Less food waste

Zero waste: Keeping food fresh and getting creative with leftovers.

Huge amounts of food end up in the bin every day. Planning your grocery shopping, storing it properly and adopting a more conscious approach to what you eat can all help to reduce food waste. Even small changes can help to cut waste or even avoid it completely. But nobody's perfect: We don't need to achieve a zero waste lifestyle immediately, we all just need to start. Equipped with a few tricks for keeping fruit, vegetables and other precious produce fresh, and even reviving a few things past their best, you can reduce food waste to a minimum or even eliminate it entirely. Why not start getting creative with your leftovers?

Keeping food fresh: How to save food and ensure it stays fresher for longer

By chilling, freezing, pickling and preserving food, you can extend its shelf life and save it from being condemned to the bin.

Best-before dates

Best-before dates are a guideline – and very different from use-by dates

Just because a yoghurt is a few days past its best-before date (BBD), that doesn’t mean you can’t still eat and enjoy it. This date is simply a guarantee from the manufacturer stating that, when properly stored, a product will retain its flavour, aroma and nutritional value up until then. You should not consume chilled convenience products like fresh pasta or sausages long after their best-before date. They may contain germs that you can’t see, smell or taste but could still make you ill. If in doubt, it’s best to throw them away. The same applies to easily perishable produce, which will usually have a use-by date on the packaging. After this date, perishable goods should go in the bin.

Storing and chilling

The FiFo principle and temperature zones in your fridge

Put new food at the back, bring older food to the front. The “FiFo” principle (first in, first out) can help you keep track of what’s fresh and what isn’t. It’s also useful to know that refrigerators have different temperature zones. Above the crisper drawer, the higher the shelf, the warmer it will be. The lowest shelf, just above the crisper, will be the coldest. The fridge door warms up the most when opened. So, to help foods in the fridge stay fresh for as long as possible, make sure you place them on the right shelf. You can find out more about this under “Storing food correctly”.

Freezing

What to watch out for in your freezer

Microorganisms can’t reproduce as quickly in low temperatures. For this reason, the best way to keep food fresh is to freeze it. Here’s some rules for freezing food effectively:

Transport frozen products in cool bags or insulated food boxes to avoid breaking the cold chain.
Defrost frozen products in the fridge and make sure to catch any defrost water to keep everything hygienic.
Freeze food in portions so that you can always defrost just the right amount.
Always freeze food in freezer bags to prevent it from drying out or losing its aroma.
Make sure you note the date on freezer bags – not all food stays fresh in the freezer for the same length of time.

Preserves

Preserving, pickling and fermenting

Yes, it might be something your grandmother used to do, but the art of preserving, pickling and fermenting is very much on trend right now! These methods allow you to store food in a cool, dry place, out of direct sunlight, for up to a year. Always label freshly preserved foods with the date and put them at the back of your cupboard or pantry so that you use the older produce first. Remember that it’s best to dispose of preserves and pickles if the lid is loose, the liquid is cloudy or discoloured, or if they have an unnatural smell.

Preserving

Preserving food in glass jars

You can preserve just about anything, even meat or sausages. Of course, the food has to be fresh and undamaged when you do. Fruit should be raw and vegetables should be raw and blanched. It’s actually quite simple… layer washed and prepared produce in a clean glass jar that has either a clip top or screw top and cover with liquid. Put the glass jars in a cooking pot, making sure they aren’t touching. Fill the pot with just enough water so that it comes about three-quarters of the way up the jars and then heat the pot until the water reaches 75-120 °C. Depending on the food, you should keep it at this temperature for between 10 minutes and 2 hours. Later, as the glass jars cool down, a vacuum forms inside them that keeps the lid sealed air-tight. You should repeat the cooking stage a second time when preserving peas, beans and mushrooms.

Pickling

Pickling food in glass jars

If you want to try something new, why not test your culinary skills with carrots, green beans, beetroot or peppers? These are particularly well suited to pickling. To pickle a kilogram of vegetables, you’ll need to use half a litre of vinegar (5%) and up to half a litre of water containing spices and seasonings. Heat the pickling liquid and pour it into the glasses or stoneware pots, leave it to cool, then heat the liquid again and pour it over the vegetables. The liquid should cover the vegetables by the width of a couple of fingers. You should leave it to pickle for four to six weeks, after which the pickled food will keep for a further 3-12 months.

Fermenting

Fermenting food in glass jars

Fermentation is an age-old method for preserving food and is used to this day to make sauerkraut. For some people, fermented foods are more digestible, for example. Enzymes and microorganisms break down the sugars in the vegetables in a multiple-stage process. This produces both the lactic and acetic acids that give fermented vegetables their typical flavour and stop them from perishing. Ripe vegetables are ideally suited to fermentation. It’s actually quite simple… before you start fermenting, you need to grate, slice or shred the vegetables. Then add the grated, sliced or shredded vegetables to a glass jar, fill with a 5% brine, and leave for a few days or weeks to pickle. If the jar remains well sealed, the fermented vegetables can keep for several months.

