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18 practical kitchen tools that will help you waste less food
18 practical kitchen tools that will help you waste less food
Mara LeightonFeb 25, 2019, 21:49 IST
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According to the NRDC, America doesn't end up eating about 40% of its food. That's a lot when looked at as a hard number, but probably comes as less of a shock after the fourth week in a row that you've thrown out soggy, black lettuce from the back of the refrigerator.
The good-ish news is that because we waste about 50% more food today than we did in 1970, it should be relatively easy to cut back on it (especially with the innovations of the last 45+ years) if we just devote a bit more effort to it. Or, if we just bought smarter products that do some of the magical life-lengthening preservation for us.
In turn, we'll save resources, refrigerator space, and more money for other things we enjoy.
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It could be as simple as a weekly "use it up" dinner, where you try to concoct a delicious Instant Pot meal of your leftovers from the week, or as low-maintenance as getting an inexpensive device to suck up the ethylene gas (which causes ripening) in your fruit and veggie drawer. It all depends on your lifestyle, budget, and what you find yourself most often wasting.
Below are 18 kitchen tools and tricks to cut down on food waste:
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Bluapples prolong freshness and storage life by absorbing ethylene gas, which is the harmless, odorless, and colorless gas that typically accelerates the ripening process of fruits and vegetables.
A colorful vegetable saver that extends shelf life and contains odors
The Hutzler Onion Saver extends the shelf life of a cut onion and contains onion odors. You can get it in the shape of various fruits and vegetables so it's always easy to distinguish between them in the fridge.
Wrap up perishables (cheese, fruit, vegetables, bread), cover a bowl, or pack a snack with this eco-friendly, reusable wrap. The natural antibacterial properties of beeswax and jojoba oil help keep food fresh and allow it to be used again and again.
A vacuum sealer system to keep food fresh for up to five times longer
Vacuum sealers can preserve food up to five times longer than zipper baggies or other containers. It depends on whether or not you want to commit the money or the countertop space, but the NutriChef has survived rounds of laboratory testing to make sure it's effective.
It also comes with two sealing modes, so you can choose the ideal preservation based on food type, like selecting the dry mode for solid foods or the moist option for poached, simmered, or steamed food.
Reusable food huggers that fit to the shape of cans or produce for an airtight fit
The Farberware Food Huggers are designed to fit around a variety of fruits and vegetables like lemons, onions, tomatoes, and cucumbers as well as reseal open jars or cans.
Rubbermaid containers that regulate oxygen and carbon dioxide
These FreshWorks containers help keep away moisture and regulate both oxygen and carbon dioxide for the ideal produce environment. It works best before the produce is washed, so store first and prep later. Plus, the vent filter supposedly never needs to be replaced.
An easy, countertop-friendly compost bin so even the food that does go bad can be used in the garden.
If food does go bad, you can repurpose it for your plants, so it's not really wasted. This compost bin is small enough to sit on your counter, and the Oxo Good Grips Bin will store food scraps until you can transfer them to an outdoor composter.
Bags that use food-grade polyethylene and a natural mineral to keep food fresh.
These BPA-free bags are made from food-grade polyethylene and a natural mineral that creates a beneficial storage environment for fruits and vegetables.
An inconspicuous disk that will lengthen the life of your fruits and veggies for about three months.
Like the Bluapple, this ExtraLife disk works by being placed in the same refrigerator bin as your fruits and vegetables. Once you activate it by removing the gold freshness seal found on the back of the cartridge, the disk should work to lengthen your produce lifespan for about three months.
A kitchen handbook that provides checklists, recipes, and infographics to help you minimize food waste.
This handbook — packed with checklists, simple recipes, practical strategies, and infographics — is the ultimate tool for reducing food waste in the kitchen.
Refrigerator drawer mats that facilitate better air circulation.
These foam fridge liners are engineered to best allow air to circulate throughout the confined space, keeping your fruit and veggies from rotting or spoiling. Many people use them in tandem with the Bluapple.
If they're too big for your refrigerator drawers, just trim the liners to size with a pair of scissors.
A smoothie maker to use up all your vegetables and fruits before they go bad.
If you're looking for a way to use up vegetables or fruits before they go bad, smoothies are a great life hack. Pop bruised apples in with your regular mix and keep yourself from wasting money, while still eating healthy.
An airtight Banana Bag that you can't miss in your fridge.
The airtight Banana Bag claims to extend the freshness of your fruits and vegetables by up to two full weeks, and the bright color means you won't forget about your produce anytime in between.
A dehydrator that'll help you preserve pretty much anything.
Another great way to prolong the life of your fruits and veggies is to dehydrate them. Make great banana chips and dried papaya (among many other things) for the fraction of the cost you'd pay at the grocery store. Plus, the company claims its opaque Vita-Save exterior helps block harmful light which destroys nutritional content of food being dehydrated.
Herb Keepers claim to extend the life of herbs twice as long as natural, and this one should fit in most refrigerator doors and comes with a 100% happiness guarantee.
If you've ever cooked more noodles than necessary and ended up eating the leftovers for every meal, you might look into a measurer. This "I Could Eat a Horse" tool will help you portion control, so you don't wind up with more leftovers than you can reasonably eat.
A fridge and freezer thermometer to make sure your food isn't going bad faster than it should be.
A decent amount of food waste can come from having a refrigerator or freezer that isn't actually operating at the correct temperature. If you're running out of fruits and vegetables faster than you think you should be, you may want to check the temperature to see if it should be lowered.
