Building a zero-waste kitchen:
First of all, you should start with where all of that baking takes place: in the kitchen. There are a lot of swaps that you can make to ensure that there’s little waste found in your kitchen, such as switching to reusable food containers for any leftovers after you’re done baking or using beeswax wraps instead of plastic wraps. Avoiding any kind of single-use containers or products in your baking is always a good idea. Using more efficient appliances like a FȳreBar can help you reduce the waste of using a higher-powered option like your oven, too.
Use recipes that aren’t too specific about measurements and amounts:
When baking, you should try opting for recipes that make it easy to scale up and down. This way, if you find yourself with extra ingredients, you don’t need to throw them out, you can simply make a little more than you initially planned. Cupcakes recipes are excellent for this, as it’s always easy to simply make another one, two, or even another batch of cupcakes if you buy more than you need. The same goes for tray bakes such as brownies etc.
Be mindful of where you get your ingredients:
If you’re buying from the local supermarket, then there’s a good chance that you’re buying ingredients that include a lot of unnecessary waste, such as transport, additional packaging, and water waste in the growing of those ingredients. Try to aim for organic products from local farmers, meaning less travel necessary to get them from the farm to your plate. Another way you can reduce waste in your ingredients is by looking for drought-tolerant grains, such as einkorn, Spelt, and rye that don’t require as much water to grow. They’re not always going to be suitable substitutions but sometimes they can be good.
Buy your baking tools pre-loved:
If you’re in the market for new baking tools, such as pots, pans, baking trays, whisks, and more, then you might want to check out the thrift stores before you opt for brand new. However, if you are buying brand new, then try to avoid anything using too much plastic, including silicone, which is becoming increasingly popular. Instead, glass and stainless steel are the way to go, or wooden options for utensils such as spoons and spatulas. Try to cut out buying new plastic where possible.
Baking should be something that you’re able to enjoy with your whole body and soul, from the aroma to the taste, and worrying about waste is not a welcome part of the experience. With the tips above, however, you don’t have to worry. You can rest easy knowing that your baking isn’t a serious offense to an eco-friendly mind.
*This is a collaborative post thanks for reading! :)
