15 Simple, Sizzling Food Hacks That Will Make You Waste Less This Summer

Before Summer breathes its last gasp, here are our top food hacks that will help you salvage and revive those al fresco favourites.

1. When life hands you lemons…

…pop them in an ice-cube tray and make (you guessed it!) lemon ice cubes. Also, be sure to grate the rinds, bag them up and freeze them to be used for cold drinks, salads, pasta, pizza, and smoothies. There are more antioxidants in the rinds than the lemon juice itself.

2. Strawberry meals forever

If those strawberries are entering the mushy twilight of their lives, don’t bin them – blend them! They’re the perfect consistency for making slushies, smoothies, and syrups.

3. (Roast) potato salad

Potato salad pile-up at your latest picnic? If you’re fed up of eating it in its current form, give it a new lease of life and roast in the oven for twenty-five minutes. It actually works rather well.

4. Be kind to your rinds

After you’ve scooped and eaten that refreshing watermelon, reconsider what you do with the rind. It’s super healthy, containing blood-building chlorophyll, and is very versatile. The rinds are a great ingredient for making slaw, jams, chutneys and pickles.

5. The super-punch-bowl

Impress your party guests with your fruit carving creativity. Turn those hollowed out pineapples and watermelons into the ultimate tropical punch bowls.

6. Grape idea

If your grapes are looking a little wrinkly, pop them in the freezer and serve as a cooling snack. They also make a ‘grape’ alternative to ice cubes.

7. 7. Excess baps?

Created by Diane / Via createdby-diane.com

Have each of your guests brought a pack of baps to the BBQ and now you have enough to supply burger van for a week? Rather than fill the entirety of your freezer with them, why not repurpose into delectable desserts? Burger baps and buns are perfect for making lemon bread puddings or pineapple upside down cakes.

8. Keep it poppin’

If there’s ever a (rare) occasion when you have leftover bubbly after a party, don’t consign those flat, half-filled bottles down the sink. Champagne, prosecco and sparkling wine can be used for all manner of things. You can use the bubbly to poach pears or fish, as well as making creamy sauces, best served with seafood.

9. The gift that keeps on giving

Once you've salvaged the bubbly, check the red and white wine bottles. Pour the dregs into an ice cube tray for future flavour bombs. They'll be great for stews, marinades and gravy.

10. Sausage party

Sausage surplus? Simply chop them up and put them in an omelette or sprinkle into pasta or onto a pizza. Just make sure meat hasn’t been sitting out for over two hours (one hour if it is hotter than room temperature) before saving!

11. Burger me

A missed steak is never a mistake. Consider it your gain. If you have extra beef patties, use them to bulk up stews and soups, or for a Mexican spin, crumble into fajitas and tacos.

12. Corn star

Delicious Magazine / Via deliciousmagazine.co.uk

Did you know, in the UK alone we throw away 16,000 tonnes of sweet corn away every year?! Yesterday's corn-on-cob can be today's supper. Why not whip up some fritters, make a warming bowl of corn and smoked haddock chowder or add the kernels to salads, relishes, and zingy salsas.

13. Summer on a stick

Homemade ice pops are a deliciously fun way of using up leftover fruit. Simply pour fruit juice or yoghurt into the ice moulds and then add pieces of fresh fruit. For grown-up folks, make boozy ice pops by using Sangria or Campari as a substitute.

14. The post-party dip

Popsugar / Via popsugar.co.uk

Don’t be dismayed by the accumulation of your post-party dips. Welcome them with open arms, for they are resourceful treasures. Mix guacamole alongside garlic, lemon, basil, and toss with linguine or spaghetti for a quick-fix, mid-week meal. Heaps of hummus? Spread onto toasted flatbreads and top with a Greek salad.

15. That’s a wrap

In Korean cuisine, they have a dish called ‘ssam’ which literally translates as ‘wrapped’. Ssam is a Korean lettuce wrap made of boldly flavoured seasoned meat or tofu, zingy sauce (ssamjang) and kimchi. Add rice to the little lettuce package to make what they call, ‘Ssam Bap’ (wrapped rice). No excuses for those leftover salad leaves.

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Ben is part of the Community Marketing team at OLIO - The Food Sharing Revolution. OLIO is a free app that connects neighbours with each other and with local businesses so that food can be shared, not thrown away. If you love food, hate waste, care about the environment or want to connect with your community, then OLIO is for you.

Join the Food Sharing Revolution and download the free OLIO app on the App Store and Google Play.