6 Zero-Waste Cookbooks to Reduce Food Waste at Home
Nearly half of all food waste in America comes from our home kitchens. That means we’re sending about 42 billion pounds of food waste to landfills each year, where it creates methane — a greenhouse gas with 81x the warming potential of carbon dioxide.
Sustainable cooking can not only reduce our food waste, but give us more appreciation for the sources of our food. If you’re ready to reduce food waste at home, these 7 zero-waste cookbooks will come in handy for any home chef. Find delicious new potential in scraps and leftovers — everything from lemon peels to wilted herbs. And of course, whatever you don’t eat, try to compost!
1. Perfectly Good Food: A Totally Achievable Zero Waste Approach to Home Cooking
By Margarent Li and Irene Li
Perfectly Good Food is a practical and inspiring guide to reducing food waste in your home kitchen. Written by Margaret Li and Irene Li, co-founders of Mei Mei, a Boston-based restaurant, this book offers creative and achievable strategies for making the most of every ingredient. From nose-to-tail cooking to inventive ways to use kitchen scraps, the authors show how to transform leftovers into delicious meals. With their zero-waste approach, Margaret and Irene help you save money, minimize food waste, and embrace sustainable cooking practices in your daily life.
Borrow Perfectly Good Food from your Library →
2. Cook What You Have
By Christopher Kimball
In Cook What You Have, renowned chef and food expert Christopher Kimball shares a practical and innovative approach to cooking. Kimball offers resourceful and creative tips and techniques for making delicious meals using the ingredients you already have on hand. This book empowers home cooks to reduce food waste and whip up flavorful dishes, making the most of what's in their pantry and fridge. Whether you're a seasoned chef or a kitchen novice, Cook What You Have is a valuable resource for culinary inspiration and sustainability.
Borrow Cook What You Have from your library →
3. The Zero-Waste Chef
By Anne-Marie Bonneau
Anne-Marie Bonneau, widely known as the Zero Waste Chef, shares her expertise and passion for sustainable living in this comprehensive cookbook. Focused on reducing food waste, the book offers practical tips, techniques, and a wide range of waste-reducing recipes. From fermentation to creative uses for food scraps, Bonneau empowers readers to make conscious choices in the kitchen and embrace a more environmentally friendly approach to cooking and living.
Borrow The Zero-Waste Chef from your library -->
4. Waste-Free Kitchen Handbook: A Guide to Eating Well and Saving Money by Wasting Less Food
by Dana Gunders
Dana Gunders' Waste-Free Kitchen Handbook is a must-have for anyone committed to minimizing food waste. In addition to offering strategies for meal planning and storage, the book provides innovative recipes that help you make the most of your leftovers. Dana's approach is both informative and inspiring, making waste reduction accessible to all.
Buy Waste-Free Kitchen Handbook →
Borrow Waste-Free Kitchen Handbook from your library →
5. Scraps, Wilt & Weeds
by Mads Refslund and Tama Matsuoka Wong
Scraps, Wilt & Weeds takes a unique approach to zero-waste cooking. Inspired by Noma's zero-waste philosophy, chefs Mads Refslund and Tama Matsuoka Wong teach you how to use kitchen scraps and foraged ingredients creatively. This book is a culinary adventure that will change the way you think about food waste.
Borrow Scraps, Wilt & Weeds from your library →
6. The No-Waste Vegetable Cookbook
by Linda Ly
Linda Ly's cookbook celebrates the versatility of vegetables and their often-underutilized parts, such as stems and peels. With creative recipes that make the most of every edible part of your produce, this book helps you embrace a zero-waste approach to cooking.
Buy The No-Waste Vegetable Cookbook →
Borrow The No-Waste Vegetable Cookbook from your library →
7. The Zero Waste Cookbook: 100 Recipes for Cooking without Waste
by Giovanna Torrico
"The Zero Waste Cookbook" is a collection of 100 innovative recipes that show how to cook delicious meals while minimizing food waste. Author XYZ guides readers through sustainable cooking techniques, ingredient optimization, and creative use of leftovers, making it a valuable resource for environmentally conscious home chefs.
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