How to reduce food waste in your kitchen?

Before each grocery trip, check what you already have, plan 4-5 meals for the week, and write a specific shopping list. Stick to the list. Meal planning reduces impulse purchases and ensures you have a plan for everything you buy.

Apps like Too Good To Go sell discounted surplus food from restaurants and grocery stores ($4-6 for a surprise bag worth $15-20). Olio lets neighbors share surplus food for free. Flashfood offers grocery items near their sell-by date at deep discounts.

Store herbs upright in a glass of water like flowers. Keep bananas separate from other fruit (they release ethylene that ripens other produce). Store berries unwashed in a paper towel-lined container. Keep bread on the counter or frozen, never in the fridge. Wrap cheese in wax paper, not plastic.

"Best by" and "sell by" dates are manufacturer suggestions for peak quality, not safety deadlines. Most foods are perfectly safe well beyond these dates. Use your senses: look, smell, taste. The only date legally required is on infant formula. Eggs last 3-5 weeks past their sell-by date.

When you realize you will not eat something in time, freeze it immediately. Almost everything freezes well: bread, cooked rice, broth, sauces, chopped vegetables, grated cheese, herbs in oil, and ripe bananas. Freeze in portion sizes for easy future use.