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Top tips

Try our top tips and ideas for making the most of the food we buy. Find out what types of food can be frozen and how to make your fridge a true food saving hero. Why not share your own tips to reduce food waste with fellow Love Food Hate Waste supporters.

Our tips for Bread

  • Crisp up a day old crusty loaf

    To freshen up a day old loaf, hold it very briefly under a running cold tap. Give it a good shake and pop in a hot oven for about 10 minutes; it will be as soft and crusty as freshly baked bread.

  • Freezing organic or artisan bread

    Freeze organic or artisan bread in foil. Then when you are ready to eat it put the package in a hot oven for 20 minutes. It will taste and smell as fresh as the day it was baked.

  • French sticks

    Buy fresh French sticks and cut into 3 portions. Freeze those you won’t need immediately and when you do need them pop them straight into a hot oven for a few minutes to revive.

  • Toast from frozen

    Frozen sliced bread is always useful – simply pop a frozen slice directly into the toaster for a little longer than normal.

  • Pitta bread

    Pitta bread can be warmed or toasted straight from the freezer: sprinkle with water and warm through. Use straight away for hot fillings, or leave to cool for a sandwich.

  • Bagels

    Slice fresh bagels and freeze in plastic bags. When you want to eat a bagel, put it directly into a toaster. They pop golden and delicious!

  • Buying organic bread

    If you are buying organic bread check, its best before date. Its shelf life will be a lot shorter than some breads. Expect to eat the bread within 2 days.

  • Bread crumbs

    Submitted by Mary Dawe, Worcestershire

    If you have bread going stale, make bread crumbs and freeze ready for the next time you make stuffing or bread sauce.

  • Making your own bread

    Submitted by Ruth, Cambridge

    We rarely throw out bread now. We are a family of six and make our bread as we need it, in our breadmaker. It is set on a timer so you can wake up to freshly baked bread in the morning or leave it to bake for lunchtime. By making a meal plan it becomes more obvious what you are going to need and then if we have meals out through work etc it is not sitting in the bread bin going stale. It is so fab, we have not bought bread for over 2 years! The bread maker makes it easy and we have found that you do not need to add weird and wonderful things to it. The best bread book we bought "fresh bread in the morning from your bread maker" showed us that we do not need to add milk powder and fat, so waist preserved and waste free!! Any bread that is left over I make into bread crumbs by whizzing in the blender and freeze for home made stuffings or coating fish. Then there are the old favorites like bread and butter pudding which is always adored! Not convinced?... borrow a friends bread maker and try it.

  • Keeping bread...organic

    Submitted by Stephen Pogson, Wollongong 80klm South of Sydney NSW Australia

    Hello guys from an Yorkshire boy in the land of Oz. What a wonderfull site for the whole world to benefit from. Although, I must argue with you on organic bread's keeping quality. I make my own bread in a traditional fashion and it is good for several days and occasionally we finish the loaf after a week. we keep the loaf wrapped in a tea towel at ambient temperature and that usually means up to 28c daytime here in Sydney. Hope that is useful.

  • Stale bread or bread and butter pudding?

    Celebrity tip by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, chef

    Approach your store cupboard and fridge with an open mind: could that chunk of stale loaf become a bread and butter pudding?

  • Organising bread

    Submitted by Emma,

    Keep sliced bread in the freezer - if you freeze as soon as you buy it, its fine for weeks. Making sandwiches with frozen bread first thing in the morning means fresher sandwiches at lunchtimes if you don't have a fridge at work.

  • Garlic bread fingers - use up those crusts!

    Submitted by Andrea, North east

    Use the crusts from a loaf toast one side, spread other with garlic butter and toast under the grill. cut into 4 fingers and serve.

  • Stale bread

    Submitted by Our Lady's Meadow N.S, Co. Laois, Ireland.

    When your bread goes stale, try toasting it. You can then put some butter and cheese on it, or you can use it for soup.

