled up as an ice cream topper or in a pavlova or eton mess.
Alternatively, if you want a yummy lunch or light dinner make an omelette. Whisk up the leftover egg white (if you don't have enough egg white, top up with some whole eggs) and season with some salt and pepper. Prep any toppings that you fancy. Heat a little oil or butter in a frying pan, when hot, pour in the egg and scatter over your chosen toppings. Once the bottom is cooked, flip over and cook the other side. Once the omelette is cooked, serve on its own or with a side salad.
Don’t want to use the egg whites straight away, egg whites are perfectly fine to freeze. Put into an airtight container, write on a label how many egg whites are in the container and the date you’re freezing them and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge and use in your bakes at a later date.
Fruit is a common food to be thrown away here in the UK, so what can you do with all your leftovers that are going bad?
The easiest way to use up fruit is to make it into a fruit compote which you can spoon over your porridge for breakfast or some yoghurt and granola. Simply add any fruit you want to use (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, apples, etc.) to a saucepan with a little water and sugar or honey to taste. Bring to a simmer and allow to thicken to your desired consistency before allowing to cool. This compote can also be frozen in an airtight container for use at a later date, just make sure to defrost in the fridge first.
I know we're not being very original here but it's a classic so we couldn't not suggest it, why not make a banana loaf or banana muffins that you can enjoy for breakfast. Check out our past recipes to find a selection of different banana based bakes to use up your brown banana.
More of a smoothie fan? Peel and chop the bananas and put them into an airtight container in the freezer. When you want a smoothie, put the frozen banana straight into the blender along with anything else you want to add and a splash of milk or water and blitz, because the bananas have been frozen there is also no need to add any ice!
You can also use the chopped frozen banana in banana bakes at a later date, just make sure to defrost in the fridge first.
As you may know here at Baked In we offer a bread baking subscription service and we get a lot of comments about if the bread can be frozen to be eaten at a later date. The answer is yes, if you have a lot of bread left in the house make sure it is in an airtight container and freeze it, before you want to eat it just defrost in the fridge.
If you don't want to freeze your bread, try using it up my making a bread and butter pudding we especially love to do this with enriched doughs like brioche or more seasonal breads like hot cross buns and panettone as it tastes even more luxurious, having said that though it taste great with any sweet or plain stale bread.
Want a more versatile idea for your stale bread, make croutons. Chop the bread into chucky cubes and place into a large bowl. Drizzle over enough oil to coat all of the bread chunks and stir through any seasoning you like. Transfer the bread onto a lined baking tray, making sure the chunks are evenly spaced. Bake in the oven, turning them until they are golden all over. Leave them to cool and sprinkle over salads or soup. Croutons not for you? Make breadcrumbs by blitzing in a food processor, these can then be sprinkled over a pasta bake before putting in the oven to give extra texture or used to make things like stuffing.
Want to know more about Food Waste Action Week? Click the button below to the Love Food Hate Waste website for more tips and recipes to help you reduce your food waste.
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