Shopping and storage
Bread Explained: How to make the most of it and not waste it!
Bread Explained: How to make the most of it and not waste it!
Did you know – bread is one of the food items wasted most by Irish households? In fact, recent EPA research shows that 41% of people said bread was the food they threw out most often.
If you took part in our Stop Food Waste Day Challenge, maybe you found that bread was the big offender in your food waste bin too!
The good news is there are lots of easy steps everyone can take to stop wasting bread, discover delicious new ways to use it and make savings on your food bill too.
Top Tips: How to stop wasting bread
When you buy…
- Know what bread you have before going shopping – Don’t forget to check your freezer to see what bread you have already to use and don’t need to buy.
- Know how much bread you need – Find you’re not using up that large sliced pan? Try buying a smaller loaf next time to suit the amount you need and will eat.
- Have a plan for the bread you buy – Should you freeze some for another time? It could save you another trip to the shops!
- Check the best before date on bread – to make sure you’re buying the freshest available.
Where you store…
DO:
- Store bread in a breadbin or paper bag at room temperature. This allows for air circulation but prevents it from drying out too fast.
- Check bread regularly so you don’t forget what you have and eat it!
DON’T:
- Store bread in plastic – this can make bread go mouldy faster! Want to know why?
- Store bread in the fridge – this can make bread go stale quicker! Want to know why?
When you eat…
- Bread is a key recipe ingredient – you can make a host of tasty dishes that need stale bread from leftover bread chocolate cake to full Irish breakfast frittata?
- Refresh stale baguettes – sprinkle with water and place in the over at 160° for a few minutes.
- Use frozen bread – to make sandwiches for later as they will thaw out by the time you want to eat them.
- Bread is so versatile – check out our 1 Ingredient, 3 Ways recommendations, Jamie Oliver’s tasty recipes or BBC Good Food!
When you freeze…
- Freezing bread keeps it for longer and is a ready store when you need it.
- Bread will last in the freezer for up to 3 months – well wrapped or placed in a freezer bag.
- Freeze bread in slices so you can use them as needed – they thaw quickly and did you know frozen bread slices and be put straight into the toaster?
- You can also freeze breadcrumbs, croutons, French toast and bread and butter pudding.
Will you take action to stop wasting bread?
It’s easy to stop wasting bread when you think about:
- Buy less– only buy the bread you need
- Store right – keep bread for longer by storing it the right way
- Eat it – discover lots of great ways to use up bread
- Freeze it – freeze bread to use another time
We’d love to hear about the steps you’re taking to stop wasting bread. Maybe you have your own top tips to share with us using #StopFoodWaste on social media?
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