How Real Chefs Shop To Save Money & Reduce Waste

"Recently, when a friend of mine mentioned that her husband does all their grocery shopping - he's a chef and learned early how to save money and reduce waste when buying ingredients - my ears naturally perked up. So, I asked five chefs their best tips and tricks for saving money on groceries, and they laid out all their best advice for home cooks with families to feed."

""You'll buy less upfront, and if life happens, you can slide meals a day or two without food going bad. Then, when you finish those three days, you're left with a small, manageable set of leftovers (half an onion, some cooked rice, a few carrots, leftover lettuce) that's easy to turn into one 'use-it-up' meal with pantry or freezer staples," says Christine Pittman, the cook and recipe developer behind cookthestory.com, thecookful.com, cookfortwo.us, and the Recipe of the Day podcast."

""Eight peaches for the price of four is only a deal if you'll actually eat all eight," Pittman says. "If you don't, you didn't save money; you bought waste. And if you weren't planning to buy peaches at all, you just spent extra. Only make an exception if the sale item replaces something you already planned to buy and you're confident you'll use the full amount.""

"Take that jumbo food storage container and fill it with the half an onion you didn't use for last night's recipe, the three-quarters of a cucumber you didn't need for today's salad, and the herb bits left lingering in the bag, Pittman says. Grab your cut-up container before you start cooking and use what's inside before cutting into a fresh piece of produce."

Plan meals for three days at a time to buy less upfront and to allow sliding meals a day or two without food spoiling. After three days, turn small, manageable leftovers (half an onion, cooked rice, carrots, lettuce) into a single 'use-it-up' meal using pantry or freezer staples. Only buy sale items that replace something already planned or that will be fully used; buying bargains that go uneaten wastes money. Keep a designated cut-up container for partial produce so those pieces get used before opening fresh items. Save vegetable scraps in a broth bag to make homemade stock and reduce waste.

Read at Scary Mommy