For those who enjoy buying large quantities of their favorite foods to reduce constant repurchasing, using up the food before it loses freshness is a pressing issue.
To prevent wasting pesto, one shopper shows how to keep the sauce fresher for longer by portioning it into ice cube trays and freezing it.
The scoop
Large containers of food, like those found at Costco, are often not used up before their expiration dates, causing shoppers to throw away half-finished jars. A shopper shared a hack on the r/Costco subreddit for others facing the same problem.
"Our family loves Costco pesto, but we can't always finish the container in the 3 to 4 weeks that it's usually valid from an expiration perspective," the OP wrote. "Today we took a whole container and distributed into two brand new ice trays. Now we have pesto whenever we want and [we] don't have to throw away half-used containers."
How it's working
Research shows that roughly 40% of the food we buy ends up in landfills. For $10 jars of pesto from Costco, tossing out half the product each time can add up to a significant chunk of one's shopping budget. By freezing pesto, and learning to make the most of leftovers (with savings as small as 10%), one could save up to $75 annually.
Preserving food does more than just save money. About 70% of extracted water goes toward food production, and the global food system accounts for about one-third of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. The simple act of preserving food as much as possible can help address both environmental and economic issues.
What people are saying
Users are finding the hack helpful.
"This is brilliant," commented one Redditor.
Others shared ways to make the hack even easier.
🗣️ What's the most common reason you end up throwing away food?
🔘 Bought more than I could eat 🛒
🔘 Went bad sooner than I expected 👎
🔘 Forgot it was in the fridge 😞
🔘 Didn't want leftovers 🥡
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
"I just throw the whole thing in the freezer and gouge some out with a fork each time," one person wrote. They also recommended taking the pesto out of the freezer 10 minutes before use.
Another commenter prefers pressing the pesto flat in a plastic bag and breaking off pieces as needed.
Freezing food isn't limited to pesto. Redditors have also recommended freezing chili, cakes, and muffins to extend their shelf life for months.
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