Living a sustainable lifestyle is becoming more and more crucial in all aspects of our lives including how we buy, store, prep and cook our meals. Food waste is one of the biggest environmental problems with one-third of global food supplies wasted or lost. Inspired by The Chef’s Garden on Channel 10 featuring Electrolux Ambassador, Massimo Mele, together with the influence of Swedish culture around making the most out of every single ingredient, we share top tips on how to be more sustainable when it comes to our food consumption while also helping save money.
Plan your meals:
Meal prepping is one of the easiest, sustainable cooking tips to follow. Not only will planning for the week ahead save you money, as you will only be buying what you need, it will also minimise your carbon footprint. Furthermore, meal planning will stop you from purchasing convenience, or pre-packaged meals that are often expensive and packaged in non-recyclable material. Therefore resulting in less waste ending up in landfills or oceans.
Top tip: The Electrolux 90cm Induction Cooktop (EHI977BE) feature allows you to use much larger cooking equipment so you can cook in bulk, saving you time while using less energy
Supporting local:
Local food shops and zero-waste refilleries can help lessen the use of single-use plastics. Often these stores allow you to purchase products in bulk so you can bring your own containers for refilling. Not only does buying local support the community but helps to reduce transport emissions that go along with imported foods.
Grow your own produce:
Creating a food garden at home or in your local area is a brilliant and effective option to reduce your carbon footprint. It is also a great way to save money and eat the freshest produce available. Even those with limited space can still enjoy growing their own food, opting for a vertical or herb garden in containers (a windowsill is a great space to grow herbs!).
Top tip: Massimo recommends using the Electrolux Oven’s Steam Function (EVEP619DSE) to retain the flavour of ingredients, while ensuring there is no waste and being a gentle way to cook the produce.
Buy seasonal:
Seasonal food not only tastes amazing but it helps farmers, communities and the environment. When produce travels long distances a vast amount of greenhouse gases are produced due to transportation, refrigeration, food packaging and storing. While seasonal produce tends to include local foods hence lower greenhouse gas emissions. Buying seasonal is also a better choice for flavour and freshness as fruits and vegetables begin to lose their nutrients immediately after harvest. Electrolux fridges ensure your food will be kept fresher for longer with its innovative TasteLock crispers which automatically controls the humidity levels keeping produce at their best for longer.
Top tip: Massimo recommends pickling and preserving produce that is in season to enjoy all year round while stopping food waste. Check out Massimo’s iconic preserved zucchini dip with garlic, chilli, and lemon to enjoy on every occasion.
Want to learn more about Massimo and The Chef’s Garden? Click here and you can see more videos and 6 delicious recipes.
