Reviving tips

Some foods, that you might have earmarked for the bin, can be revived and given a new lease of life. Read on and please tell us your ideas too.

• A perfectly ripe avocado

  If you buy avocadoes hard, ripen them on your kitchen windowsill. They are ready when they ‘just give’ as you squeeze them, their texture should feel like butter at room temperature. To speed up the ripening process you can put them into a paper bag (or dark drawer) with a banana. Fruit produces ethylene gas naturally, especially bananas, as it ripens. Ethylene residues on the bananas will help the avocado or other fruit to ripen quickly.

• Keeping Lettuce Fresh

  Submitted by Michelle Talbot, Leeds

  When you buy an iceburg lettuce (it may work for others?) break it up with your hands and store it in the fridge in a bowl of cold water - it will stay fresh and crispy for much longer than normal.

• Stop veg going mouldy

  Submitted by Gilda , Shoreham by Sea

  I wrap lettuce, carrots, courgettes etc in kitchen paper then put them in plastic bags in the salad compartment of the fridge. They keep fresh for ages. The paper stops the condensation from softening the veg and stops mould.

• Over-ripe bananas

  Submitted by Susie, Dundee

  Mash bananas on toast with a sprinkle of cinammon for a delicious breakfast.

• Using leftover bread or crusts

  Submitted by Fran Handrick, Guildford

  I always take the crusts off loaves (no-one in our 7-adult household likes them), I make them into breadcrumbs and freeze them to use for crumble toppings, Queen of Puddings, Stuffings, thickenings for sauces, coating with egg and breadcrumbs etc. I have two bags int he freezer all the time, one for white breadcrumbs and one for brown.

• Keep salad fresh

  Submitted by James Wo, London, e1

  Keep salad in a paper bag, or in a plastic bag with a strip of kitchen roll. Keeps them moist, but not soggy!

• Ways to use broccoli stalk

  Submitted by Sandra Prosser , Esperance, Australia

  1. For stirfries cut up the broccoli stalk like you would a carrot, into long thin pieces. 2. Julienne the broccoli stalk to go into salads 3. for dips cut the broccoli stalk up as you would celery or carrot sticks

• Droopy Greens

  Submitted by Janet Hudson, Truro

  If green veg and salad leaves are a bit past their best, soak them in cold water for thirty minutes to freshen them up.

• Potato Peel Crisps

  Submitted by Faye, Essex

  keep hold of potato peelings, sprinkle with salt, pepper, chilli or whatever flavour takes your fancy and pop them in the oven. Free crisps the kids will love!

• Leftover yoghurt

  Submitted by Caroline Marson, Cookery Advisor,

  Add leftover yoghurt to fruit smoothies and juices.