Zero Food Waste is a big trend in the Western world. It's no wonder that Westerners have many creative ways to reduce food waste, so that entrepreneurs have ideas to apply to reduce food waste #prevent money from leaking out of the shop
Today, 'Chef Daniel Altos' ✨Western food expert from Makro HoReCa Academy has come to share great tips and ideas, a guide to managing Food Waste in Western style that you can apply to save money and prevent it from leaking out of your shop for sure. Let's see what interesting things there are!
“Instead of letting raw materials #go to waste, we can make use of leftovers in many ways. You just need to be a little creative. But before we get to the advanced stage, let’s take a look at some basic ways to deal with leftover raw materials.”
How should we initially deal with unused raw materials?
Fruit: Leftover or chopped fruit can be blended into smoothies, added to salads, made into jams, or made into fruit sauces.
Vegetables: Use leftover or unattractive vegetables to make soup, mix into salads, or make pesto sauce. Use to add flavor to soups.
Meat and bone scraps: boiled into soup or stock
Watermelon rind: Make pickles, jams or salsa. Slice thinly and mix with salads.
Tomatoes: If they are overripe and soft, they may not look as pretty, but they are still nutritious and tasty. They can be used in sauces, soups, or even salsa.
Tomato skin: Dry-dried until crisp, then crushed and mixed with salt to make umami-rich tomato salt.
Celery leaves and stalks: Dry in the oven until crisp, then grind and mix with salt to make Celery Salt.
Broccoli: Broccoli florets can be boiled for soup or steamed. The raw stalks can be thinly sliced and added to salads. The leaves can be blanched or stir-fried. They can also be mashed and blended into pesto sauces.
Corn cobs: can be stored and used as fuel instead of charcoal for grilling.
Potato skins: Season with olive oil and herbs, bake or fry until crispy, and serve as a snack.
Durian seeds: Soak the seeds in water to remove all the durian flesh. Boil them like potatoes, peel off the outer skin, and enjoy eating them. Or you can use them to create other creative menus.
Pickles: Pickled vegetables or fruits are a great addition to cocktails, sandwiches or as a snack. Pickles can be used in a variety of dishes.
Chutney: Very ripe vegetables or fruits are best for making chutney. It is also a great way to preserve leftovers so they can be stored for a long time.
“Don’t let old bread go to waste. In addition to being ground into breadcrumbs for frying, it can also be used as an ingredient in many different dishes.”
- Croutons: Cut leftover bread into small pieces, add herbs or garlic butter to make crispy bread for use in salads and soups.
- Soup: Thinly slice onions, then grill them, boil them to make Onion Soup. Add stale bread to the soup to add texture.
- Dessert: Use leftover bread to make Bread Pudding and serve with recycled fruit sauce.
“Often, as restaurateurs, we find that certain ingredients #don’t sell, not because they taste bad, but because customers are not familiar with them or don’t think they can be used in certain dishes. It would be great if your restaurant has 2-3 popular dishes on the menu, which should be flexible enough to use different ingredients, both in terms of trimming and adjusting ingredients.”
Examples of popular menus that are flexible and adaptable
1. Pizza: Of course, pizza is #everyone's favorite . It is also a menu that can be created in many ways, whether it is an original menu or creating your own signature fusion pizza. We can adjust the use of leftover ingredients.
2. Tacos: This is another popular menu that can be creative in using leftover ingredients to the fullest, whether using protein from meat or vegetables.
3. Cream Soup: This is a classic Western dish that is very flexible and uses a variety of ingredients. Instead of calling it a “daily special,” which many customers might immediately realize is a leftover soup, you could give it a more appealing name, like “winter vegetable soup” or “garden vegetable soup.” That sounds a lot more appealing.
4. Crostini, Bruschetta, Pintxos, Canapes: Many Western restaurants serve small appetizers on toast, which can be endlessly creative. We can also adapt our own pickles or chutneys to these dishes.
5. Bake Pasta: For the leftover pasta, we can create a baked pasta menu by adding the leftover meat and cheese.
“Don’t limit yourself to just your habits. Try to observe what ingredients your restaurant often has leftovers. Then try to think creatively and imaginatively. I’m sure you will be able to create a menu that is both #delicious and pleasing to customers and can help reduce #FoodWaste, helping you #save both money leakage and #have more money coming into your restaurant.”
