How to stop wasting spuds – with Niki Bezzant
Did you know that Kiwis collectively throw away about 96 million potatoes every year? Potatoes come in at number six on the list of food waste that could be avoided. But it’s easy to stop this.
I talked to Love Food Hate Waste co-ordinator Catherine Lord and got some great tips on how to stop wasting our precious potatoes. Watch the VLOG here.
- Shop smart
Knowing what we want to make and only buying what we need are good ways to avoid the manky-spuds-at-the-bottom-of the pantry problem. “It’s a lot better to buy small amounts of potatoes more often, rather than buying very large bags”, says Lord. “There are different types of potatoes for different uses – roasting, mashing – so if you buy what you need for what you’re making, you won’t end up with lots left over”.
- Store smart
Spuds need to be stored in a well-ventilated, cool, dry and dark place.
“Avoid places like next to the oven or under the kitchen sink”, says Lord. And
don’t store them in the fridge. “It changes the taste of them, and people don’t
like to eat them”.
If you buy potatoes in a plastic bag, take them out; they’re better off in a
plastic bag or cardboard box, since they release moisture.
- Embrace the peel!
Don’t peel your potatoes and throw the peel away. Keep it on, especially when roasting or making chips, for extra nutrition and zero waste. “You can even mash them with the skins on”, says Lord. Or, save the peels, put them in the oven with a little oil and salt and make delicious potato peel chips.
- Use the freezer
Did you know you can freeze cooked potato? “If you’ve cooked too much mash, you can actually freeze the mashed potatoes”, says Lord. They freeze particularly well if you’ve used butter or milk in your mash. The same goes for chips – simply freeze leftover fries and re-heat from frozen in a hot oven.
For more tips and recipes to help you use up all your precious potatoes, go to www.lovefoodhatewaste.co.nz