Despite my best efforts to shop smart and plan meals ahead, I don’t always get to all the food in my fridge before it starts to turn bad.
Right now I have tomatoes, zucchini, bananas, and a loaf of bread about a day past prime eating time.
But I’m OK with it because I know it won’t go to waste, since I’ve learned ways to use up everything in my fridge before it can go bad.
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1. Add instant coffee to baked goods
I make my own bread, cakes, and cupcakes from scratch.
They taste better than store-bought and I can make my own for a fraction of the cost.
Whenever I have leftover coffee (instant or ground) I add a tablespoon or two to chocolate cake, rye bread, or wheat bread batter. The coffee adds a lot of flavor to the finished product and the coffee doesn’t go to waste.
2. Freeze bananas
I’ve never liked the taste of overly ripe bananas, but I can use them in cooking.
When I notice a banana is mostly brown, I peel it, put it in a plastic bag, and toss it in the freezer.
Later I’ll use it to make banana bread or add it to cake batter as a substitute for eggs. (Yes, it really works.)
3. Scrub pans with Coke
If you have a 2-liter of Coke going flat, dump it in a burned pan before you toss the bottle.
Coke can actually pull those blackened burn marks off of sauce pans.
Add enough to cover the mark, boil the Coke inside the pan, and wash as normal.
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