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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.
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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