Cooking with Scraps: Turn Your Peels, Cores, Rinds, and Stems into Delicious Meals

by Lindsay-Jean Hard

“A whole new way to celebrate ingredients that have long been wasted. Lindsay-Jean is a master of efficiency and we’re inspired to follow her lead!”  —Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs, cofounders of Food52  In 85 innovative recipes, Lindsay-Jean Hard—who writes the “Cooking with Scraps” column for Food52—shows just how delicious and surprising the all-too-often-discarded parts of food can be, transforming what might be considered trash into culinary treasure.  Here’s how to put those seeds, stems, tops, rinds to good use for more delicious (and more frugal) Carrot greens—bright, fresh, and packed with flavor—make a zesty pesto. Water from canned beans behaves just like egg whites, perfect for vegan mayonnaise that even non-vegans will love. And serve broccoli stems olive-oil poached on lemony ricotta toast. It’s pure food genius, all the while critically reducing waste one dish at a time. “I love this book because the recipes matter...show[ing] us how to utilize the whole plant, to the betterment of our palate, our pocketbook, and our place.” —Eugenia Bone, author of The Kitchen Ecosystem  “Packed with smart, approachable recipes for beautiful food made with ingredients that you used to throw in the compost bin!” —Cara Mangini, author of The Vegetable Butcher  

Genres: Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Food, Cooking, Reference, Adult, Sustainability

343 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 30, 2018

Reviews

[Quirkyreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cookery book that I will add to my personal collection.

I’m looking forward to cooking up many of the dishes in it.

[Girl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an e-copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Cooking with Scraps is a cookbook written in reference to the zero waste movement. The recipes all utilize various odds and ends leftover from other cooking ventures - e.g., apple cores or peels. The book is beautifully photographed and a pleasure to look at. However, while the zero waste concept is great and worth spreading further, it seemed to me that many recipes actually call for many additional ingredients one might not have ready at hand, thus calling zero waste tenets into doubt.

As a side note, for me as a Polish person (or is it a Central/ Eastern European thing?), it's always a bit amusing when people discover that beet greens are usable. Yeah! We've been using them in soups for centuries! Bon appetite :D

[Marina · Rating 4 out of 5]

We used to have a guinea pig and a rabbit and I miss them whenever I throw vegetable waste into the recycling bin.
‘Cooking with Scraps’ offers an alternative to the compost heap with recipes using ‘waste’ such as carrot tops, stale bread and pumpkin guts.
Immediately, a solution for the huge amount of peels and cores generated by our cooking apple tree’s annual yield. And only the other week I had to google ideas for using whey, after I’d had my first try of cheese-making.
Cheese spread made from rinds, leek tops in a pasta sauce…these are all ideas I can use. Aquafaba: weird but maybe wonderful? Banana skins : her banana cake demands the peels from very ripe bananas (‘the bananas you might use for banana bread’) – but would you want banana bread and banana cake at the same time? Would it be better to combine the bananas and the skins in the same recipe?
Personally, less useful were the recipes for bacon (don’t eat it); jam (a tablespoon is not a scrap in my opinion); and tomato skins, broccoli stems and mushroom stems (don’t you just eat them normally?).
Although the book’s concept sounds frugal, it’s beautifully presented with plenty of colour photos (the one of the infused alcohols is a favourite).
Overall, it’s the cooking from scraps concept that I love, with the recipes useful for ideas. An inspiration.
https://mypertopinions.blogspot.co.uk/
Thanks to Netgalley and Workman Publishing Company for the review copy.

[Literary Redhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

I definitely wanted to read COOKING WITH SCRAPS, both for the beautiful cover but also for the concept of using all parts of food in cooking. Author Lindsay-Jean Hard, whose ideas for this book came from her Food52 column, offers 85 delicious recipes to turn peels, rinds, stems, and cores into tasty dishes. Carrot greens, for example, can make a great pesto, while broccoli stems can taste yummy when olive-oil poached on lemony ricotta toast. COOKING WITH SCRAPS turns food products you might discard into something completely delectable. Highly recommended!

Pub Date 16 Oct 2018

Thanks to Workman Publishing Company and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are fully mine.

#CookingWithScraps #NetGalley

[KC · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly clever read. Gathered some great tips and yummy looking recipes to try!