Reviving old food

Even when stored correctly, some foods rapidly lose their freshness and take on a chewy or dry, crispy consistency. There’s no need to throw these foods away, though. Here’s how you can refreshen old food in your stock.

Lettuce & herbs

Refreshing salad leaves and herbs

If you want to refresh wilting lettuce, simply sit it in cold water for a little while. This will make the leaves crisp again. You can also heat some firmer varieties of lettuce, such as raddichio, romaine lettuce and chicory. To revive herbs that have become limp, simply cut them as you would do it with flowers and place them in a glass with water. They’ll soon perk up again! You can also use wilted herbs to make pesto or freeze them in oil in ice-cube trays.

Carrots & co.

Putting the bite back into root vegetables

Just like lettuce and herbs, root vegetables such as carrots, radishes and beetroot just need to be given a little water to bring them back to life. However, it can sometimes take rather longer. Ideally, you should leave the root vegetables in a container with water for several hours or overnight – preferably in the fridge. Alternatively, you could wrap them in a damp tea towel. They will absorb the water and regain their crunch.

Fruits

Les fruits - une exception

Les fruits trop mûrs ne peuvent pas être rafraîchis, mais vous pouvez les utiliser dans un certain nombre de recettes délicieuses. Les bananes brunes, par exemple, sont un ingrédient parfait pour un banana bread ou comme base de smoothies. En été, elles sont parfaites pour faire de la glace à la banane. Vous pouvez utiliser des pommes et des poires ratatinées pour préparer de savoureuses confitures, purées, compotes et chips. Si les fruits ne sont pas au mieux de leur forme, vous devez les utiliser rapidement avant qu'ils ne moisissent.

Pain

Le pain dur n'a pas besoin d'être mis à la poubelle

Nous avons tous déjà connu cette situation : la délicieuse baguette ou le petit pain que nous avons acheté hier est devenu dur en un clin d'œil. Cependant, cela ne signifie pas que vous devez les jeter. Prenez votre pain sec, humidifiez-le avec un peu d'eau, mettez-le au four pendant quelques minutes et il retrouvera presque le même goût et la même constistance que le jour où vous l'avez acheté. Si le pain est devenu très dur, vous pouvez l'utiliser pour faire de la chapelure ou du pain perdu.

Pâtes

Rendre à nouveau moelleuses les pâtes d'hier

Selon la façon dont vous les conservez, les restes de pâtes peuvent devenir aqueux ou se dessécher. Si vous voulez qu'elles retrouvent leur saveur, faites simplement revenir les pâtes ramollies à feu moyen dans un poele. D'autre part, si vos pâtes ont séché, il suffit de les plonger dans de l'eau bouillante pendant une minute ou deux

Fromage

Le fromage à pâte dure se ramollit dans le lait

Si vous laissez le fromage sur la table à manger pendant trop longtemps, ou s'il est relégué au fond du réfrigérateur, il peut rapidement devenir trop sec et dur. Vous pouvez ramollir le fromage durci en le faisant tremper dans du lait pendant une demi-heure environ.

Biscuits, gâteaux et pâtisseries

Comment les pommes peuvent sauver les snacks

Les biscuits sont naturellement assez secs, mais ils peuvent devenir encore plus secs et trop durs lorsqu'ils sont conservés pendant une longue période. Si vous aimez que vos biscuits soient un peu plus mous, mettez simplement une pomme coupée en tranches dans la boîte à biscuits pendant quelques heures. Le fruit donnera aux biscuits un peu d'humidité et les ramollira à nouveau.

Soyez créatif avec vos restes

Des légumes coupés en tranches, les pommes de terre de la veille... trsè rapidement votre réfrigérateur peut déborder de restes. Vous devriez toujours donner une seconde chance à vos aliments en étant créatif. Ne jetez pas les restes à la poubelle, mettez-les dans une poêle et inventez quelque chose de nouveau. Cuisiner des restes en famille ou avec des amis peut être très amusant !

Quel que soit le plat ou quelle que soit l'occasion, il y a toujours une recette qui correspond. Par exemple, des restes de pain, de tomates et de roquette peuvent devenir une délicieuse panzanella. Ou alors, vous pourriez préparer un dessert sain en transformant les restes de fruits en smoothie ou en salade de fruits. Et les restes de poivrons en tranches peuvent être combinés avec les restes de maïs et de riz pour créer un délicieux curry végétarien.

Consultez nos idées de recettes pour plus d'inspiration sur la manière d'utiliser les restes de manière créative.

