Pre - Plan and Don't Waste: Food Skills That Are Game - Changers

Meera Naveen
May 7, 2023
5 min read

Updated: Jun 24, 2024

For all those chefs and aspiring chefs out there, and even just anyone who has any relation to the kitchen, this is something that's really, like REALLY important to know: how to plan, cook and organize so you save more food from going to waste, spend less on supplies, and get to eat the things you crave yet at the same time balance it.

And this is also applying to me as well, since I'm still learning.

When you go grocery shopping, first, think about what you're going to make this week, how many people you're cooking for, useful supplies you need to replenish, etc.

This is an example:

You decide to go grocery shopping on a Saturday morning. First, you think about what you're going to make this week and be specific about the ingredients:

Saturday lunch and dinner:

A grilled cheese and a salad.

Sunday breakfast, lunch, and dinner:

PB&J, hummus wraps, and yellow rice with beans.

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday breakfast:

Oats with milk, sugar, and banana slices.

Lunch:

Pasta with marinara sauce and parmesan.

Dinner:

Mushroom, bell pepper (capsicum) and tofu stir - fry.

Tuesday breakfast, lunch, and dinner:

Blueberry pancakes (frozen), veggie burger, ramen soup.

Thursday breakfast, lunch, and dinner:

Cheerios, leftover yellow rice with leftover stir - fry, and leftover soup.

You're making these things for five people, including you (this is only if everyone eats the same thing -- if different, you could use different leftovers and plan accordingly, especially if some people have food restrictions).

Three people you make these things for go out, whether it's for work or school. This includes you. You're running out of snacks and need some snacks to provide these people to eat while they're working in the middle of meals. If it was a lot of people, you might need to buy three or four different snacks, but since it's only for three people, just decide to buy one or two different snacks.

Do you have any other supplies to replenish? Well, in what you're making this week, you need milk (or a vegan alternative like oat milk) for the oats and cereal and some juice as a drink. You need more bread for the PB & J's and grilled cheese, marinara for the pasta, and a new tofu packet for that stir - fry. Also, I forgot to mention, when you're planning your week's meals, plan for cheaper, simpler meals so it's easier to make for on - the - go and make use of the things sitting at home. This applies to new recipes as well.

Speaking of that, you also found a new recipe while surfing the internet on your phone about a Snickerdoodle cookie that you really wanted to try. For it, you need to buy some cinnamon sugar and a new packet of all - purpose flour.

Now you know the details, it's time to create your shopping list (this is just for one week, if you're planning for a larger amount of time, then buy more in a proportional way):

1 gallon and a quart of milk (There are 4 breakfasts that require milk, each person needs 1 cup of milk in each breakfast)
2 large containers of juice - this is for people to drink during the week.
One snack pack (for eating between meals especially at work or school)
One packet of bread (20 slices = 2 meals times 5 people times 2 bread slices each)
Two tofu packets (If you're considering having leftovers enough for Thursday's meal, based on the average tofu packet and the fact that you're making it for 5 people, then 2 makes more sense; if not, then just one is fine)
One bottle of marinara sauce (you're only making pasta for one time, so just buy one bottle)
One packet of all - purpose flour (consider the size: if you barely cook or bake from scratch with flour then consider a smaller size, but if you do it regularly or at least once in one or two weeks, consider a medium)
One small bottle of cinnamon sugar (this is just for the snickerdoodles, and it probably wouldn't need too much of it anyway. If you have both cinnamon and sugar though, consider combining them instead to be more cost effective and eco - friendly)

Total sample cost: $58

This is for an entire week feeding 5 people, including a recipe you want to make. That's pretty good, including the fact that you only needed 8 materials. If you're buying a lot, I recommend bulk packaging, but if you're buying very little, then individual packaging so nothing goes to waste. If you don't want to do as much work, there are always meal and shopping plan generators online, but especially if you have a very unique list and usually cook foods that are from a specific culture, you might not really find online to be very useful, and you can use this tactic instead.

Okay, that literally covers the entire pre - planning part: off to the second - reusing and finding treasures in what was previously thought of as trash:

2. As I said before, you can find treasures in trash and also things that have stayed with you forever. If you find new recipes, use things at home to make up for substitutes and alternatives for ingredients you don't have if you can.

Ideas are these:

Search up things like "recipes using stale bread" or "recipes using overripe bananas" or "recipes using cream cheese" or "recipes using brussels sprouts" or whatever. You're bound to find a new recipe you haven't heard of and things you might love.

If you're newly vegan or something and you've decided not to eat honey, but you want to make a recipe that has honey in it, search up online for substitutes. One of the most common substitutes is agave syrup, but what if you don't have it? Well, maple syrup, which tends to be a bit more popular, still works. What if you wanted peanut butter for your PB&J but don't have it? If you have peanuts or any sort of nut, just toast them on the stove and grind them till they're a spread, adding things like salt, vanilla extract, or anything that fits your taste and works well with it, and you have your own nut butter! (This is very eco - friendly as well, because many store brought nut butters, I found out, have palm oil, and many of us know that palm trees are taking over rainforests, so this is a great way to substitute for it)

Some ideas to use up ingredients are:

Banana Bread (using overripe bananas)

Bread Pudding (using stale bread)

Sauerkraut Mashed Potatoes (using sauerkraut you bought once but you don't want to eat it alone)

Homemade Nut Butters (using any nuts you have)

Cream Cheese Red Velvet Cookies (using leftover cream cheese if you're one of those who's tired of spreading it on bagels)

etc. . . . . . . .

To conclude, there are many ways to pre - plan when shopping or cooking and also using leftovers or things you don't know what to use for but are just sitting around useless at home. Knowing how to make use of things and buy at the minimum is a game - changing and essential, VERY eco skill when it comes to home and kitchen life. Not only do you spend less, but you also know how to waste the least amount of food as possible.