Zero Waste Kitchen - easy upcycled cooking ideas
By Sabrina Serrano
National cooking day is September 25th! Cooking is one of the best ways to relax but also help out the environment by making the best use of ingredients you already have. In cooking, there are a lot of ingredients to be used, however not all parts are created equally. Carrot tops, chicken bones, and other odds and ends can be upcycled and made into something entirely new! But first…what is upcycling?
Upcycled foods are made from ingredients that would otherwise have been left untouched. So that leftover oatmeal? You can use it to create something entirely new and upcycled. We’re celebrating National Cooking Day by sharing nine ways to cut food waste and upcycle at home!
1.Use leftover parmesan rinds in soups and sauces for added flavor.
Good quality parmesan is an asset in every kitchen. It has many useful purposes, but one use often gets overlooked, the rinds. Just get the parmesan rind and scrape off the wax, and pop in your parmesan rinds and let them
simmer for about 5-10 minutes. After the rinds become soft, remove them from the sauce and dispose of them. The parmesan rinds will add a more savory flavor, making your sauce richer! Click the link for more info
2. Have leftover oatmeal? Or possibly leftover oats from making homemade oat milk? Use those oats in some oatmeal cookies! Just grab your oatmeal and add it to any cookie recipe. You can upcycle by using those ingredients again to make an entirely new dessert! We like this recipe from The Dinner Bell by Joanie Simon
3. One of the most popular ways to upcycle food is by making a master stock! You can use almost anything- Carrot ends, celery butts, beef bones, or onion skins. You name it! All you have to do is save the food scraps and put them in the freezer to save for when you are ready to use them for your stock. Check out this recipe by Eugene Wong, Food Content creator, for his easy version of a master stock! @the_eugefood.
4. Craving passion fruit? Who isn’t! Did you know that you can use the passion fruit skin as well as the fruit? UFA’s Joy Nemerson uncovered a secret zero waste jelly with them! Try her Passion Fruit Jelly recipe and don’t waste a scrap of the scrumptious fruit.
5. One bad habit many of us have is forgetting about fresh produce, like spinach or kale, until they have less pep in their step. But you can save them! Tiktok creator sabrina.sustainable.life has an easy hack to save your produce! Just trim the stems and place them in a glass container. In a couple of hours, your greens will be as good as new! Check out her video here.
6. Banana peels are no longer the butt of the joke, upcycle your banana peels and make banana bacon! Banana bacon is crispy, savory, and the perfect treat! Use a spoon to scrape off the white inside then make a marinade of soy sauce, maple syrup, and spices. Let them marinate and then fry them up! ! For the full recipe check out plant based creator and author, Sam Turnbull’s website itdoesnttastelikechicken
7. Have some oranges at the bottom of your fruit bowl?
Me too. But we can upcycle those oranges and make them into candied orange peels! Check out Kimberly Killebrew’s recipe on her website the daring gourmet
8. Can’t get enough of your smoothies? Try this hack:, pour the smoothie mixture into an ice cube tray, and freeze for later. Whenever you need a smoothie, just pop a smoothie cube out and add your beverage of choice. Check out TikTok sustainability creator newlifestyleabb, Alyssa Barber’s recipe for Spinach Smoothie bombs!
9. Pickles are a refrigerator staple. But one of the bad things about pickles is all the leftover juice. Instead of throwing away the juice, try cooking up some upcycled pickle chips! Let the juice serve as a brine for the cut potatoes and then cook in an air fryer! Plant Based Tik Tok creator plantyou, Carleigh Bodrug shares her delicious recipe below!
Upcycling your leftover food is just the beginning of making your cooking day a little greener.
Tired out from cooking? Worry not! Check out Upcycled Food’s certified product list! Full of upcycled certified snacks and treats!
Happy Upcycling!
Sabrina Serrano is a twenty-five-year-old food enthusiast with an obsession for writing and research. When she is not obsessing over her recent research hyper-fixation, she is usually in her kitchen baking bread. Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. She recently graduated from The University of Texas at San Antonio with a Bachelor in Communication.
