Say no to wasting food: how to preserve your food & make the most of your leftovers

One of our missions at Bosch is to support you on your journey to a more sustainable and healthier lifestyle – one small step at a time because every small action can have a big impact. This is why we believe in valuable contributions to reduce food waste by using and preserving fresh fruits and vegetables in the best possible way. Because food waste is an issue that is highly relevant on a global scale. Here is why it matters:

Food waste is a global problem – a problem that weighs 1.3 billion tons a year. Yes… you read correctly. 1.3 billion tons of food is lost or wasted every year, food that would have been good to eat1. This is an estimated 30% of the food produced for human consumption worldwide2.

Think of all the fruits, vegetables and leftovers inside domestic fridges that could have been good to eat! In fact, in Europe and North America, food waste per capita amounts to 95-115kg per year1.Not only does wasting food equate to wasting the money, labor and resources that go into producing the food, but it also contributes negatively to climate change. The greenhouse-gas emissions directly linked to food that is eventually lost or wasted accounts for approx. 4.4 gigatons of greenhouse-gas emissions a year3.

To put 4.4 gigatons into perspective: that is the equivalent of roughly 2.2 BILLION cars – wow, right? But the great thing is, everyone can contribute with small steps to make the best of leftovers, like cooked meat or fish, so that we all work towards a sustainable future.

Going grocery shopping hungry, stressed or without a thought-through list – it happens to all of us. A key to shopping smart and efficiently, though, is planning ahead and knowing how to store food right to make the most of its shelf life.

Take some time to think about what dishes you would like to cook for roughly the next week. How about some lasagne?

Next, take a look into your fridge – you might be surprised to find an unopened packet of cheese that you didn’t remember you bought last week. This way you know what items you still have enough of to avoid restocking on them too soon.

Then make a shopping list of the ingredients you don’t have and need for your recipe plans for the week. The Bosch fridges with cameras inside make this step even more convenient, as the cameras allow you to easily view its contents via Home Connect app.

Pro tip: go for dishes that share ingredients. This way, you can make sure that e.g. the big cauliflower, the package of cream or your greens will be used up entirely.

And about going shopping hungry – avoid it.

You’ll find yourself thinking with your stomach, not your brain.

This is also a simple but effective mindset that can help you avoid wasting food, and all it takes is organizing your fridge a little. When putting your groceries away, rotate the food in your fridge and cupboards so that the newly bought foods – which will have a longer shelf life – are put to the back of the shelves, whilst older food is brought to the front. Of course, this is a rule of thumb, and individual use-by and best-before dates should be considered.

Nevertheless, it’s an easy principle that can help you to keep an eye on your food and can help you to avoid wasting any of it, as you’ll be more aware of what should be consumed or cooked first.

Cleaning your fridge’s shelves regularly also helps you be aware of what’s inside, and a positive side-effect is a clean and hygienic fridge.

Shopping efficiently does not mean you have to cook perfectly portioned, single meals. That big portion of curry you made a few weeks ago and put in the freezer, is the perfect meal for a rainy day. At Bosch, we want you to be able to enjoy the meals you put love and effort into – by giving you the opportunity to flexibly store them in a way which preserves their taste and prolongs their freshness. This is why we’ve developed our Bosch-Fresh-Vacuum-System which turns your everyday kitchen helpers – blender, hand blender and mixer – into convenient 2in1 products.

The blender already has an integrated vacuum system for blending under vacuum conditions. Thanks to an external hose, you can also use the blender for vacuum storing.

The hand blender and mixer can be transformed into vacuuming devices by attaching the pump with a simple click. Compatible with a range of storage solutions, such as vacuum boxes and zipper bags, all of these containers can be vacuumed through the integrated vent. If you would like to enjoy your leftovers for lunch at work the next day, simply suck the air out using the vacuum pump, store it in your fridge or freezer and pop the box into the microwave at the office.

Not only does vacuuming keep your fresh veggies, fruit and leftovers fresh for longer, it also preserves their taste and nutrients. You don’t have to worry about freezer burns or ice crystals forming on your food, as the vacuum conditions prevent these. By freezing smaller portions of the same meal, you can ensure to only defrost the amount you need to additionally reduce waste. In addition to the Fresh Vacuum System, Bosch VitaFresh fridges with their 0°C compartment and a special humidity sealing can further help you reduce food waste.

We’ve all been there: staring at the contents of your fridge, full of small portions of leftovers. But what to do with them? This is the perfect time to get creative and stir up something new out of your delicious leftovers.

Let’s say you have some leftover grilled chicken and veggies from your weekend barbeque, but you don’t feel like just reheating them for your next meal. These types of ingredients can be perfectly repurposed into a new meal. All you need is some pasta, cream and your favourite spices mixed in with your leftovers, and voilà, you have a delicious new creamy pasta dish.

Or what about the fresh fruits from your last trip to the local market? We all know that especially fresh berries can go bad very quickly. But stored in vacuum containers, they will remain fresh for up to 2x longer*.

Or how about using them to create a delicious smoothie with the vacuum blender to preserve up to 5x more vitamin C**? If you’re feeling uncreative, check out our website for more fun recipes:

_{* stored in vacuum container and bags in refrigerator, compared to ordinary non-vacuum storage methods, study conducted by an independent laboratory 09/2018, 6/2019 and 12/2019.}

_{** after 24 hours compared to regular blending without vacuuming. Study made by an independent laboratory 08/2018.}

_{1 FAO. 2011. Global food losses and food waste - Extent, causes and prevention. Rome, 29 pp. (also available at http://www.fao.org/docrep/014/mb060e/mb060e00.pdf)}

_{2 FAO. 2015. Global Initiative on Food Loss and Waste Reduction. Rome, FAO. (also available at http://www.fao.org/3/a-i4068e.pdf)}

_{3. Rezaei, Maryam & Liu, Bin. 2017. Food loss and waste in the food supply chain. Nutfruit. 71. 26-27.}