- Miami-based chef Allen Susser is conscious of his carbon footprint and committed to sustainability.
- He shared six common cooking mistakes that could negatively impact the environment.
Miami-based chef Allen Susser is passionate about finding locally sourced seafood and other produce.
Originally from New York, Susser took an interest in the intersection of food and sustainability when he moved to Florida.
"I engaged a lot with understanding the seasonality of ingredients and where they were coming from, and how to take care of our waterways and ground waters," he told Insider.
But people looking to change their habits in the kitchen to better serve the environment need to consider more than just the sustainability of their ingredients.
"You need to think about the water, the fire, the electrical — the use of that, and the waste of it," Susser said ahead of his appearance at Miami's Sustainable Supper Club, where he served a sustainably sourced meal, on April 14. The supper club, cofounded by Mayela Lanza and Jennifer Weinberg, is dedicated to overcoming food waste while supporting nonprofits.
According to Susser, many people make mistakes in the kitchen that can be harmful to the environment. Here's his advice for what not to do, and what you should do instead.
Using water, gas, and electricity unnecessarily
Susser said many home cooks could benefit from being more intentional about when they run water in the sink. Similarly, preheating the oven for longer than necessary can be wasteful.
"These come before you even start cooking," Susser said. "People don't even realize that they're not only wasting money but really hurting the environment."
Buying produce wrapped in plastic
Frequently, produce is sold in plastic casing, which is — more often than not — entirely unnecessary.
"Buying vegetables wrapped in plastic, or trays of vegetables, instead of a farmers' market or hand selecting [is wasteful]," Susser told Insider.
Bringing your own reusable produce bags and shopping bags can also help mitigate the overuse of plastic.
Using off-season ingredients
Susser encourages home cooks to buy local, seasonal food. Getting "inspired seasonally," as he puts it, can help reduce harm to the environment.
"It makes no sense to fly in organic products from other parts of the country, other parts of the world. The carbon footprint is just crazy," he said.
According to CO2 Living, 13 percent of greenhouse-gas emissions in the United States are a result of the production and transportation of food.
Not only is buying in-season produce better for the environment, but it makes for richer, more vibrant meals.
"Quite honestly, [everything] tastes best in season," he said. "It tastes best when it comes locally, [and] it has the most value vitamin-wise, flavor-wise, and color-wise."
Overbuying at the grocery store
"You have these big-box stores that sell you five times what you want to use, and before you use it, it's going bad," Susser said.
"It's both wasteful in size and capacity, and it leads to overuse when it's not necessary," he said.
Instead, buying perishable food in smaller quantities can lead to less waste.
Overusing oil
In many cases, people fail to take advantage of the fact that oil can be reused, according to Susser.
"Very often, people just throw out their oil after they're done, instead of possibly straining it for a second use or a third use," he said.
Failing to cross-utilize food products
Susser believes that home chefs should take time to learn to make the most out of their food — what he called "cross utilization."
"Instead of buying chicken breast, buy a whole chicken and utilize the bones and the dark meat for different types of cooking," he said. Using bones and excess meat to make chicken stock or chicken broth are two common ways of using all of a chicken.
Aside from meat, knowing how to use vegetables and beans in multiple ways can also "lead to better utilization without waste," as Susser put it. "There's greater economic utility to it," he said.
Vegetable scraps can be used to make broth, for example, and beans can be used in a variety of dishes. Even the liquid from beans can be used in baking.