Food waste is currently one of the biggest challenges we face globally, with around 25-30% of total food produced being wasted each year.
We can all cut down on food waste with some simple changes to our daily habits and kitchen routines, as well as being creative with any leftover ingredients.
Food processors are one of the most useful tools to have in your kitchen. They’re perfect for preparing food that may be about to expire - you can chop, grate, slice and blend a range of fresh foods quickly and with minimal effort.
We’ve put together some easy food processor hacks to make the most out of your leftover ingredients - keep them in mind next time you’re cooking!
Homemade chopped herb cubes
Homemade chopped herb cubes are a super quick and easy way to keep herbs fresh for longer.
Simply blend fresh herbs in your food processor and place into ice-cube trays, pouring olive oil over them before freezing. Flavour cubes can be made with all sorts of ingredients such as chopped garlic, chilli or infused oils.
They’ll be packed full of flavour and easy to pop in the pan for a great start to any meal such as pasta dishes, risotto or curries.
Homemade oat flour
Oats can often be forgotten at the back of the baking cupboard, but there’s no need for them to go to waste. Try making your own oat flour - it can be made in minutes with very little effort, and is much cheaper than buying a premade version.
Oat flour is a really versatile ingredient that can be used to make muffins, cakes and pancakes and is naturally gluten-free.
Fit the knife blade and place your oats into the food processor bowl, and process until the mixture resembles a fine flour.
Just remember to store your flour in a cool dry place in a sealed container or jar afterwards to keep it fresh.
Vegetable crudités
Vegetable crudités are the perfect grab-and-go snack to keep in the fridge and eat with homemade dips or hummus. It’s a great way to use up any leftover salad items or vegetables that you might have from other meals.
Feed your veg of choice through the dicing attachment of your food processor by hand, using the pusher stick. You can slice vegetables such as peppers, cucumber, carrot, celery etc - perfect as an after-school snack for kids and to use up any leftovers from other meals.
Vegetable stock cubes
Making your own stock cubes is a brilliant way to use up any vegetables that are about to spoil, and to create a delicious base for dishes such as soups, stews and curries.
You can use any vegetables that you have at home, but celery, carrots, leeks and onion make a great flavour combination for homemade stock.
Once the vegetables have been cooked in water, you can either pour the hot stock into the ThermoResist blending attachment or leave the mixture to cool first before blending. Then pour the stock into ice cube trays to pop in the freezer to use at a later date.
Grating cheese
If you have leftover cheese that is close to its use by date, a clever way to avoid wastage is to grate and freeze the cheese in a container or strong freezer bag.
You can also save time by grating cheese in batches to use for sandwiches or to add a delicious topping to pasta, pizza or Mexican dishes.
Fit the grating disc to the food processor and push portions of cheese through the feed tube. You can grate cheddar, parmesan and other hard cheeses straight onto a plate or container.
Making breadcrumbs
Why not use up any surplus slices of bread or rolls and make homemade breadcrumbs?
Simply fit the knife blade to the food processor and tear the bread into chunks before blitzing into fine breadcrumbs.
You can use your breadcrumbs in a range of ways - to top a fish pie, macaroni cheese or to add to homemade stuffing.
After you’ve tried our food processor hacks, get creative in the kitchen and find more ways to use up leftover food.
Follow more of our tips on how to reduce food waste at home, here.
