Chef to share top tips for reducing food waste

If you’re looking for savvy ways to save food and money during your grocery shop, be sure to stop by The Kitchenette Stage at this year’s Moreton Bay Food + Wine Festival to pick up some top tips from local chef Kara Urbanska.

As a specially trained chef and kitchen operations coordinator at OzHarvest, Kara will be demonstrating how home cooks can turn commonly wasted ingredients like forgotten veggies, fruit, meat, dairy, breads, and grains into delicious everyday meals using OzHarvest’s Use It Up Recipes.

With around 2.5 million tonnes of food wasted each year, Use It Up is an ongoing campaign by OzHarvest to tackle household food waste by creating quality meals from food destined for the bin.

With a passion for cooking more sustainably, Kara says her zero-waste cooking demonstration will serve as a reminder that quality is not what something looks like on the outside, but how it tastes on the inside.

“I am really passionate about making people see what they have in their fridge and pantry already and using it before they go back to the supermarket because ultimately, it just leads to more waste and landfill, and more money out of people’s pockets,” Kara says.

“So many people see those few leftover items and think they can’t make anything out of it – I’m talking about items like bread, bagged salad, and those veggies that always seem to get forgotten about in the crisper.

“But I am here to show you that you can turn those few ingredients in a simple and tasty recipe that your family will love.”

During her demo, Kara will also share some top storage tips to help your produce last longer.

“In my cooking class, I often ask people why they think we throw away so many fruit and veggies and they say it’s because they go off so quickly,” Kara explains.

“A big example of that is berries, and I will talk about that at the festival.

“Sometimes it feels like you have only just gotten home from the supermarket and your berries are already growing mould, so by investing in some great air-tight containers, you can ensure they stay fresher for longer.

“When you’re paying a lot of money for berries, you don’t want them to go off before you have even had a chance to use them.

“I will help you ensure you get more money for your buck!”

Kara will be appearing on The Kitchenette Stage on Friday, August 23 from 12.30pm-1pm.

There will also be an OzHarvest stall set up where people can find out more information about how they can help OzHarvest with their time, money or food donations.

Secure your tickets

The Moreton Bay Food + Wine Festival returns to Apex Park in Woody Point for three big days from August 23-25.

The three-day extravaganza will feature special appearances by a host of celebrity chefs, live cooking demonstrations, unique dining experiences, pop-up bars and restaurants, food trucks, local produce, market stalls, music, hands-on workshops and more.

Entry to the two stages is included in the General Admission ticket.

To book, head to the Moreton Bay Food + Wine website.

Inspiration for your next meal

Some of the Use It Up recipes currently listed on the OzHarvest website include leftover vege nachos, vege bolognaise, Indian spiced leftover lamb, Sunday roast fritters, roast chicken quesadilla, fruit platter smoothies, omelettes, cheesy potato pockets, and bread and butter pudding.

To see more recipes, head to the website or follow OzHarvest on TikTok, where they post no waste videos.

About OzHarvest

Founded in 2004, OzHarvest is Australia’s leading food rescue organisation, saving surplus food from ending up in landfill and delivering it to charities.

OzHarvest Queensland rescues quality excess food and delivers it to charities helping to feed people experiencing food insecurity.

As a philanthropically funded, charitable organisation, every $1 donated to OzHarvest allows them to deliver two meals to people in need.