Sometimes you just cannot use all of your food while it’s in its peak condition. Luckily, there are many ways to give your food new life.
Reviving Old Bread:
Do you have a loaf of bread that has gotten stale over time? Did you know you can rehydrate your loaf so that is tastes like it was just baked? Quickly run your loaf under your kitchen faucet and put in the oven at 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Check on the loaf every few minutes until its texture improves.
Many recipes use stale bread!
- Croutons: Simply cut cubes or tear small pieces from the loaf, drizzle with olive oil and add your favorite spices. Put on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for a few minutes until the croutons are golden brown.
- Stuffing: Fresh bread can turn stuffing too mushy, so this is a great thing to make with your stale loaf.
- Breadcrumbs: If you have access to a food processor, you can put in pieces of the stale bread and pulse until you have breadcrumbs. Breadcrumbs can be used to bread fish or poultry, add to meatballs and more!
- Bread pudding: Stale bread is perfect for soaking up custard in bread pudding.
Saving Older Vegetables:
Have you ever had a stalk of celery lose its crispness? Certain vegetables, such as celery, carrots and radishes can be re-hydrated if you put them in a container of water.
For other vegetables that are on their way out, throw them in a scrap bag in your freezer. You can use these scraps to make vegetable stock, toss them in soup, or maybe even add them to a smoothie (depending on what vegetables you have).
Saving Overripe Fruit:
As fruit ages, the texture can soften. While a soft apple or berry may not be the ideal texture, you can still use these fruits! Use up older fruit in baked goods or in smoothies.
Safety Tip: If your food has mold, smells bad, or has a significant texture change, it may be time to throw out or compost that item.