Here's our final Reuse Roundup post! This one comes from Kaitlyn Breedlove, of Durham, NC.

Read on for her tip! I'll announce the Reuse Roundup winner this Monday :)

Kaitlyn Says:

I love your idea of tips to limit waste. We so often waste things that may seem insignificant to us, but with a look work can become something extremely valuable. 

I pretty regularly make homemade Mozzarella cheese.

After the cheese is finished, you are left with a huge pot full of whey. Most people dump it down the drain; the thought of that pains me. Whey is incredibly versatile and can be used in more than just the kitchen which is why I love it so much. Here are a few ways to use it…

 1. Homemade Ricotta cheese - Ricotta is one of the simplest cheeses to make, especially when using whey. Simply heat the whey up to 200 degrees, take it off the heat and allow it to cool to 140 degrees, strain it, and you have Ricotta (I’d suggest looking up more detailed instructions if making it, but that’s the gist of it). 

 2. Add protein to a smoothie/milkshake - I have a smoothie pretty much every morning, and adding whey gives it a boost of protein without having to buy protein powder. 

3. Lacto-fermented Pickles (or other vegetables) - if you’re a fan of lacto-fermented vegetables but usually make them with salt, try making them with whey instead. The fermentation time is usually faster, and you don’t run the risk of getting vegetables that are super salty. 

 4. Water your garden - your vegetable plants will greatly benefit from being watered with whey (just make sure to dilute the whey with water)

 

5. Substitute for liquids in baking - I have used whey as a substitute for milk and/or water in countless recipes. Breads, muffins, pancakes, you name it. If it has a liquid in it, whey can be substituted at a 1:1 ratio. It tends to give your baked goods a taste more similar to sourdough.

 6. Whey Lemonade - homemade lemonade that has whey in it is full of probiotics and is great for the flora in your gut. There are lots of good recipes for whey lemonade on the web.  

 7. Feed it to your chickens - while this probably won’t apply to a ton of people, for those of us who have backyard chickens whey is a great supplement for chicken feed as it contains a lot of protein. This is especially beneficial when chickens are molting

 There are a ton of other ways to use whey, some of which I have tried and some which I haven’t. From chicken broth substitute, to a substitution for water when cooking rice/oatmeal/quinoa, etc, to skin moisturizer, it seems like whey can be used for just about anything. And it can be frozen and saved for a later date, which is just an added bonus. 

All from a gallon of milk!  

 

Today's Reuse Roundup post comes from Kate O'Neill of Toronto, Ontario.

I hope her tip inspires you to send me your best kitchen tip(s) for waste minimizing--you could win a Google Nexus 7 tablet and signed copies of both of my cookbooks. Only 1 day left to enter the contest (it ends tomorrow, March 7th)!!

Email tips to gabi@brokeassgourmet.com. 

Kate says:

There always seems to be the tail end of something green in my fridge, not enough for a full side dish but to much for the green bin.

I use up the ends of salad lettuce, spinach and other greens in my pasta. About three minutes before the pasta has finished cooking I toss any leftover veggies (cut to the same size for even cooking) into the boiling pasta water. Over the years I have added all types of lettuce, all leafy greens, any colour of pepper, diced carrots, you name it, you can put it in. Think of it as a quick blanche.

Drain with the pasta, toss in the sauce, sprinkle the cheese and enjoy!

Today's Reuse Roundup post comes from Lesa Roemke of Kenosha, WI.

I hope her tip inspires you to send me your best kitchen tip(s) for waste minimizing--you could win a Google Nexus 7 tablet and signed copies of both of my cookbooks. Only 1 day left to enter the contest (it ends tomorrow, March 7th)!!

Email tips to gabi@brokeassgourmet.com. 

Lesa says:

My tip for minimizing waste in the kitchen is to keep track of leftovers. First of all, since I know that my family is not good at eating leftovers, I try to cook in such a way that I don't end up with any.

But if I do have some leftovers, I write them down on a small dry-erase board on the fridge, along with the date. Then when we are wondering what to have for lunch, we can easily see what leftovers are available. Including the date makes sure we eat them in a timely manner. I started doing this a month or so ago and it has really helped cut down on the amount of leftovers I have to throw out.

Today's Reuse Roundup post comes from Stephanie Hodges of Seattle, WA.

I hope her tips inspire you to send me your best kitchen tip(s) for waste minimizing--you could win a Google Nexus 7 tablet and signed copies of both of my cookbooks. Only 1 day left to enter the contest (it ends tomorrow, March 7th)!!

Email tips to gabi@brokeassgourmet.com. 

Stephanie says:

Your Reuse Roundup segment on the site got me thinking of things I do to minimize waste. While I've never made my own broth/stock, I usually end up with a handful of vegetable remnants that could probably be put to better use.

Here are a few small things I do to get the most out of my food and eliminate waste:

Hard boiling eggs. I've learned that eggs can last well past the date stamped on the carton and not only that, older eggs are easier to peel when hard boiled. Clearly my roommate and I are fans of this method!

Freezing bananas and other fruits. I absolutely love smoothies... especially when they are cold and thick! If I have bananas, strawberries, pineapple, etc. that are nearing their last leg, I'll chop them up and store them in the freezer for my smoothies. The same goes with fresh juice--last year I got a juicer as a gift and if my fruits and veggies get wilty and sad-looking, I know it's time to juice.

Getting every last bit of peanut butter out of that darn jar. I'm sure we've all experienced the sad end to a jar of peanut butter or almond butter, when the only goodness left is coated on the sides and in the bottom ridges of the jar. I learned this trick on the blog Kath Eats Real Food (www.kerf.com).-- she'll cook a batch of oatmeal and put it directly into the jar! The heat helps melt the nut butter into the oatmeal. You can also use it for overnight oats. And if that weren't enough, most of those jars are reusable too! Store nuts, granola, fresh juice, even vegetable sticks for an on-the-go snack.

Brussels sprouts chips. I love brussels sprouts, but when prepping them I always end up with handfuls of the outer leaves that fall off in the process. Solution: make chips! --Make stale bread or old tortillas into homemade croutons and chips

I don't have a garbage disposal, but whenever I visit my family members that have one, I make sure to throw unusable scraps in there. The rinds from citrus fruit are the best because they make the kitchen smell fresh!

This article on keeping produce fresh and this chart on the shelf life of food are super helpful and can be posted near the fridge as a reminder.