Since March 15, Project DASH, our initiative focused on food waste and hunger, has averaged more than 1,000 pounds of donated food per week, the equivalent of about 850 meals. In total, Project DASH has diverted nearly 10,000 lbs of food from landfills to food pantries — that’s 5 tons of food, or the weight of an adult elephant!
Last month, we hosted a Night of Delivering Good in New York City with Top Chef finalist Chef Sam Talbot, who highlighted some creative ways to reinvent everyday leftovers. Building meals around something you might otherwise throw away is a simple way to make an impact when it comes to food waste. So in honor of Earth Day, we thought we’d share a few of his tips.
Food waste is an epidemic. Think about how much food gets trashed at the end of the day — not only at restaurants, but in hotels, amusement parks, schools, and of course, in our own homes. American consumers throw away 27 million tons of food each year. Those numbers are mind-blowing! I know I’ve thrown away my fair share of food — chefs are artists always trying to use the freshest of the fresh. So if the lettuce is bruised at the farm, or those herbs have wilted, then into the compost it goes.
How many leftovers at the end of the week do you throw out? Maybe it’s old pad Thai, or maybe it’s mama’s meatballs and rigatoni. Instead of throwing that food away, however, you can turn those leftovers into what I call “flip the script” dishes — new and improved meals made by adding just a few fresh ingredients from your fridge or pantry.
Take that leftover pad Thai, for example. Chop it up. Add some carrot curls and baby arugula, and then take that noodle salad all the way to the bank! Or, try one of my favorite post-Thanksgiving tricks (you can also do this with leftover chicken any time of year). Chop up the turkey nice and fine. Sauté some onion, garlic, and radicchio with some of the leftover turkey fat. Add the chopped turkey, and sauté it all for a few minutes until nice and crispy. Toast two slices of sourdough, spread some mayo, and add your turkey hash over some lettuce and a huge slice of ripe tomato. Game changing! And if you let it sit for about 45 minutes before you eat it and then add some vinegar-based hot sauce — seriously, it’s a drop-the-mic type of sandwich.
Cooked food just tastes better the next day. So don’t throw it out — repurpose it! It’s about getting creative, being mindful, and most importantly, having fun with your food.
— Sam Talbot
No edible leftovers in the house? Here are three more ways you can make a difference this Earth Day, and beyond.
•Compost. Find a nearby composting location to keep food from going into the landfill.
•Save your napkins and unused utensils for a picnic, or wash those plastic forks and knives and reuse them.
•Skip the plastic utensils and napkins altogether. When ordering from DoorDash, add a special note telling the restaurant not to pack them.
How to Reinvent Leftovers this Earth Day was originally published in DoorDash on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.