How about a "HELP" thread?

[KristyK]

Ok ladies, I love reading recipes, and this forum is great!

But, I need help! I throw out more food every week than we eat. I mean, mostly fresh stuff. I throw out potatoes, because they grow eyes. I throw out carrots, because they get too mushy before we can eat them all. I throw out bread, because it gets hard. I keep my bread in the fridge, because otherwise it goes bad even faster! Mushrooms, fruit, you name it, even in the fridge it goes bad, or soft. What am I doing wrong?

Does anyone have any tips for keeping these things fresh before I can use them all. I only buy my potatoes in 5 lb bags, because that isn't "that" many. I hate to go to the extra expense of buying them separately but I might just have to do that. I just hate the extra trips to the store during the week and try and only go once a week.

Please help! I don't remember ever having this problem, until I moved here. And although I'm surrounded by water (I don't think this is my problem, but maybe it is), I've always lived near the water, growing up, etc, and I don't remember my mom ever throwing out anything!

TIA!!

Kristy

[Rose]

I do the same thing. One of the reasons is because I don't plan my meals out so end up grabbing whatever. I've gotten better at that. I was also buying too much fresh produce and expecting it too last longer.

I don't like to buy a lot of boxed food so I make a lot using fresh food, which means I have to go more often. I've also been making veggies/sides which use the same ingredients instead of having something completely different.

[chrisinluv]

Kristy, I am not an expert, but in my experience, keeping potatoes in a paper bag helps keep them fresher.

One thing that I sometimes end up doing, is making a veggie soup towards the end of the week. I just throw in all of the vegetables that I'm probably not going to be able to use in time. I freeze it in ziplock bags. If some things are still ok to eat but you don't feel like eating them, you can always make a broth.

Also, when I am slicing up fresh vegetables and I know that I won't need to use them all, I will sometimes freeze part. For example, when I only need half an onion, I dice the whole thing and freeze half.

[emschwar]

I have a tip for bread. Rubbermaid makes a bread keeper. The thing is amazing! We keep our bread in that (in the bag from the store) and it stays good forever! The bag we just finished (which was just slightly stale when we pitched the last 2 slices) said "sell by April 20-something" on it! I couldn't live without the bread thing!

[Holls]

I need one of those bread thingys... It takes me forever to finish a loaf! My old roomie had one and i can vouch that when i stole his bread it was always FRESH! :rolleyes:

[laura]

I waste much less when I make a menu for the entire week (including breakfast/lunches, if applicable) and then make my grocery list from that. Then, if I buy something like a 5 lb. bag of potatoes (which I don't, I buy them singly), I am able to incorporate potatoes or any other extras in appropriately in my menu the next week.

Of course I'm not AS good about this as I wish I was, but it has helped me cut down on a lot of waste. It takes time to make the menu and grocery list, but it does cut down on time at the supermarket, so in the end it isn't THAT much extra time.

ETA: I don't eat much bread, but my husband has started keeping his in the freezer so that it will last. When he wants to take a sandwich for lunch, he just takes out the slices, zaps them in the microwave for a little bit, and he is good to go.

[KristyK]

I've tried the paper bag, it worked for a tad longer, but still got eyes. I'll try that again though.

As for bread, I think I'll look into that rubbermaid thingy. Walmart has tons of that stuff, and I've never tried the bread one. I was always a "tupperware" queen! LOL If that doesn't work, maybe I'll try the freezing again.

I do like the idea of a weeks menu's, but truthfully, although I'm not a bad cook, I really hate it! My Dh even said the other day..."well, win the lotto and you can hire a cook". Yeah, if I won the lotto I'd definitely NEVER cook again! :P

Thanks for the tips. I do make a great vegetable soup, thats a good idea using all my leftovers in it, never thought of that, just always bought fresh stuff, again. I never thought about freezing my veggies, or half used things, thats another good idea!

Thanks again ladies!

Kristy

[JillyBean]

I also make a menu of meals to cook that week (I just created the menu planning thread if you're interested). I tend to buy the bagged potatos just b/c it's cheaper than buying individually, but I always feel guilty throwing out the old ones.

Also, when I am slicing up fresh vegetables and I know that I won't need to use them all, I will sometimes freeze part. For example, when I only need half an onion, I dice the whole thing and freeze half.
That's a really good idea! I hadn't thought about doing that. I assume the flavor is the same?

[emschwar]

For example, when I only need half an onion, I dice the whole thing and freeze half.
Do you thaw it before you use it, or just throw it in the pan frozen?

I usually put the 1/2 an onion in a ziploc in the fridge. It lasts long enough that way until I need another half an onion.

