Forum Topic

More bread than anything else is thrown away uneaten

It can be a habit to buy it just in case and a race to eat it before it goes mouldy.The change I've made this week is not to reach for the frozen pitta bread to dip in hummus but to toast the crust and a couple of slices to speed up eating the small loaf. It made me laugh because years ago we just wouldn't have had the choice!24 million slices A DAY are wasted so the figures say.  It's No 1 in the list of wasted food.There are hints and tips here for wasting less:http://westlondonwaste.gov.uk/

Philippa Bond ● 2747d6 Comments

What about the difference in cost between a large loaf of bread and a small one?The larger one isn't worth the saving if you end up throwing a large part of it away. So you may as well buy the smaller loaf. I still think freezing part of a loaf is the answer and you can use it straight from the freezer for toasting or making sandwiches to eat later.Ready-made sandwiches have a short life and too much tricky packaging. Best left for emergencies!

Philippa Bond ● 2732d

Your post made me wonder which is better/worse for the environment: - buy a whole loaf of bread, use a few slices to make a couple of sandwiches and throw the rest away; or - don't buy any bread, instead buy two ready-made sandwiches from a store (with accompanying packaging, transport, refrigeration, and their own unsold wastage issues - but perhaps some economies of scale?)It feels wrong to waste food but I wonder if it's actually less bad than ready-made meals ...

Trevor Lockie ● 2732d

Irritating that.  I freeze grated parmesan and that comes in thick plastic resealable bags.  I wonder if those would work for reusing - otherwise I have quite a few plastic boxes kept from take-aways that I use a lot.  I'm told that glass is better than plastic but plastic containers are more available except for jam jars.

Philippa Bond ● 2737d

Like the idea of adding porridge oats to bulk out the breadcrumbs.  Get seriously upset if I manage to tear the freezer bag - have you tied picking loose breadcrumbs out of your freezer?  Not to self, either use 2 bags one inside the other or use a more rigid plastic box.

Jennifer Selig ● 2737d

That makes me hungry!Sometimes I freeze a couple of crusts of breadcrumbs or more when I'm going away or suddenly have too much so that I can add them later onto the top of cauliflower cheese or anything else that could be enhanced by an extra crispy topping and might add some porridge oats if there isn't enough.

Philippa Bond ● 2745d

I buy sliced bread and keep it in the deep freeze, lifting out a slice to toast from frozen.  For sandwiches, lift out the slices and leave a short while to thaw out. However, I spread on the butter straight away, add the cream cheese topped with smoked salmon, black pepper and a squeeze of lemon, put the other buttered slice on top, quarter and wrap in tinfoil or paper and take off to work with you or into the picnic basket.  By the time you want to eat, the sandwich will be perfect!

Jennifer Selig ● 2747d