A Redditor took to the site to extol the virtues of a newfound way to help them use up ingredients in the kitchen: conducting a pantry audit.
The post in the r/anticonsumption subreddit described the person's pantry plight.
"If you're like me and you like to cook, there's a good chance you've racked up some pantry goods that you bought for a recipe and didn't use up," the OP wrote. "I had stuff like oat flour, almond flour, some random cans of stuff I don't really use, and more. I put it all together in one spot and now I'm working through it - I replace a small amount of AP flour with oat flour, toss odd cans (e.g fire-roasted tomatoes) into veggie stew, etc. Getting rid of this stuff is saving me on groceries and preventing overconsumption and food waste."
Food waste is a massive problem in the United States. According to the EPA, one-third of all food in the U.S. goes uneaten, and 96% of that wasted food ends up in landfills, combustion facilities, or down the drain into the sewer system.
That wasted food has a major environmental impact. In 2021, the EPA estimated that the food waste in the U.S. alone produced what amounts to 170 million tons of carbon gas pollution, which is equivalent to 69 coal-fired power plants running over the same amount of time.
By doing things like composting or finding creative ways to use extra ingredients for things you may not make often, you're reducing the amount of waste going to landfills, and doing your part to help in the fight against our warming planet.
Commenters loved this idea.
"I really need to do this," one Redditor said. "I grew up with food scarcity, because of this I tend to have a lot on hand, 'just in case.' It's all very healthy, like lentils, rice, GF oats, almond flour, and so on. I have A2 powdered milk, roast chestnuts, and Xanthan gum, what can I make?"
"I heard someone refer to it as shopping their pantry and that's my plan for February," commented another. "No-buy for groceries and spend the whole month shopping my pantry."
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What's the most common reason you end up throwing away food?
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Bought more than I could eat 🛒 "I need to do this," wrote one user. "I have a problem with buying chips every week even though I have 3 bags in my pantry."
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