How "waste" becomes something "fine".
From the "waste" that some hobby cooks and everyday cooks produce during the preparation of food, one could easily conjure up entire menus. Apparently, thriftiness has so far avoided the kitchen. Quite apart from the fact that wastefulness of food is simply out in times of "organic" and sustainability.
Creative chefs have been showing for a long time how to prepare delicious dishes in a contemporary way and save a lot of money at the same time.
How does the "cradle to cradle" kitchen work? Basically, you simply cook with fresh products like in grandmother's time, when everything was used completely, and add a dash of creativity. Ready-made meals, packet soups, instant sauces and frozen foods do not help to save time or eat healthily. Those who normally have little time can simply stock up on basic ingredients, for example light bouillon or dark sauce - homemade, of course. If you freeze them in ice cube moulds or preserve them in vacuum-sealed jam jars, they will keep for months and are always ready to use.
Of course, only fresh ingredients belong in these homemade broths - but only the vegetable leftovers that would otherwise end up in the organic waste in the best case. From the stove of the professional (hobby) cooks there is always a pot of water boiling, in which little by little all the vegetable scraps that do not get into the actual food, such as celery cuttings, carrot skins, the outer leek leaves etc., end up.
If it is to be a light meat broth, you first boil ripped bones in the water and then add the vegetable scraps. For a dark jus, all the leftovers are first fried, then deglazed with wine or enriched with tomato paste and only then boiled up with water. Let the whole thing simmer for two to three days (of course only if you are standing at the stove or working in the kitchen anyway) and add all other fresh vegetable "waste" during this time. Afterwards you fill the stock through a fine sieve or a cloth into the appropriate storage containers and you have a perfect base. And the dog is happy about the cooked vegetable waste.
However, real "cradle to cradle" in the kitchen starts with the purchase. Who buys quality goods avoids leftovers. During the purchase one has to spend a little more, but in the end it pays off in cash. Organic products, for example organic vegetables and salad from the local farmer not only taste better, there is usually hardly anything to cut away. It is also a serious matter with meat: frozen mass-produced goods may cost less at first glance, but when the steak in the pan shrinks by 30-40% because all the water evaporates...
Even leftovers that cannot be made into bouillon or vegetable casserole are used in the c2c kitchen: for example leftover champagne (cream soup or dessert) or a remainder of cola (barbecue sauce or chicken ragout), etc...
Delicious dishes and small culinary works of art can be produced easily and sustainably, all you need are fresh ingredients, a little technology and a shot of creativity.
(Edited from article by Heike Bludau)
Michel Robeers