The Mad Momma has tagged me to to "put down 1 thing they think we can do differently with our food consumption habits to help the food crisis in what little way we can".
Most of us do try to cook the precise amounts required by our families, but that is not always possible, given that appetites and schedules and meal plans don't always match up. It is also not easy to change amounts when a family member is away for a few days. The toughest time for me was when my older son left home for college, and I was used to cooking with his appetite in mind.
We certainly ate a lot of left-overs till I adjusted to his absence!
The Mad Momma has given many useful tips for saving food.
There are also many creative ways of dealing with leftover food.
The one thing that I find really useful in addition to what she has mentioned is one that may require a fresh investment, but one that is very useful in the long run:
Use smaller vessels when cooking. It is easier to prepare smaller, more precise quantities in smaller vessels. You also save on gas.
(Unless you are like my nephew, who would rather cook larger amounts at a time, and take them out of the fridge/freezer as required. He was most amused when he saw my tiny, 1 1/2 litre pressure cooker and tiny non-stick kadhai).
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12 comments:
Hi dipali,
Saw your comment. Thanks for having stopped by. Totally agreed with you on not being a temple freak - do check out the reply when you have the time. I just caught up on your last few posts as well.. nicely written, specially the one before this.
shit, I've been tagged too and I still haven't come up with my post...will do so soon.
But ya, cookinf in smaller vessels makes sense. In my case, I just have small vessels as its just me and the boy. Its a problem when cooking for large numbers!
@the soul of alec smart: Thank you. I did read your reply, nice to meet another middle-of-the-road-er:)
@chandni: You gradually invest in bigger ones! There will always be stages in life for both big and small pots and pans:)
hi there!
hopped over from themadmomma...and was curious since i did a food crisis post too
and you couldn't be more right abt the cooking in smaller vessels..i have given up all my huge ones and i have cut back on the wastage big time!!
oh goood one! thanks!
smaller vessel- interesting tip. unconsciously we tend to do it yet i never gave it much thought except for saving gas & cooking time
uhoh...cooking large amounts never works for me...it turns out awful if i cook for more than 4 people :(
Cooking the right amount of food for the family is important.. but there is one thing a lot of ppl ignore..
The amount of rice/chapathis cooked is generally adequate/ideal but we do mess up in the qunatity of dal/sabzi that we make.. its generally more than what is adequate. That amounts to some wastage. If that extra vegetable is collected, a lot of undernourished children in the country could be getting more nutrition.
Plus, the quantities served in restaurants should be debatable too.
@orchid: Nice to see you here. Yes, the little vessels certainly make life easier.
@madmomma: Welcome!
@itchy: started when my old MIL was with me and I needed to make bland food separately for her. Got the tiniest cooker to make small amounts for my Dad who has become very finicky. Hubbyji is so often absent- not much cooking seems to happen(:
@pri: Hi! I think our estimates are so attuned to the quantities we are used to making!
@vrij: Only if people have standard appetites- with my husband I never know how many chapatis he will actually eat. But we don't waste the leftovers either. And dals and veggies are easy to recycle- check out MadMomma's and Itching to Write's posts. Restaurants, if its a new place we usually ask the maitre'd to guide us about quantities.
come look at todat post, please?
We have grown up with lectures on not to waste, "think of all the children who do not get two meals a day."...I am particular about using leftovers or feeding stray animals with left overs.recently I have thrown some food in the wet garbage and regret it!!!Glad I read this, sometimes, we know what is right but just take the easy way out.
@the indian homemaker: Despite all good intentions sometimes something or the other rots in the fridge.But in general Indians are probably far more frugal in their consumption patterns than many others. But yes, weddings and other functions, especially in the summer months, need a lot of careful management.
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