There are no such thing as bin-able left overs in my house. I always have a use for everything.
Potato peelings can be fried up like chips and eaten (wash well first) They taste really nice and have lots of handy nutrients in them. (I keep mine in water in a sealed container until the next day so I can use them with something for lunch like fish fingers or eggs) To stop potato's sprouting in the cupboard add an apple (never store onions with potato's they go off much quicker).
Any citrus peel can be dried out and used as fire lighters for a barbecue or real fire they also make it smell lovely. Orange peel is good to freeze along with other bits of left over fruit or fruit that looks like it might be about to turn. Put it all in a small bag, freeze and then add to drinks instead of ice cubes. Yummy and looks really pretty. Banana's freeze exceptionally well, just peel and put in a bag. Good to use for cakes and loafs.
You can also freeze most fresh herbs and when you need them don't defrost them just rub the frozen plant between your fingers to sprinkle it in to the dish.
Old wrinkly lemons and limes can be restored by boiling for about two minutes in hot water. Never keep bananas with other fruit in the bowl as they release chemicals that ripen's the other fruit quickly and makes it start to go off sooner.
Stop fruit going mouldy in the bowl by adding a sheet of kitchen roll at the bottom, it absorbs moisture. This will also work with the salad draw or you can use a clean sponge.
Left over wine? (Hah!) Any wine can be frozen as cubes to put into soups, stock and stews.
Carrots will stay fresh in the fridge for weeks in a sealed container if you top and tail them first. An onion put into the fridge for a few hours before cutting will be hard pressed to make you cry and if you singe their root end they stay fresh longer.
Eggs will stay fresher longer if you store them pointed side down.
Stop your cheese from going all hard in the fridge, spread a little butter or margarine over the surface before you wrap it up.
Put old teabags into potted plants to pep them up but take them out of the cup before you put in the sugar. Filter coffee left overs are great for cleaning grease from pans and also left over grounds are good for deterring ants.
Ham or bacon a little dried out? Soak it in milk for a few minutes to see it restored.
Rice freezes very well and can be kept for ages.
Old crisps or crackers that you are thinking of chucking out? Don't! Use them instead on the top of the meat layer in a cottage/sheppard's pie, place them on the top and then pipe or spoon your mashed potato on top. If tastes lovely and keeps the mash fluffy. This can also be done with a fish pie but check the flavour of the crisps won't over power the taste of the fish.
Meat for the stew pot a little tough? No problem just add a few corks (real ones) from your wine bottles to the stew. They tenderise the meat and reduce cooking time. Just remember to take them out before serving! lol
Use up all the left overs from most meals (a roast, a curry, even a chinese) and freeze them individually (So don't mix curry and sausage and mash, unless you like that sort of thing!) Then when you fancy a soup take out a bag, defrost and put it in the blender with some cream, yoghurt or water. Blend well and heat up on the stove, add seasoning or a stock cube for taste and serve your home made soup with some crusty bread. Another use for roasts or dishes that include potato is to mix it up a bit in the food processor and then fry it up for some tasty bubble and squeak.
Use items in the bottom/back of your freezer often if you don't rotate your purchases as you put your shopping away. I find if I grab two things from the bottom of my freezer, I then challenge myself to find a recipe to use them up. It means I try something new and older food gets used up before it goes bad.
The same goes for the fridge or the larder. Some tins can sit on the shelf for ages and them end up in the bin. Better that you find a use for them. Example - I had some tins of macaroni dessert in a sweet custard like sauce, we had tried a tin for dessert and hated it but I refused to throw it away. I opened a tin and sieved the macaroni catching the sauce in a bowl. I gently washed the circles of macaroni and noticed that they looked like spaghetti hoops. I cooked them in some tomato juice, a little purée and a splash of tomato ketchup and served it like spaghetti hoops they got eaten rather quickly by my lot. I then thickened the left over sweet sauce in the bowl with some flour and simmered it for a while. I added sliced banana and we had banana and custard for dessert. I used up the tins and everyone was happy. Simple but effective.
Hang up apple cores from a tree or fence in your garden to help feed the birds.
Lastly, try not to buy what you don't need. If something is buy two get one free but you could never get around to eating it then it is NOT a bargain just a waste. See how much you can find a way to re-use and remember if it is not sweet or meat then it can go on the compost heap! x
Just as a quick add on (I really could think of 100 things!) The old cereal in the bottom of packets should be saved and then used in cheesecake bases or in flapjacks and you have an unlimited supply of breadcrumbs for the tops of bakes etc in your toasters crumb tray! Keep them in an airtight container with a piece of kitchen paper in the bottom to help keep them crisp. xx
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