Maximizing produce usage

[maL]

Does anyone out there have any tips for getting the most out of the produce you get in?? For example dud rating the ties of scallops to use then as a powdered seasoning for the scallops themselves or other fish??? Any handy way of utilizing something otherwise thrown away... It would be interesting to see what other things and ways chefs around the world get the most out of there produce

[Garth]

Cook down shrimp & lobster shells for stock to use for bisque, ink sacks from squid/calamari to make pasta nero,use outer leaves of lettuce left from cleaning to sweaten stocks, keep bread heels for bread crumbs or stuffing, egg shells for clarifying, bake potatoes for homefries then peel with a knife next day & save the peelings to be deep fried & served as potato skins, left over baked potatoes are good for gnochi, fat & tallow can be saved to make soap. There are litteraly thousands of possibilities.

[Baselerd]

Most by-products can be used for stock making or other infusions.

For example, (a la Modernist Cuisine) you can use the flavorful skins of potatoes or other root vegetables to boost the flavor of stocks and soups (assuming they were peeled). They also describe a method of roasting and then pressure cooking corn husks to make corn broth for a corn consomme. I recently made a recipe in which the husks of passion fruit were simmered in simple syrup to make a passion-fruit syrup.

I've seen mentions of using the leftover pulp from juicing to make various flavored powders in a dehydrator.

Edited November 26, 2012 by Baselerd (log)

[ChefRobb]

Great topic! And one that is close to my heart.

Here are but a few of the things I do to eliminate waste.

Canned products-

I always save and use the juices from canned products. Canned vegetable juices get bagged up and frozen to be reused later in soups, sauces, to deglaze pans, as a cooking liquid for poaching, boiling (and in some cases steaming). There are a lot of flavors and nutrients in them there waters.

Unused vegetables -

Ever get left with one carrot, have an onion that is thinking about turning to the darkside? Or even trimmings that are left over after prep? Chuck em in the food dehydrator.

During peak growing season I over-buy produce, dehydrate, and use them all year round. I do the same with as much product as I can. I often then run them through a coffee grinder and make powders from them. I use these in soups, sauces, stocks and broths, with spice mixes as dry rubs.

And don't forget about berries and fruits. Dried and powdered blackberries work great to bring a little sweetness and/or tartness to a dish. I even use some dried and powdered fruits in place of sugar. Try to think of them as herbs and spices and you will find more ways to use them than product to use.

Last note - dried powders are a great way to bump up the nutritional value of meals.

The uses for produce over-flow are only limited by your imagination. If you start to think of them as ingredients that can be used in small amount to add balance or accents to a dish you will become increasingly more adept at finding uses.

Thanks again for the topic. I'm hoping to find a few new ideas on the subject myself.

[radtek]

Food dehydrator is a plus. I'm constantly putting herbs and various veggies in there. Some scraps of vegetables can be frozen until there is enough for stock. I'm constantly freezing pork trimmings and fat for sausage including other meats. I even save rendered fat to cook with as long as it isn't strongly flavored by spices. Yesterday the dregs of leftover salsa, a turkey-wing from thanksgiving and the lower half of a bunch of cilantro made a nice pot of beans. Most people would have tossed the remains of the cilantro.

Very little gets thrown out- usually only because I've left it too long. All these can all be transformed and eaten in some other form or fashion. Soups are a great way to get rid of those 1/2 cup containers of various leftovers as well as fillings for omelets, fritattas, tacos, pastas and stir fry's. I like ChefRobb's idea of thinking of these things as just "ingredients" and that you are only limited by imagination.

Last week I was told that my panzanella soup was delicious. Which is interesting because the panzanella itself was basically stale bread and other bits from the fridge and the soup was leftovers from the bread salad. Thankfully it all got eaten or I would have been forced to make it into something else probably.