A Totally Achievable Zero Waste Approach to Home Cooking
July 3, 2023
The Li sisters, who co-own the Boston dumpling company Mei Mei, debut with an indispensable guide to cutting down food waste through simple lifestyle changes and casual recipes. Food-saving strategies, such as setting up an “eat-me-first” box of partially used ingredients and overripe produce at an eye-level spot in the refrigerator, are practical and easily adaptable. The Lis also share detailed advice for storing various types of food in the freezer, be it whole eggs (which should be removed from the shell, lightly beaten with salt, and placed in an airtight container) or cooked rice and oatmeal. The recipes—with names like How-You-Like-It Savory Pancakes, All-the-Fruit Smoothies, and Fish (or Shrimp, or Crab, or any Leftover Seafood) Cakes—encourage readers to create satisfying meals with whatever they have on hand. Instructions for braised tofu with mushrooms and leftover greens, banana ice cream, and “low-key” fruit jam will give readers plenty of inspiration for repurposing leftover produce. Other “use-it-up ideas” include pickling unripe avocados and using overripe and mushy ones in smoothies. The result is an excellent resource for home cooks who want to save both money and the planet.