The back of the fridge is the quiet grave of any cook's kitchen. It's where all the veggies who didn't get to play in the pot today go to wait for their turn that never comes.
They lie shivering in that cold, dark corner, growing more tired and sadder with every passing day. You don't see them doing their best to perk up every time you open the fridge door. You are deaf to their pitiful voices croaking 'pick me, pick me'. Every time you open the fridge door, their best efforts to look crisp and fetching go unnoticed and the door clangs shut again and again.
Eventually, those courageous veggies get scraped out of the fridge to a chorus of 'yuck!" With a bit of luck, they'll get metamorphosised in the compost bin, but most likely they'll simply die a crowded death in some landfill on the edge of town. No plague to mark their passing. No one to visit their mass grave.
Okay, enough, you get the idea. Those veggies deserve so much better. Even if you didn't raise them yourself, someone did. They've earned their time in a recipe, on a plate, in a satisfied belly.
So, instead of cleaning them up, use them up instead. And that goes for your fruit peels, too. Plus your extra bread, yoghurt, wine... whatever lurks riiiiight at the back of your fridge.
This warm, citrusy salad tosses new life into cold roast veggies. Source: Mary's Kitchen Crush
This loaf is so delicious you'll be deliberately accruing leftovers in no time. Source: Murdoch Books / Cath Muscat
This jam is so versatile, you can serve it with ice cream or pour it over your favourite pastries, for extra sweetness. Source: Farah Celjo
Use the whole banana in your cooking and you won't have peels to deal with in the first place. Source: Tammi Kwok
Apple skins infuse the caramel with a subtle floral aroma. Source: Adam Liaw
A rainbow of healthy pickles sure beats a rainbow of whatever-that-is-lurking-in-the-back-of-the-fridge. Source: Murdoch Books / Alan Benson
Turn your rinds into light and airy cheese crisps in 60 seconds. You're most welcome. Source: Farah Celjo
Of course, the main thing that bagna cauda uses up is garlic! Source: Adam Liaw
Stale bread has so many uses, not the least is adding a fresh flavour to standard vanilla ice-cream. Source: SBS Food
Panzanella is a great example of Italians not wasting anything. Source: Tammi Kwok
Make this tasty curry your own by using any limp veg you fancy. Source: Murdoch Books / Rob Palmer
Fried rice *loves* leftover ham and bacon. Source: Donal's Kitchen Hero
Don't discard those carrot tops, there's a chimichurri calling. Source: Farah Celjo
Just add flour to give yoghurt a new life as bread. Source: Camellia Aebischer
Party dregs have never tasted so good. Source: Adam Liaw
Moroccan lentil and vegetable soup will SOS the veggies. Source: Alan Benson
Save our souls
Čorba
