Turn on the taste and lower the waste with menu choices that sustain your business and the planet

Incremental changes happen slowly over time – just small things here and there. After a while, we realise that the whole world has changed. The little changes have become big shifts that are permanent. As chefs, we encounter any number of little influences every day – diners asking for something not on the menu, an ingredient that cannot be sourced, or a ridiculously-priced vegetable – and we take it all onboard and adapt.

When changes can be categorised as part of a larger, more permanent shift that’s here to stay and gaining momentum, it gets flagged as a trend. And, as new trends catch on, chefs have to keep abreast of changes – consumers expect to have more choices and to be able to satisfy their changing preferences and flavour profiles. Trends can be incorporated into existing dishes, tested in specials, or included in the overall menu.

Current global foodservice trends are also driven by commercial imperatives, and we’re seeing the current macroeconomic environment have a big impact on operators. Sustainability isn’t just about the planet – it’s also about keeping your business alive and profitable. Chefs are having to juggle so many cost variables, many I know could be a featured act in the circus! Being caught out by volatile costs can be frustrating, vexing and distracting, but it’s become a norm, a trend and something that chefs are living with as a new way of operating.

That’s exactly how trends develop. At Unilever Food Solutions, we have identified eight global mega-trends that are changing the way chefs operate. In our Future Menus Report, we go into detail on each trend, demonstrating how it can be incorporated into a few different recipes to inspire chefs to create their own new dishes. Obviously, not every trend will be equally applicable to every operation. The intention is to give a glimpse of the future and a sense of how these trends can be practically interpreted and included in menus.

One of the eight trends that is probably the most universal, and can be applied in every kitchen, is the shift to Low-Waste Menus.

Low-Waste Menus

As part of a more generalised move away from waste of any kind – plastic, water, fast fashion and so on – the focus on food waste starts with creating menus that make the best use of available resources and ingredients. In the case of vegetables, it’s using the entire plant. In meat dishes, it’s making heroes out of non-premium cuts and finding suitable uses for everything. By extending the shelf-life of perishable foods – through fermenting, pickling, drying and curing – food waste can be avoided. We also show how using fewer ingredients in different ways can help keep inventory levels down and make maximum use of the ingredients you have.

Let’s take a closer look at some practical ideas.

In the Future Menus Report, I feature a low-waste recipe for Slow-cooked Pork Belly with Cauliflower Purée. It looks stunning on the plate and blends delicious flavours while using an affordable cut of meat and low-waste vegetables. Boiling, grilling, braising, roasting and puréeing are favoured low-waste techniques, and I use three of these in this recipe.

Leave on the peels

My butternut wedges are complete with the skin, which roasts to a soft texture and keeps all the nutrition on the plate. The old days of peeling all the goodness away and sending it to compost are over. Give the skin a good scrub to ensure there’s no soil or scarring, add seasoning, and it’s ready to roast.

You can also leave the skin on sweet potato, pumpkin, or beetroot, simply roast them and add them as a side or to a salad.

Re-purpose unused ingredients

As another example, in this recipe, I boiled cauliflower stalks in cream with a vanilla pod and nutmeg to create the puree. The taste is complex and subtle. Diners get a hint of something that tastes familiar but can’t quite discern what it is because of how the ingredients have been combined and prepared. The humble cauli stalk becomes a star.?

Consider what you can do with broccoli, spinach, kale, and the stalks and heads of other vegetables. Pureeing is a wonderful technique to apply if you need to re-present vegetables. Experiment with the vegetables that are in good supply.?

There is no valid reason to discard the tops of root vegetables and the green leafy tops of carrots and beetroot as they make a tasty addition to salads. They can be washed and used as a garnish or added to purees, soups, or stocks.

Soups, broths, and purees are top performers in the low-waste menu stakes because off-cuts and oddly shaped chunks don’t matter when you’re creating flavours. Low-waste menus are a playground for flavours and textures.

The raw and the cooked living together in perfect harmony

More than an 80s music mash-up, relegating the ‘all-cooked’ or ‘all-raw’ ingredients rule to the past is welcomed by the low-waste movement. Adding crunch to salads or creative poke bowls with raw cabbage, beetroot, and carrot with a cooked protein is no problem. Adding preserved foods is also a growing trend that can prevent food from being wasted.

Preparation processes don’t just help with the race against expiry dates, they can also be a saving grace when prices are low and you can take advantage of cost-savings with a bulk buy.

Our colleagues in the Netherlands use the example of an abundance of asparagus in season. They buy in bulk and pickle it to use for the rest of the year. Locally, we can pickle carrots, baby marrow, broccoli, cauliflower, and peppers. Add them to salads, as a side, or as a garnish to supplement fresh ingredients.

Fermenting is another time-honoured preservation technique that’s made a comeback and is a valuable tool in the low-waste menu arsenal. Sauerkraut with cabbage as a base is the most well-known vegetable variation and can be served traditionally with pork or added to salads. Locally, we have the age-old traditions of fermenting milk to form Amasi or Magege.?

Biltong – dried, cured meat – and dried fruit have a long shelf-life and make an interesting flavour addition to pizza, salads, and desserts. Chefs are also making their own chips (crisps) from vegetables like sweet potato and butternut to add as a side or to a salad. Small quantities can go a long way and be prepared well in advance and stored.

I encourage you to download our Future Menu Report to read more about how a simple ingredient like chickpeas can be used three different ways in one dish and what amazing use can be made of tomato peels.

There’s no need to compromise on taste when planning a low-waste menu. Use your imagination and the ingredients available (including meat cuts like brisket and chuck), experiment with techniques, flavours and textures, and dazzle diners with what you create.

Craig Elliott

Chef Craig Elliott lives in the north of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, in South Africa. His ‘kitchen’ extends to the great outdoors, where he loves to braai and entertain. When he’s not cooking, you’ll find him walking on the beach or having a good party.?

Chef Craig Elliott

Follow him @chefcraigelliot