Getting rid of leftover holiday ingredients can feel both necessary and overwhelming, especially when you are working with limited storage space.
To save money and reduce food waste, using up as many leftovers as possible from your holiday fare is essential. Because who doesn’t want to start the new year with a fresh, tidy kitchen?
The Spar Group has shared tips on how you can get the most out of your grocery rands by using leftovers wisely:
- Don't throw out small amounts of leftover wine in bottles. Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.
- To any amount of fruit mincemeat left over from your baking, add an equal amount of mashed canned pie apples – this doubles the quantity and makes a terrific trifle layer or fruit pie filling.
- Going on holiday and have a few heads of garlic that won’t keep while you are away? Peel cloves of garlic and place them in a jar. Pour over enough olive oil to cover. Seal and store in the fridge. Both the garlic and olive oil can be used and will last for many months.
- A bit of jam left in a can or jar, mixed with half the amount of vinegar and a dash of Worcestershire sauce, becomes a quick chutney substitute for a sandwich spread or apply it to chicken pieces and bake them.
- Scrape the little bit of mayonnaise from the jar sides that is insufficient to bind a quantity of salad or sandwich filling. Stir it into hot mashed potato or into the scrambled egg before serving for a delicious tang.
- Save peelings and tops from carrots, onions, and other veg and keep them in a sealed bag in the fridge. Use this with leftover bones as the basis for the delicious home-made stock.