Ed. Note: Cooking from scratch is healthier for us and produces less waste. Robyn shares a peek at her journey preparing from-scratch food for herself and her family.
Attempting to create a zero waste home is certainly met with challenges. Every time I give something away or clear out an area, more things my family doesn’t need or regularly use show up in the house. Every day I become more and more aware of how ubiquitous plastics, non-recyclable goods, and single-use items are, even in my progressive, environmental-home of San Francisco. Freedom from this throw-away, wasteful culture doesn’t come easy.
But with a little hard work and a lot of dedication, it’s possible to start breaking away. Last month, I talked about reducing waste while grocery shopping. This month, let’s talk about cooking from scratch to turn those groceries into waste-free meals.
The Reason for Cooking from Scratch
Our food comes covered in stickers and wrapped in petroleum-based plastic. It’s served on Styrofoam and aluminum trays, preserved in cans and held together with rubber bands. Some of this can be recycled, but a lot of it can’t.
Breaking free from this waste isn’t only good for the environment; it’s also good for health. Last year, a study published in the journal Environmental Research revealed that consuming canned foods can expose our bodies to Bisphenol A or BPA. This harmful industrial chemical has been linked to premature puberty in females; decreased sperm quality; and increases in breast and prostate cancers, infertility, miscarriages, obesity, type 2 diabetes, allergies and neurological problems like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
BPA isn’t only found in cans. It’s added to plastic to make it durable, and could be in the packaging “protecting” our food. Cooking from scratch means you avoid all of that excess packaging and the chemicals it leaches into our food.
A Little Bit at a Time
To free myself of packaging, I’ve started cooking from scratch, adding to my stockpile over time. I decided to start with tortillas, pita bread, hummus, homemade yogurt, stocks, broths, and beans because they all come wrapped in plastic or sealed in cans, and they’re relatively easy. (I am not culinary genius, trust me.)
My grocery store sells hummus powder in bulk, so I only need to add water, oil and lemon juice. I found a yogurt maker on Craigslist. Breads are a bit more complicated, but not much and totally worth the yummy result.
I find I only need to make bread once a week, yogurt twice a week, and one meal completely from scratch that I can freeze and eat over time. Thankfully, these meals accumulate, so I don’t have to spend too much time cooking from scratch every week.
Time Is An Issue
But finding time to cook is still the hardest part. I only work part time as a freelance writer, so I have the flexibility to devote an hour or more to meal prep everyday. But it has impacted the amount of time I have to write and research story ideas, as well as spend time with my son. I can only imagine how much harder cooking from scratch would be if I worked full time.
Sharing responsibility with other people in the house could alleviate the burden. Friends have also told me it’s easier if you cook the week’s meals on Sunday. Of course, with time, I may learn how to cook faster.
It would be wonderful if more businesses made eating waste-free more convenient. When I’m sick or really busy, it would be great to order take-out and not feel guilty about the mountains of plastic waste that always come with the meal.
Self Esteem Gets a Boost
Staying dedicated to the cause does provide a huge sense of empowerment and pride. A few months ago, I would have shied away from many of the recipes I now embrace and conquer. Starting to learn the little tricks (proofing yeast, keeping baking bread moist) is such a huge confidence booster, and seeing the amount of trash disappear has given my self esteem a huge boost. I CAN break free of plastic waste and eat more than just salads.
Of course, it’s also pretty cool watching my family and friends devour my creations.
A version of this article originally appeared at Sustainablog; republished here with permission. Cooking from Scratch image via Shutterstock.
Oh thank goodness. As I read the article, i kept thinking, “I just read this the other day. Why is it showing up in my feed again?” And I didn’t remember this photo. Wasn’t there one with tortillas? Then I got to the end. Oh yes! Sustainablog! Still a good article, and I’m glad to know I’m not time-traveling or something. : )
hi Kathryn– Thanks so much for reading BOTH of our sites… although I do kinda wish you WERE time traveling :)
Well I have always cooked from the scratch beginning from buying the food items myself till the garnishing of my dish. And I must tell you this in itself is an experience that will boost your confidence and give a sense of satisfaction.
Great article.