[Rosemary Standeven · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the idea of this book – finding interesting recipes to use up the bits and bobs left over when prepare a meal: the peelings, the stems and seeds of vegetables; the bones from a roast; ends of cheeses; last dribbles from jars – the list goes on. The book is intended more as a reference book than a normal cookbook – you consult it when you have some scraps you are uncertain what to do with, so the recipes are ordered by type of scrap.
Following a short introduction to the author and why she is interested in cooking with scraps, there is a quick chapter on how to store vegetables to preserve freshness, and freezing, composting and a list of equipment needed for the recipes – and then it is straight into the recipes.
I do generally try to use up leftovers, and have long kept a bag of scrap vegetable and herb bits in the fridge for use in stocks, as is suggested in the book. Since being introduced to Portuguese cuisine, I have regularly used radish and turnip leaves in my cooking, and added stale bread to soups. From childhood, I have considered chard stems to be as much a foodstuff as the leaves, and the green parts of leeks (and was amazed that anyone would think of them as scrap). So, these uses were not new to me. However, there was quite a bit that was.
The two things that stood out for me, were the recipes for carrot tops, and the recipes for aquafaba. I seldom get to buy carrot with fresh leaves intact, so had not really thought about what to do with them before. I made the ‘Carrot Top Pesto’ for use on pasta, which was nice, but not spectacular. Aquafaba I had never heard of before. It is the left-over cooking water (or tin water) from beans and chickpeas, which is whipped up into a stiff froth to use as you would egg white – a perfect ingredient for vegans. I made the ‘Fudgy Aquafaba Brownies’, using chickpea water, and was so surprised that the recipe actually worked. The resultant brownies were excellent. A warning though – it takes ages and ages of whipping. Do not even think of trying to make aquafaba if you have only a hand-beater – even with an electric cake mixer/beater it took 10 – 15 minutes. So, the bit of the planet you save by using up scraps, you then destroy by excessive electricity usage.
Some of the recipes did not appeal. I only have over ripe bananas if I am making a banana cake. So, then using the left-over skins to make another banana cake seems a bit pointless – but nice to know they can be eaten if you are desperate. Using peanut shells for flavouring cheese seemed to be taking using scraps a bit far. And I am too lazy to use squash and melon seeds for anything – I like the outer casings to have been removed first.
I did really like the ‘Kale Stem Hummus’, the ‘Charred Asparagus end Pesto’ and the ‘White Bean and Cauliflower Core Puree’, and will continue to use the recipes for cauli and broccoli stalks. Once our tomatoes have stopped ripening, I want to make the ‘Black bean and Green Tomato Salsa’.
The recipes are designed to provide ideas about the possibilities for using up scraps, and are not instructions set in stone. As such, the book works very well. The recipes are probably not going to become new favourites, but the concepts will expand your culinary knowledge, give you a greater appreciation of the whole of foodstuff, and hopefully lead to reduced waste in the kitchen.
I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great idea, and one most Americans should embrace, as we waste a LOT of food (isn't "pretty", "never done it that way before", etc.) Get over yourselves, folks. If you don't compost carrot tops then please don't buy the carrots with tops attached - unless you plan on trying Carrot Top Pesto (p.52).Personally, I think carrot tops are too bitter, but maybe I'll try this summer when the Farmers Market carrots beckon...
Other recipes that sound fun: Pumpkin Gut Scones, Fudgy Aquafaba Brownies (I have a great black bean brownie recipe) and Strawberry Jam Balsamic Vinaigrette. Many of her ideas I do use - chard and broccoli stems, beet greens - and there's a great set of recipes on "Cleaning out the Crisper" involving Strata, pickles, and flavored sugars. So... it's more of a mind set. How can I use this all up? Minimize waste, try something new? The author is Editor of Food 52, so knows her stuff, so be brave, try to experiment!

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't the perfect book I'm still looking for on using up food waste, but it's pretty good (and my expectations might be too high). Many recipe suggestions I wouldn't have necessarily thought of, and lots of good new ways to reduce my food footprint.

[Raquel (Silver Valkyrie Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! The author's attitude of 'here's a recipe, but it's totally adjustable' mirrors my own cooking style, and her encouragement that it's okay to just reduce food waste instead feeling guilt if you fail to completely eliminate all waste was very helpful.

Quite a few of the recipes were not applicable to me, either because I don't often use the ingredient in question, or because I already break the 'rules' and use the odd bits along with the main part of the ingredient (like chopping up the stems of greens and sauteing them right along with the leaves). Even a lot of those though, gave me ideas of what CAN be used from a food and what kinds of things could be done, whether I use the exact recipe or not.

I did try the Beet Peel Margarita, which was fine, and might have even been amazing if I were a bigger fan of margaritas in general. I also made the Pumpkin Guts Scones which were a huge hit and I will be making again for sure. (This recipe also inspired me to use cantaloupe guts, and found a recipe online for cantaloupe bread where I replaced the cantaloupe puree with the 'guts'.)

I'd recommend this to anyone who cooks with a lot of fresh ingredients and either is bothered by food waste or just enjoys the creativity of using unusual odds and ends.

I was given a review copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

[eyes.2c · Rating 3 out of 5]

Timely!

