In a perfect world, there would be no waste in the preparation or on guests’ plates. Unfortunately, this isn’t a perfect world, and there will always be a certain element of food waste. The good news is there are creative ways of reducing waste and turning leftovers into profit. Here are our 5 top tips to help you wise up on waste.
1. Portion sizes
Regularly check plates when they come back to understand which dishes are too heavy or too large. You may notice an excess of garnish or too much sauce left over. Making portion adjustments will help you reduce waste and save money.
2. Accurate measuring
Use scales to measure out ingredients as well as portions. Your recipe should always be the basis for your selling price. It’s not unusual for an over-service of more than 40% to occur.
3. Accurate ordering
Employ accurate ordering and stock rotation to avoid ingredients going out of date. If there is a booking cancellation, use the ingredients to create specials.
4. Daily specials
A board of daily specials can help to manage the extra ingredients, and it’s perfect for seasonal items.
5. Get creative
Here are some ways you can turn food waste into usable ingredients:
Vegetable trimmings
These can be used to create delicious broths for vegetable-based soups.
Breakfast toast
Use a food processor to turn these into bread crumbs that you can use for frying chicken cutlets or fish.
Stale brioche
These can be turned into a base for most bread-based puddings.
Pork and chicken trimmings
You can turn these into tasty pâtés or terrines.
Fruit and vegetables
Dry out in a low oven and whizz through the food processor to create highly flavoured powders. You can use these as seasonings, ice cream toppings, or even as ingredients to create chutneys or jams.