  • Fresher Bread

    Submitted by Gareth McLorie, London

    For bread that is a little stale, place it in the microwave on full power for about 10 seconds (depending on the power of the microwave), and it will soften up nicely. Not quite fresh but the next best thing.

  • Naughty bread saving

    Submitted by Jaqui Van Der Hoeven, WEST YORKS

    Cut ANY left over bread into cubes, toss in olive oil and a little garlic, herbs and chilli powder, freeze on a tray and transfer into bags/boxes when frozen. You have an instant crouton mix, wonderful shallow fried in oil straight from the freezer or for the more health conscious, baked in the oven...add to any soup or salad ...naughty but nice!

  • Reduce waste before your holidays

    Submitted by Heather, Harlow Mill

    A couple of days before your holidays, stop buying groceries, so as to I try and empty out the fridge. Vegetables (tomatos, mushrooms, onions, peppers) that could otherwise go to waste can be chopped and cooked, then frozen ready for use in a pasta sauce on your return. Making some extra servings of whatever you are having for dinner and then freezing them, makes cooking easier the first couple of days your back -- just defrost! Leftover slices of bread can also be frozen, ready for making toast on your return.

  • 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.

  • Left over bread

    Submitted by Lauren, Devon

    Make bread and butter pudding, simple yet delicious!

  • Bread for birds

    Submitted by Caroline Marson, Cookery Advisor,

    Feed your garden birds or take a trip to the pond and feed the ducks with any stale or leftover bread that can’t be eaten.

  • Refresh stale bread

    Submitted by Caroline Marson, Cookery Advisor,

    To refresh stale bread rolls or loaves, soak the bread under running water. When really sodden reheat in a moderate oven until crisp and golden on the outside and light in the middle.

  • Sandwich crusts

    Submitted by Caroline Marson, Cookery Advisor,

    Save sandwich crusts in a plastic bag in the freezer until you have accumulated enough to make breadcrumbs. They can be used for toppings on casseroles, stuffing’s, or pie crusts combined with melted butter or for sweet crusts, add a little sugar and cinnamon.

  • Over-ripe bananas

    Submitted by Susie, Dundee

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

  • Keep bread fresher longer

    Submitted by Steve O, Cambridge

    Before twisting the plastic bag closed, suck out all the air. The bread will last a few days longer.

  • Bulk Buy

    Submitted by Angela, Redcar

    When bread is on offer you can purchase it and freeze it (providing you have room in your freezer of course!)

  • Leftover breakfast cereal

    Submitted by Carole, scotland

    Add stale or leftover breakfast cereal crumbs from the bottom of the cereal box to the ingredients in the breadmaker ( reduce the amount of flour accordingly). Adds texture to the bread and, surprisingly, even sweet breakfast cereal doesn't make the bread sweet.

  • Vacuum sealing machines are great

    Submitted by Angela, Plymouth

    I buy BOGOF offers and put in these bags which come on rolls, suck all the air out and freeze or store in fridge. I don't know how I managed before! No freezer burn ever. I have also cut an avocado in half put half in a vacuum bag and a week later it looks like i just cut it - they are amazing.

  • Make your own golden breadcrumbs

    Submitted by David Wall, Shaftesbury

    Before bread goes mouldy. Cut into slices and bake in a warm - not hot - oven, or place in the oven after you have cooked other food and switched off the oven. When dry and crisp, place the bread in a clean tea towel, or piece of muslin and bash up with a rolling pin. Store in an airtight jar.

  • Storing bread

    Submitted by David Wall, Shaftesbury

    Buy sliced bread and store it in the freezer. Take out only what you need, the slices are easy to separate. Pop straight into the toaster, or thaw naturally for a minute or so, or defrost in the microwave.

  • Bread

    Submitted by Mary Jarrett, Ramsgate, Kent

    Make a bread & butter pudding with some fruit of your choice to use up dry bread.

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