Ok so this is a Who's Who of leftover scraps alphabetically arranged.
If you're like me there's always leftovers. Particularly as I'm now mainly cooking for two as all others have well and truly flown the nest (except for the grandies). I hate waste!
Also my answer to everything is making soup.
Hard gives some interesting alternatives. Unfortunately I'd have to add ingredients to my stores that I don't keep, and that is wasteful for me.
I must say though that colors and layout for this cookbook are capital 'V' Vibrant!
This will make a very relevant and timely addition to any cookbook collection for those who really want to follow through to the nth degree of conserving all foodstuffs.

A NetGalley ARC

[Kristin · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is for assholes. I don’t need recipes for stems and stalks. I wanted to know what to do with half an onion and two carrots. These recipes mostly entail buying more stuff to make the dishes. I can’t even.

[Cheryl]

Eatortoss.com.

Two hours to turn apple peels into chips? That's a lot of electricity; composting would be better. Mostly the advice is fairly obvious. Of course use the mushroom stems and the beet greens! Other advice is irrelevant to most of us, I think. I've never seen carrot tops at either farmer's market or grocery store. I've no interest in adding more cheese or jam to my diet, or infusing alcohol or vinegar, or hunting down exotic 'international' ingredients.

I do like the idea for Crispy Breadcrumb Fried Eggs, because I like the Shakshouka principle to cook egg in microwave, no need to dirty skillet or grease bowl. Sometimes I use mashed sweet potato instead of tomato sauce. Or... I can use the stuffing mix that's languishing in my cabinet. (I already make dressing from bread crusts and scraps of course, don't you?)

November 2025

[Ann T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Workman Publishing and Neetgalley for an ARC of this book.

This is a fantastic book on zero waste cooking. I truly appreciated the honesty and authenticity of the author, acknowledging that we are human and just do the best that we can do (some are better than others, with myself being in the latter camp unfortunately).

This book provides many recipes and enticing photographs, of food ranging from a range of sources. The author lived in Japan for a while so there are some influences dotted throughout, but also ideas for banana peel cakes, infused alcohol, zucchini stem pizza and so much more.
I am excited to have found a number of recipes I look forward to trying in the coming weeks.

A highly recommended book.

[Maria Cloos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic, straight forward ideas for things you would normally throw away. Does it solve all of my food waste dilemmas? Of course not. Does it solve many of them? Without a doubt! My only regret is that I didn’t read this before processing a bushel of kale last week and discarded most of the stems. Not next time!

[Betsy Scherer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is totally up my alley. I like that she refers to this more as a reference text than a cookbook - I will likely use this as inspiration for my scraps beyond veggie stock and compost. Personally, very intrigued by the aquafaba ideas.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kale stem hummus, using cauliflower leaves, carrot leaves in pesto, leek greens in veggie stock, aquafaba in brownies, cooking beans with a little baking soda to make them softer… I love these ideas, plus more. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cooking with veggies!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Workman Publishing Group for a copy of Cooking With Scraps for review.
Such an interesting concept and very well thought out! A great way to use more of each part of the vegetable and to reduce the amount you throw out.

[Aspasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating recipes that include kitchen scraps in unique ways.

[Leonard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fine cook book about how to reduce the food waste in your home by turning it into nutritional meals. Very nicely designed with great photos as well as original recipes.

[Brianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the spirit and idea behind this book combating our throw away disposable culture, and that the author did not come off as preachy. Nice photos and formatting; a lot of the recipes looked great, however I will not be making a banana peel cake, that one was a bit much for me.

[amyextradot · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know if it was the influence of my farm-raised, bread-winning, first-generation of American-born kids to Czech parents grandmother...but I've always tried to use as much of food as I can. From composting veggies (or using the wilted stuff and tops for stock and salad for my bearded dragon,) to making my own bread (and subsequent breadcrumbs and croutons with the failures or stale stuff) I've always tried to eliminate food waste.

This book, with its lucious, bright, and delectable pictures, gives the reader a multitude of ways to use the scraps that many people might toss in the trash. While there were several ideas that I already incorporate--the author, Lindsey-Jean Hard, includes several recipes for things that I would have never thought of! This cookbook is perfect if you're just starting to cut down on food waste and you're new to it, or if you have several ideas that you already use, but are looking for some new ideas . I can't wait to try some new recipes!

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book by Netgalley.com for an honest and unbiased review.

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was intrigued enough with this book that when the digital ARC was deleted from my reader before I finished it, I ordered it through inter-library loan so that I could finish it.

There were things I really liked about the book (color photos, lots of unique suggestions for lots of food scraps, a philosophy I agree with...) but it also fell short a bit for me. Each ingredient has a 2 or 3 recipes to use it, like apple peel syrup (one that I do plan on trying). Some of the ingredients weren't ones that I'd necessarily use or use in the ways the author suggested. For instance, she has recipes for aquafaba (the water poured off of garbanzo beans). Aquafaba is famous as a vegan egg or whipped cream substitute, but she features a brownie recipe for it and doesn't go into how to use it in vegan applications. This seemed like an odd missed opportunity, as I think most of us who aren't vegan or have egg or dairy allergies would probably just pour out the liquid as it's got no real nutrition and may contain BHA (cans are usually lined with this toxin), salt and the phytates (anti-nutrients) from the bean soaking liquid. I would have liked a lot more focus on a general how-to for each thing instead of just a couple of specific recipes.

