One of the most enjoyable parts of the Christmas season is gathering with family and friends for large lunches and gargantuan dinners, a favorite way to celebrate New Year's Eve. This also has a less positive side effect: the waste of so much food, purchased in excess and then unused or leftovers that are then thrown in the trash. The most wasted food category is desserts, followed by bread, and then appetizers, which include cured meats and snacks of all kinds.
It's not hard to imagine why: during large lunches and dinners, people tend to limit themselves to "extremes," so they nibble on appetizers to keep things light, try to avoid bread for the same reason, and still end up feeling very full by the end of the meal, too full for dessert. In reality, all of this can be easily avoided by being a little careful when planning meals to try to reduce waste and, above all, reduce food waste by recycling leftovers as much as possible. Cuisine has always had a strong connection with recycling, and there are many recipes you can use to give new life to leftover dishes, which you can also freeze or even share with friends and family. Here are some helpful tips for wasting less food during the holiday season, so that each of us, in our own small way, can make a difference in terms of waste, with the most responsible purchasing and consumption habits possible.
1. Plan Your Menus in Advance
The first step to avoiding overpurchasing and consuming food, and consequently reducing waste, is to plan the menus for your upcoming lunches or dinners in advance. Good planning early on will help you buy and cook exactly what you need, without overdoing it just because you're confused. Planning the menu isn't just about cooking, but also deciding in advance how much to cook, calculating the right portions for each guest. Keep in mind that a Christmas meal often consists of multiple courses, so don't overdo the portions of each dish or cook "just in case," fearing it won't be enough. It's also a good idea to be clear about the eating habits of your guests: consider whether there will be children, vegetarians, or those with food intolerances, so you don't overbuy products you know not everyone will eat, and you can prepare specific items that you know will be consumed.
2. Make Grocery Lists (Checking The Pantry First)
The second step after planning your menu is to make a detailed shopping list, specifying which ingredients you need and in what quantities. This will ensure you're on the safe side, avoiding compulsive and excessive purchases driven by the euphoria of the moment. Before heading to the supermarket, we remind you to do a thorough check of your pantry, list in hand: it's very likely you already have foods that could be useful, perhaps those with a longer shelf life that can be useful for the recipes you've planned, so you don't have to buy them again. When you finally find yourself grocery shopping, don't be fooled by supermarket marketing: shops, especially during the Christmas season, are filled with offers, discounts, and below-cost items. But buy products only if you really need them, not just because they're on sale.
3. Freeze What You Don't Consume Immediately
Once you've assessed what's left on the table, you have two options: you can either use up the leftovers in the days immediately following the holidays, especially if they're products that are prone to spoiling quickly, like cured meats and cheeses, by storing them in the refrigerator, or you can freeze what's left. From starters to main courses, even side dishes, storing leftovers in the freezer is the best way to prevent rapid spoilage and preserve them for a long time, so you can have them available when you're not too keen on cooking. Just remember to store them in suitable containers only when they're completely cold, and don't wait longer than 2-3 days to freeze leftovers, especially cooked ones, because any longer could cause the food to develop bacteria.
4. Reuse Leftovers
Once Christmas Eve dinners, Christmas lunches, and the New Year's Eve binges are over, it's time to deal with leftovers: no matter how careful you are, it's mathematically certain that something will remain. Reusing leftovers in new recipes is the best way to avoid food waste, a highly recommended practice that helps both the environment and your wallet. From mortadella and mascarpone mousse spread on warm toasted bread to sparkling wine to wash down a dish during cooking, you can reuse practically anything: all it takes is a little imagination to give new life to everything left over from the holiday table.
5. Share Leftovers
If you've miscalculated and have a lot of leftover food, too much to dispose of at home alone, a good solution to reducing waste is to share it. You can share what's left with relatives or friends who were staying with you, you can donate something to your neighbors (especially sweets, for example), or you can even help people in need by checking with local organizations that are looking for food to donate to the needy or provide meals to those who can't afford them.
6. Turn Leftovers Into Compost
One final tip for giving new life to some of your food scraps is to create natural compost, an ideal fertilizer for creating nutrient-rich soil that can be used in the garden or for potted plants. All fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, and eggshells are perfect for this purpose, usually combined with other organic waste such as dry leaves and fresh grass clippings to balance the chemical components, especially nitrogen and carbon, and create an equilibrium that allows microorganisms to transform the scraps into fertile soil.
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