[Photobug]

I have this problem when it's very humid out especially! One thing about potatos - if you keep them in the plastic bag, they will go bad on you much, much faster. They need to breathe!! Also, just because it's starting to sprout eyes, does not mean it's bad...it's a tuber, so that is what it is naturally programmed to do. Just knock the eyes off when you notice them starting to sprout. Keeping them in a dark place will help with the sprouting, too. They're only bad when they start getting soft or getting brown spots, or if you let the eyes get big.

Rubbermaid makes a bread keeper. The thing is amazing! We keep our bread in that (in the bag from the store) and it stays good forever!

I will have to look into getting one of these, too. I have very little counterspace, though. About how big are they?

[emschwar]

The rubbermaid bread keeper is about the size of a loaf of sandwich bread.
I found mine at walmart.
Here's a picture:
http://img.epinions.com/images/opti/be/03/Rubbermaid_Bread_Keeper_3800_Housewares-resized200.jpg

[chefker]

We buy the Dole salad in a bag usually, and the stuff rots quickly if you keep it in the plastic. I bought a cotton fabric 'greens bag' (think I got it at BBB), you rinse your greens, shake off the excess water--leaving SOME residue on them--and store the damp greens in the cotton bag. They keep MUCH longer and stay crispier! I think the bag was like $5 or so.

[KristyK]

Thanks ladies for all the info!! I've thought about getting one of this wooden bins for my potatoes, but haven't found one I like that won't take up boookoo (how do you spell that???) space in my tiny kitchen. I don't really have a dark space in there, it has 2 huge windows, but I've already switched this last batch to a paper bag.

I got another tip today, about the salads.

One of the guys at work, we were discussing this thread! He said that if you have a vacuum sealer, it works great and keeps for weeks without wilting! I haven't tried it, but I'm going too! He said that he bought the salad bowl that goes with it, but I have the taller ones, not sure why that wouldn't work. Anything is worth a try!

I haven't been back to walmart to get my bread thingy yet but I'm going Wed on my day off! I'll keep you posted! LOL

[Brandles]

I keep my potatoes in the basement (where it's dark most of the time). Yeah, they still grow eyes, but I take them off and still use them. Only when they're brown and rotted do I not use them.

I've kept my bread in the fridge--it keeps longer in there.

[thedoorchick]

I keep bread in the refrigerator and it is good for weeks.

I try hard to plan meals on the weekends and shop accordingly - I waste much less and spend less time during the busy week trying to decide what to cook.

If we ever have leftover veggies (or raw ones that I won't be able to cook in time), I have a container in the freezer that I just throw them into. Then, eventually I make it all into soup.

Also what works for some people is to have a standard menu rotation that uses a lot of similar ingredients. That way you can buy the 5 lb bag of potatoes or whatever and have plenty of uses for them.

[Pineknot]

I think the reason I lose produce is because sometimes I'm too lazy to deal with prepping it. Because of that, I usually prep something all at once.

For example, when I slice up red onion for a salad, I slice the whole onion. Same with bell peppers and cucumbers. I also wash the WHOLE lettuce and break it up. I then put it in a small cloth bag back in the fridge. All the veggies I cut, I keep them in rubbermaid containers with a paper towel in each one. I find not only am I ready for salad, but I'm more likely to make sandwiches when all the fixings are ready. :p

For potatoes, I will boil much more than I need. The ones I don't use, I put in the fridge and save them for perhaps potato salad or grated hash browns on the weekends. I often make double the mashed potatoes and freeze half of it in a ziploc bag. They reheat GREAT in the micro.


The greatest benefit to this is I am more likely to cook instead of grab something out because much of the prep work is already done. Course, if you're eating more at home, it isn't going bad. :D

[tlew12778]

Wait, you can't eat potatoes once it gets eyes? I just pick them off, peel the potatoe and use it. We haven't gotten sick yet. I mean, this is assuming the potatoe is still firm and not mushy and gross.

I notice that if I wash all my veggies when I get home from the store, then I put them in the fridge, it's much more conducive to actually using them to prepare a meal. Much less hassle since you don't have to wash them all in addition to chopping.

I also put the onion in saran wrap or a ziploc. You lose valuable nutrients by pre-chopping and freezing.

For salad, you should try a salad spinner. This whips away the water and I think it helps keep the leaves firm.

Oh and someone asked - it's beaucoup :p.

[chefker]

Thanks ladies for all the info!! I've thought about getting one of this wooden bins for my potatoes, but haven't found one I like that won't take up boookoo (how do you spell that???) space in my tiny kitchen.

I found this veg bin that I'm thinking of getting, from Collections Etc: http://www.collectionsetc.com/Item35048.aspx# (sorry, it wouldn't let me post the photo!).

It's only $14.99. It says it measures 21 1/2"H x 11 3/4"W x 8 5/8"D. Not sure if that's a size you could use, it would probably take up as much space as a trash can?