Gourmet Eats. It’s Alive with Brad. Alex Eats It All. Sound familiar? Bon Appétit has become a staple in many of our lives, and not just my fellow food-obsessed individuals. Recently BA have come out with a manifesto, per se, of steps they’re going to take to make their office more sustainable.
Today I’ll be taking Bon Appétit’s rules and changing them to suit a small-scale home kitchen. It’s so exciting to see corporate companies making big changes, and I hope it serves as inspiration to the other big wigs and to us at home.
If you want to read their original article, check out 10 Ways the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen Will Be More Sustainable in 2020. If you want to listen to Chris Morocco talking about it check out the Bon Appétit Podcast Episode 254: Greener In The New Year.
Beyond Meatless Monday
We were people that ate meat every day. It was a staple and the meal was focused around whatever that type of meat happened to be. In the past two years we’ve reduced our consumption at each meal and our meatless meals now account for about 50% of our food intake.
Based on a study conducted by LEAP, they took data from almost 40,000 farms in 119 countries and covering 40 food products that represent 90% of all that is eaten, meat and dairy use the vast majority – 83% – of farmland and produces 60% of agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions.
reduce single-use
This one’s something you’re probably already tackling with reusable grocery bags, reusable tupperware, and water bottles. When it comes to drinks, try to choose those that come in aluminium or glass since they’re significantly more recyclable than plastic. When cooking or storing food, like BA, use a plate to cover bowls use aluminium foil, waxed paper or beeswax wrappers instead of cling film. Instead of paper towels, opt for fabric napkins or towels.
Composting
How great would it be to divert most of your waste from landfills? If you recycle already, then you’re half way there. Here in our 9th floor apartment we adopted a thousand little worms and started a worm farm/compost in a shady corner of the balcony. Though they’re quite picky and don’t like meat, citrus, onions and dairy foods, they cut down the scrap waste that would normally go straight to the landfill. For the rest of the scraps that the worms can’t have, use them to make a nice vegetable stock! For those of you with a bit more land or know people who do, composting is a great way to get rid of scraps while also getting nutritious soil for the next season’s crops.
Quality over Quantity
Try to buy the best quality ingredients that suits your budget. Eggs, dairy and poultry items are best when organic. “With regard to other meats, we will give preference to organic, local, pastured, grass-fed, and/or certified humane products with an emphasis on quality over quantity.” As for seafood, we like to trust in our local fish monger for advice. I also like visiting https://goodfish.org.au/ for my home shopping needs. Check out https://usa.oceana.org/sustainable-seafood-guide for those in the states!
Plan your week out
You know this one already, but it’s one of the main ways we significantly cut down our grocery waste was by planning out our meals for the week including leftovers for lunches and nights out. Not only will this save you from throwing out old food or unused groceries, it’ll save you tons of money. Saving costs on lunches and deliveries feels great and gives you a chance to spend your hard-earned dollars on other things you love.
Now that we’re all locked down and stuck inside, and looking for things to do, you can organise the tupperware like you’ve been meaning to for the longest time. There’s time to look for tasty recipes you’ve been wanting to make. Please tell me I’m not alone when it comes to getting bored and immediately going to the kitchen for a snack! I’ve never had so few leftovers in my life.