Food Waste Prevention Tips

Episode 1 – Is it Off?

In this episode, I explore how to prevent food waste by knowing when proteins are off. Finn’s dirty little food waste secret is – he wasted a whole 500 gm of good chicken fillets by feeding them the neighbours dog because he was afraid it had been in the fridge for too long. Of the main types of proteins we eat, chicken is the one that many people are unsure of whether or not it is good to eat.

Tip #1 Use your sense of touch and smell
Raw chicken that is past its best, feels slimy and greyish in colour. It will also have quite have a strong odour. Fresh chicken does not have much of a smell.

Tip #2 If in doubt throw it out!
If in doubt throw it out! Using either an inside Karboshi bin or a garden compost bin or if you live where there is an organic kerbside waste collection (green bin) use that. But – NEVER in the regular kerbside bin as that goes to landfill … and that’s not good for the planet.

Tip #3 Eggs
In checking if eggs are off put them in a glass of water. Fresh eggs sink to the bottom, if is halfway it’s ok if. If it floats it will bloat you so don’t go there. Store your eggs in the cardboard box they come in.

Tip #4 Cook your protein to kill the bugs
A simple rule for most meats is to aim for an internal temperature of 75 °C or hotter when you cook food. Heating foods to this temperature kills most food-poisoning bacteria. If you are unsure it is best to use a thermometer to check the internal temperature. These are available at most cooking shops.

Tip #5 Don’t buy too much
Finn was never sure when he would be home to eat. So he should only shop for a few days in advance, rather than do big weekly shops. Avoid over shopping – shop to your cooking pattern whatever that is – fortnightly with top-up/ weekly/ every few days

Tip #6 Oil your meat. Rubbing your meat with oil or yoghurt will prevent air from getting to it and causing it to go off. This is a great way to extend the time you can keep it in the fridge plus it adds flavour to it. If you are feeling inspired when unpacking your shopping you could use a marinade to do this task. Just make sure you coat the meat completely.

Tip #7. 2 hour / 4 hour food rule
If only Finn had known this Australian Food Standard rule, his housemate would never have eaten the chicken that made him so ill. “Food held between 5 C and 60 C for less than 2 hours can be used, sold or put back in the refrigerator to use later. Food held between 5 C and 60 C for 2-4 hours can still be used or sold, but can’t be put back in the fridge. Food held between 5 C and 60 C for 4 hours or more must be thrown away.”

For more food waste prevention ideas watch Cookingjust4me, my taste no waste TV series, FREE online by signing up for my newsletter.