10 Expert Chef Tips on Reducing Food Waste: Stop Tossing Perfectly Good Eats! – Charleston City Paper

It’s frustrating to throw out half-used bags of salad or leftovers. Professional chefs feel the same way. With tight profit margins, restaurants can’t afford to waste food. Plus, now more than ever, we need to value our food sources.

Many chefs have smart ways to cut down on waste, and you can too. Let’s explore some ideas.

Chefs often repurpose scraps. Jacques Larson, who runs Wild Olive and The Obstinate Daughter, turns imperfect but still edible veggies into staff meals. He also ferments local peppers into hot sauce and makes spice powders from dehydrated herbs. This not only minimizes waste but also stretches the ingredients further.

Jeanne Oleksiak of Herd Provisions shares similar practices. She uses chili insides to create a spicy vinegar and transforms bones into rich stocks. Oleksiak even makes candles from leftover beef tallow, adding fragrant ingredients like rosemary or lavender for extra scent. “You always want to maximize every ingredient,” she says.

Kevin Johnson, chef and owner of The Grocery, encourages home cooks to utilize their freezers. If you have leftover meat trimmings, freeze them and later simmer for sauces or stocks. A fun tip? Save scraps like carrot peels to make crispy chips for snacking or use them in vegetable stock. Every bit counts!

Johnson also emphasizes creativity. “Dehydrate things like mushroom stems or tomato skins,” he suggests. These can be ground into powders for added flavor, turning what might have been waste into tasty seasonings.

Planning and shopping frequently can help too. Larson admires the European model where people shop daily for fresh ingredients. This way, you can avoid buying too much at once and wasting what you can’t use. It’s also about being resourceful. If a recipe needs buttermilk, find another dish to use the rest. The internet has endless ideas!

Interestingly, a recent study by the USDA reveals that roughly 30-40% of the food supply in the U.S. goes to waste. This is both an environmental and economic issue. Reducing food waste can alleviate some pressure on the food system and even save you money.

Engaging with these practices not only helps your wallet but also supports a more sustainable food culture. So next time you’re in the kitchen, think about how to use every bit of your ingredients. It’s good for you, good for the planet, and it’s what the pros do!

For more insights on reducing food waste, check out the USDA’s resources [USDA Food Loss and Waste](https://www.usda.gov/foodlossandwaste). You might be surprised at how little changes can make a big difference!

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Charleston chefs,Chefs,Leftovers,Local Food,save food