Food

How not to throw away food after the New Year: 11 main rules

Of course, it is best to calculate the exact amount of food you will need for New Year’s Eve meals. That way you’ll save money and then you won’t have to think about what to do with the extra food. If groceries are left over after all, follow Challenger’s advice – nothing will go bad.

 

  1. Revise your refrigerator

Before New Year’s Eve, try to make room for holiday dishes. This way you can check what you already have and make sure you don’t buy extra.

 

  1. Choose foods that are as fresh as possible

Ultra-pasteurized milk, deli meats with a long shelf life can be stored until the end of the vacations and longer. Before the New Year, buy fruits and vegetables without dents and dark spots – you won’t have to throw them away after a couple of days. If you are preparing New Year’s Eve fish, smell it before buying, otherwise you risk to buy low-quality product.

  1. Take it off the table right away

You may want to leave a mess on the table after New Year’s Eve and not touch anything for a few days. But during the night and the morning of January 1, while you will sleep, the food will have time to spoil. Therefore, try to put the food in the refrigerator after the feast.

 

  1. Stock up on packing materials

You will need foil, containers, ziploc bags, and plastic wrap for storing food after New Year’s Eve. Containers should be labeled to indicate that they are suitable for freezing. Check for the necessary packaging before the celebration and keep it handy.

 

  1. Freeze

You can freeze almost any food, from prepared foods to fruit, cakes and bread. The main rule is that the food must be fresh when frozen. Vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, and herbs should be washed and bagged separately.

 

  1. Dress as many salads as you can eat

Yogurt, oil, and mayonnaise dressings speed up the souring process. Sliced salads without dressing can be stored for up to three days under cling film in the refrigerator or frozen.

  1. Do not leave appliances in the dishes

Food will spoil faster because of the contact with steel and aluminum. Don’t be lazy to remove spoons from salads and they will stay fresh longer.

 

  1. Put canned foods in the refrigerator

Open canned foods – olives, sun-dried tomatoes, corn, peas – stay fresh longer. Feel free to leave them in the refrigerator (but transfer them from their factory packaging to clean dishes).

 

  1. Prepare simple dishes

For example, with slices of cheese and sausage, you can make pizza or hot sandwiches, from fruits and berries to boil compote, morsels or make tarts. If, of course, after the celebration of the New Year you still have the strength to do it.

 

  1. Store correctly in the refrigerator

The coldest shelf is the one above the vegetable drawer. This is the best place to store meat and fish dishes, as well as eggs and desserts. In the drawer for vegetables and fruits the highest temperature, there in addition to fruits you can store milk, cheese, butter. Products in the refrigerator door are subject to constant temperature changes, so it is better to store there what does not spoil for a long time: drinks, sauces.

  1. Give away to friends and neighbors

On the one hand, every home has a lot of treats of its own on New Year’s Eve. But on the other hand, it’s always nice to get an unusual dish as a gift. When you go visiting, bring along a pie or casserole – surely they won’t be superfluous on the communal table.

 

Still: Throw food away when in doubt

The most unpleasant thing is to get poisoned on New Year’s Eve and be sick all through the vacations. Even if you’ve cooked a salad with expensive produce for a long time, don’t hesitate to throw it away if it starts to go bad – no food is worth your health.

 

This also applies to alcohol. Alcoholic beverage poisonings are more severe than other food poisonings. If you do not like the smell or taste of wine, champagne – pour it out and open another bottle. Before the holidays there is a rush around alcohol, so in small stores there is a risk of buying counterfeit. Buy alcohol only in proven places – chain supermarkets, wine shops.

 

With good wine, left after the holiday, you can cook meat, shrimp, risotto.