Zéro déchet : quelques conseils supplémentaires pour éviter de jetter la nourriture

Si vous mangez dans un restaurant et que votre portion était trop importante, demandez simplement si vous pouvez ramener les restes chez vous dans un doggy bag. Sinon, vous pouvez également demander une plus petite portion à l'avance.
Si vous achetez des aliments pour les consommer le jour même ou le lendemain, alors essayez de choisir des produits dont la date de péremption est proche.
Soyez plus malin lorsque vous épluchez et coupez, nous mettons souvent plus de légumes à la poubelle que nécessaire. Les tiges de brocoli, par exemple, sont tout aussi bonnes que les fleurettes.
Achetez des fruits et légumes durant leur saison et congéler-les pour les consommer plus tard. Par exemple, optez pour les oignons de printemps que vous pourrez couper en rondelles et congeler dans une bouteille en plastique. Vous pourrez ensuite en utiliser la bonne quantité quand vous en aurez besoin.
Si vous avez ouvert une boîte de conserve et que vous n'en utilisez que la moitié, transvasez simplement le reste dans un récipient propre et refermable. Vous conserverez ainsi la fraîcheur plus longtemps.
Vous partez en vacances mais votre réfrigérateur est encore plein ? Pas de problème ! Il suffit de frapper à la porte de votre voisin et de lui offrir ce que vous avez.

Braun Bell Frozen virgin strawberry peach margarita 16x9.jpg

Did you know...

...how to keep your Avocados from browning?

Braun's kitchen hack of the day: after opening an avocado, simply sprinkle some fresh lemon juice on it to keep it from browning. It stays fresh for longer and even tastes good.

Avocado cut in half with citrus juice dripping on it.

…how to save Bananas that turn brown?

You don't like ripe bananas? Don't worry, many people don't. But with our #braunhack there is no need to waste a good fruit. Simply slice and freeze a banana to have it available whenever you need some. Why not try a freshly made and cool smoothie for instance to start your day right?

…how to keep your Carrots crisp?

We carrot wait to try this hack at home. Place your carrots in a glass of water to keep them fresh and crispy. Do you already treat your carrots like flowers and keep them fresh in a vase?

en_scs_braun_hack_card-04_Crisp_Carrots_1080 × 1080.jpg

…how to keep your Bananas fresh?

Keep calm and go bananas. Did you know that bananas naturally release a gas called ethylene from their stem, and therefore tend to ripen much faster? Try and cover the stem of the bananas with a small piece of leftover foil, and the ripening process slows dramatically. Have you ever heard about this kitchen hack?

en_scs_braun_hack_card-05_Fresh-Banana_1080 × 1080.jpg

…how to keep your Potatoes from sprouting?

An apple a day keeps the sprouts away. Just place an apple in the same rack with your potatoes. With this little kitchen hack you can keep your potatoes fresh, even if you don't use them up all at once. Have you tried this before?

en_scs_braun_hack_Card-08_Potatoes_1080 × 1080.jpg

…how to make stale bread fresh again?

Did you buy too much at the bakery the other day? Don't worry, sprinkle your bread with water and bake it in the oven. With this little trick your baked goods will be fresh and warm again, just in time for Sunday brunch. Try it yourself.

en_scs_braun_hack_card09_bread_1080 × 1080.jpg

Un bon design doit être efficace. Il en va de même de nos conseils pour réduire le gaspillage alimentaire, qui, nous l'espérons, fourniront des astuces pratiques et utiles. Ensemble, nous pouvons faire beaucoup avec de petits changements.

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Food preparation

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Get inspired

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Less food waste

Zero waste: Keeping food fresh and getting creative with leftovers.

Keeping food fresh: How to save food and ensure it stays fresher for longer

Best-before dates

Best-before dates are a guideline – and very different from use-by dates

Storing and chilling

The FiFo principle and temperature zones in your fridge

Freezing

What to watch out for in your freezer

Preserves

Preserving, pickling and fermenting

Preserving

Preserving food in glass jars

Pickling

Pickling food in glass jars

Fermenting

Fermenting food in glass jars

Reviving old food

Lettuce & herbs

Refreshing salad leaves and herbs

Carrots & co.

Putting the bite back into root vegetables

Fruits

Les fruits - une exception

Pain

Le pain dur n'a pas besoin d'être mis à la poubelle

Pâtes

Rendre à nouveau moelleuses les pâtes d'hier

Fromage

Le fromage à pâte dure se ramollit dans le lait

Biscuits, gâteaux et pâtisseries

Comment les pommes peuvent sauver les snacks

Soyez créatif avec vos restes

Zéro déchet : quelques conseils supplémentaires pour éviter de jetter la nourriture

Did you know...

Un bon design doit être efficace. Il en va de même de nos conseils pour réduire le gaspillage alimentaire, qui, nous l'espérons, fourniront des astuces pratiques et utiles. Ensemble, nous pouvons faire beaucoup avec de petits changements.

Articles liés.

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Breakfast

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