Avoiding Food Waste with Miele

Although the UK is becoming more aware of food waste thanks to campaigns from environmental groups and celebrity chefs, there is still a huge problem to be tackled.

According to the Love Food Hate Waste campaign we waste around 15 million tonnes annually in the UK, with almost 50% of this coming from our homes. Their website offers lots of advice on how to reduce waste and we have our own suggestions here- with the help of some smart Miele appliances.

Miele has incorporated some clever ideas into their household appliances, to encourage people to be able to eat and store their food more effectively.

Keeping food fresher, longer:
Fridges with a Fresh Pro Compartment are perfect for meat, fish, vegetables, dairy and fruit. They allow the contents to stay fresh, whilst maintaining their vitamins and flavour.

The temperature is maintained between 0° and 3°C – lower than a standard refrigerator, but the optimum temperature range for storing fresh food which is not sensitive to cold (such as pineapples and avocados), as the deterioration process is decelerated.

The humidity level can also be regulated to suit the food you are storing. Food retains its own moisture if stored at a higher humidity, allowing it to stay crisp and fresh for longer.

Vacuum sealing:
A perfect way to extend the shelf life of your food up to five times longer – it’s ideal when preparing food in advance, or batch-cooking. The Miele Sous Vide Vacuum Sealing Drawer allows you to purchase in bulk but separate produce so nothing is wasted.

Vacuum sealing also helps eliminate freezer burn. Plus it increases storage space by removing bulky original packaging. Never go to the larder again and throw away a soggy packet of biscuits or half eaten bag of crisps, simply reseal them in their original packaging or tip them into a vacuum bag with the air removed to preserve the essential crunch!

Preserve food by steaming:
As well as being great for cooking dishes to perfection, steaming is also an excellent method for preserving fruits and vegetables, as well as ‘blanching’ food before freezing to help retain the quality and nutrients. Blanching is a method of partial cooking quickly that removes enzymes that break food down. The food is then removed from heat, cooled rapidly in iced water, and frozen.