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Shriveled carrots, dried slices of bread and spotty bananas are a common occurrence for all of us from time to time. Instead of throwing away, the key word is recycling, because you can still use these foods to create delicious dishes.
What does zero waste mean?
Translated from English, Zero Waste means something like “zero waste”, “zero waste”. In general, the aim is to produce as little waste as possible. Broadly speaking, we are moving away from an economy in which things are only produced for a specific purpose, towards one in which the products serve another purpose in at least one place in the system and so no waste products are created in the long term. So as few resources as possible should be used or wasted.
If you take a closer look, zero waste applies to all areas of life: whether in the kitchen, in the bathroom or when shopping for clothes – waste can be avoided everywhere. This was demonstrated by Beá Johnson, a French woman living in America, who popularized the term “zero waste” with her blog and books and who lives it with her family.
How does zero waste work in the kitchen?
A study carried out by the Thünen Institute “Food waste in Germany – Baseline 2015” has found that an average of 75 kg of food is thrown away in households per year and per person – according to the study, almost 33 kg could theoretically have been avoided. Leftover food is often simply thrown away or food goes bad at an early stage and is therefore inedible. Often we don’t either aware that we can use a lot more of a fruit or vegetable than we are used to, so it’s high time we take a closer look at our behavior in the kitchen and our eating habits.

Vegetables can be used in many ways: delicious pesto is made from carrot greens, and fine broth is made from onion peels
© Markus Spiske / Unsplash
The “nose to tail” of fruits and vegetables
For example, did you know that one from Radish and carrot greensa delicious pesto can do? Or that the Strunk of the Broccoli is a delicious addition to soup is? The young leaves of radishes also taste wonderful Salad or smoothies. Fresh herbs can be frozen in portions so that they can be used again almost fresh for cooking.
And so it goes: Off Potato peels and Kohlrabi leaves become crispy chips. Out of Citrus peels you can use the abrasion let dry and the next Bake or refine from drinks use.
If Vegetable waste such as onion skins, garlic ends, carrot or potato peels, you can use them to make one simple vegetable broth cook. The best way to do this is to collect the leftovers in a container and, if necessary, freeze them until you have collected enough. Then bring the whole thing to the boil with water and spices and cook for about 45 minutes. Pour once through the sieve and freeze in portion size or ice cube size – the perfect stock is ready.
What is important in all of this is that the products are organic and therefore free of possible pesticides and pollutants.
Video: Leaf to root with chef Achim Ellmer
Zero waste recipes
Make new from old
It happens to the best of us: the bananas turn brown, the apple has a bruise, the bread is hard and the lettuce and tomatoes are past their crunchiest stage. But even if the food no longer meets the norm at first glance, it is still no reason to throw it away.
Banana bread only becomes really aromatic when it… Bananas brown are, as are banana quark or milkshakes. Out of old apples You can make applesauce, you can make jam or chutney from berries, oranges, etc. Shriveled radishes By the way, they become crispy again if you put them in water for a few hours. Out of old tomatoes can you prepare a tomato sauce, dry bread turns into breadcrumbs in no time. Of course, the general rule is: If you notice that a food is no longer completely fresh, use it as quickly as possible.
You can find inspiration and delicious recipe ideas for leftover food here:

© Jasmin Sessler / Unsplash
Tips for zero waste in everyday kitchen life
- Cooked too much? Freeze your leftovers or take them to the office the next day.
- Keep an eye on your stock.
- Shop consciously: Only buy what you need and plan your week in culinary terms. A weekly or monthly plan with a shopping list will help you keep track.
- Many thick-skinned vegetables or fruits such as bananas or oranges come with “packaging” – avoid plastic bags. Otherwise, use reusable fruit and vegetable nets.
- Take pantry containers or similar storage containers to the meat and cheese counter.
- Also choose fruits and vegetables with blemishes. Crooked food finds new owners, especially in unpackaged shops and at the weekly market.
- Buy fruit and vegetables seasonally and locally.
- Store food properly. This way you can avoid them going bad too soon and having to be thrown away. Pay attention to cold zones in the refrigerator: meat & fish in the coldest zone, eggs, butter higher up. Potatoes like it cool and dark in the pantry.
- Use a jute bag instead of a plastic bag.
- (Homemade) beeswax cloths can replace cling film, and a silicone baking mat can replace baking paper.
- Drinking straws made of glass, bamboo or stainless steel replace plastic straws.
- Leftover food, breakfast cereal, rice, pasta, etc. stay fresh in old jam jars or storage jars.
- Estimate the best before date (Best Before) correctly: Many foods are still good long after the best before date. So don’t throw them away straight away, but check whether the food still looks, smells and tastes good. But be careful: Not to be confused with the use-by date as with minced meat, for example – invisible, odorless germs can be present here.
Cookbook: Zero Waste Kitchen by Sophia Hoffmann
18 million tons of food are lost in Germany every year. But with a little awareness, that doesn’t have to be the case. Appreciation, regionality, seasonality and waste avoidance are the key words for putting food on the plate instead of in the bin.

Wrap it up: Leftover food in wrap form
© Annabell Sievert for ZS Verlag
This is how the zero waste kitchen works
The book Zero waste kitchen is divided into three chapters: The first chapter covers basics such as the best-before date, shopping tips and the seasonal calendar. Sophia Hoffmann gives numerous tips on how to store food or properly separate waste.
Stand in the second chapter 40 foods Focus on storage, recycling, season and other tips. At apples For example, you should pay attention to organic goods when shopping, as they do not contain pesticides. Season is from August to October. Outside this period there are imported goods. Ideally, storage should be in the basement, garage or on the balcony in the shade. Even bruised apples can be further processed, for example into applesauce, apple pie or smoothies. Fresh apples taste good in salads or on their own.
Carrots again are in season from May to November. In addition to the roots, the carrot greens are also tasty and can be steamed or pureed in a smoothie. Carotene is responsible for the orange color Carrots responsible. This is best absorbed by the body in combination with fat or through strong crushing. Carrots stay fresh for a long time in the cellar or pantry and can also be blanched and frozen. The root can be used as a salad, baked vegetables, in juices or soups. 38 other foods are described in this way, so that readers get lots of ideas about what can be done with the different foods and how to treat them appreciatively.
In the third chapter there are zero waste recipes. From apple crumble made from shriveled apples to stew made from leftover vegetables to stuffed vegetables with leftover rice or couscous from the day before, there are many delicious recipes included.
The book Zero waste kitchenis a must for anyone who wants to fight against food waste and support sustainability. Many of the ideas from the book are certainly still familiar to our grandparents, so old knowledge is made accessible in a new way in this book.
The book Zero waste kitchen by Sophia Hoffmann was published by ZS Verlag and costs around 25 euros here available.