Rosanne Rust - Zero Waste Cooking For Dummies

Reducing food waste is a big challenge for the whole world, so this book is here to help you keep things in perspective. Practice and progress, not perfection, is the expectation.

When I wrote the recipes in this book, I used easy-to-find ingredients and also tried to provide recipes in which you can easily swap in similar ingredients you have on hand that you need to use up (or that you prefer). In most cases, a similar ingredient will result in just as tasty and successful of a dish — especially if it leads to you wasting less food. As you read the recipes, keep these conventions in mind:

Oven temperatures are listed in degrees Fahrenheit.

A “pinch” of salt is assumed to be ⅛ teaspoon. “Salt to taste” suggests your judgement in how much you salt the food.

All eggs are large.

Flour used is all-purpose flour, but feel free to use gluten free, whole wheat, or any other replacement flour.

When fresh meat or vegetables are listed in a recipe, cooked can often be substituted.

Canned or frozen vegetables and fruits can replace fresh.

All milk is 1% fat, but whole, 2%, or nonfat milk can be used instead. Of course, if you don’t tolerate cow’s milk, feel free to use a milk alternative such as soy milk.

I created the recipes using plain nonfat Greek yogurt, light sour cream, and light cream cheese, but regular plain yogurt, regular fat sour cream, and regular cream cheese can be used as substitutes.

I recommend using freshly ground peppercorns from a peppermill, but regular ground pepper is also fine to use.

Dried herbs can be used in place of fresh. The small tomato icon indicates the recipe is vegetarian or contains no meat, but it may contain eggs or dairy.

To make the content more accessible, this book is divided into four parts. You don’t have to read from beginning to end but can turn to any part — or any chapter — at any time and reference back and forth as often as you need. I put a lot of heart and research into writing this book so, of course, I think every word is important, but some pieces of information aren’t essential, but are there to help you understand the overall food waste topic. These details appear in sidebars (shaded gray boxes), and you can feel free to skip them without missing any key zero waste cooking information.

Within this book, you may note that some web addresses break across two lines of text. If you’re reading this book in print and want to visit one of these web pages, simply key in the web address exactly as it’s noted in the text, as though the line break doesn’t exist. If you’re reading this as an e-book, you’ve got it easy — just click the web address to be taken directly to the web page.

In writing this book, I made some assumptions about you:

You have an interest in cooking, saving money, staying healthy, and wasting less.

You want to be a good steward to the environment, and you feel overwhelmed with all the “stuff” in your life.

You have access to a kitchen, with a refrigerator-freezer, stove top, oven, and possibly a microwave, and have basic cooking tools.

You have basic cooking skills, you’re busy, and you aren’t interested in getting too fancy in the kitchen.

You want to reduce your food waste, do more with the ingredients you have on hand, and get more creative with recipes.

If this sounds like you, then you’re in the right place!

Throughout this book, icons in the margins highlight certain types of valuable information that call out for your attention. Here are the icons you’ll encounter and a brief description of each.

The Tip icon marks shortcuts that can save you time or money or make zero waste cooking easier.

Remember icons mark the information that’s especially important to know. If you’re short on time, siphon off the most important information in each chapter by skimming through to look at these icons.

When I get into the weeds of the subject matter, you’ll see the Technical Stuff icon. This icon marks information that is a bit more technical, so if you aren’t into it, you can skip over these sections without missing out on the major focus of the chapter.

Look out! The Warning icon tells you about information that could relate to your safety. It marks important information that may save you headaches or prevent you from being misled.

In addition to the abundance of information and guidance related to zero waste cooking that I provide in this book, you get access to even more help and information online at Dummies.com . Check out this book’s online Cheat Sheet. Just go to www.dummies.com and search for “Zero Waste Cooking For Dummies Cheat Sheet.”

The joy of For Dummies books is that you can start anywhere. If you’re already on a zero waste journey and just need an idea for dinner tonight, then go straight to the recipes in Part 3. From starters to soups to sides to sweet and savory snacks and more, Chapters 8to 17have you covered. For quick zero food waste tips, just head straight to Part 4.

If you’re just beginning to research the issue of food waste, then start at the beginning in Part 1. Your kitchen is just one part of the food waste issue, so Chapters 1and 2look at the bigger picture of the food supply chain. If you’re the type of person who likes to sit and think things through before you take action, then head to Chapter 3where I get into the details that help you assess your current food waste so you can take a good look at your habits.

For more about organizing your kitchen for zero waste, check out Chapters 4and 5.

As a registered dietitian, I had to include some information in the book about nutrition. I created all the recipes with both health and the optimal use of ingredients to reduce food waste in mind. If you want to find out more about staying healthy on a budget, head to Chapter 6.

And if meal planning is your jam, Chapters 7offers four weeks of meals that help you waste less by making the most of your shopping list.

I hope this book changes your perception of food and the environment and your role in it. I hope it’s a reference that you can count on to help you make the most of what you have by creating healthy meals that minimize food waste.

Part 1

IN THIS PART …

Find out how adopting a zero waste cooking method benefits you and the environment.

Learn the basics of kitchen organization so you can begin zero waste cooking.

Understand what sustainability really means.

Discover zero waste action steps that fit your lifestyle.

Chapter 1

IN THIS CHAPTER

Rethinking your shopping habits for zero waste

Discovering the benefits of zero waste cooking