I do cook with scraps all of the time, but the author uses them in different ways than I do. I was surprised that she doesn't use scraps for a lot of the things that are common sense to me. I also don't think she mentioned that you should not use peels of non-organic produce for cooking as you're basically just eating pesticides. I save organic peels and scraps to make vegetable broth in a stock bag in the freezer, for instance, but if I have non-organic potato peels those just go in the compost. Otherwise you're kind of making pesticide broth, you know?

Also, many of the recipes just didn't strike me as particularly appealing (no pun intended).

This is a cool book and I do recommend it. It just wasn't a perfect fit for me.

My rating system:
1 = hated it
2 = it was okay
3 = liked it
4 = really liked it
5 = love it, plan to purchase, and/or would buy it again if it was lost

I read a temporary digital ARC of the book for the purpose of review.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some great ideas to help reduce food waste.

[Michelle Mock · Rating 3 out of 5]

This certainly made me think differently about cooking.
Like, banana peel cake with peanut butter frosting, or beet peel margarita, or cheese tortellini with sausage and broccoli stems, or roasted cantaloupe seeds with chili and lime, or pumpkin guts butterscotch scones. These are things I would have never dreamed of trying, much less attempting. But the author gives a good spin on ways to repurpose and use those scraps I would normally just chuck into the trash can. I consider myself pretty environmentally friendly, but the challenge and ideas and inspiration found in this book are a breath of creative air for the cook. Now not all of these are a breeze to pull together, some ingredients might be a challenge to find, but it certainly does inspire me to look at my scraps differently and maybe make something unique and delicious with it. I think sometimes we cooks get so dependent on time-tested, written-down recipes that we stop challenging ourselves to do and try different things. And I think sometimes it's good to challenge ourselves to do things differently and push the borders of our kitchen countertops. This book does exactly that. And if you've been looking for a cookbook that challenges you, definitely pick this one up.

[Stacey Adams · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was excited when I saw the title of this book but disappointed when I looked inside. Most of the scraps I already was eating not throwing away like celery leaves and pineapple cores. Those I was composting like lemon peels were used in a recipe to make lemon sugar which seemed like a lot of work and not necessary. The recipes were all complicated and time consuming using machines or ingredients that would be expensive to make something that didn't sound tasty to begin with. I didn't see one recipe that I wanted to try. Most sounded just weird or they used ingredients I don't like in my diet, unhealthy, not vegan for sure. I do use scraps to make vegetable broth but the rest will continue to go to my compost heap. I didn't find this book useful at all.

[Blair · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’d describe myself as an avid and enthusiastic cook, but any success I enjoy is thanks to those who came before me and wrote the recipes. In other words, I’m not particularly inventive in the kitchen. Skilled, yes, but there are gaps in my culinary education and always room for improvement.

I was excited to receive a review copy of Cooking With Scraps. As the introduction to the book reminds us, food waste is a huge problem in many first world homes, and mine is no exception. I hate things out, but I don’t have a lot of ideas for what to do with all the bits and pieces. This is an important topic and I’m glad the Hard decided to tackle it in book form.

Aesthetically, this book is lovely. I enjoyed and felt inspired by the food photography.

It’s evident that Hard chose her recipes thoughtfully, and in the text she writes that she is inspired by many of today’s finest chefs, including Yotam Ottolenghi and Marian Burros among others, and that many of the recipes in this book are Hard’s tweaks on some famous recipes.

Hard starts out assuming that readers have a basic understanding of cooking with and using scraps. Bless her heart. Going into reading this book, I am shamefully wasteful and have a long way to go to get to where I want to be. Thus, I would have appreciated more coverage on how to store and use the more obvious stuff. I also need more information about whether any parts need special cleaning and when I can or can’t proceed with fruits and vegetables that may be wilting or beginning to rot. It’s not that I’m completely clueless about some of these things, but I wanted and expected to see this spelled out explicitly in a book about cooking with scraps.

Ultimately, I’m really excited about half the recipes and will likely never attempt the other half. There are three recipes about using the juice from canned beans (aquafaba) as a substitute for egg white, but not as much detail as I’d hoped about stocks and broths. Many of the recipes, while clever in their use of scraps, are far outside of my everyday kitchen wheelhouse. The book would be more practical for many if it gave more examples of how you could unexpectedly add scraps to dishes you (probably) already make.

Ultimately I found Cooking With Scraps to be both lovely and inspiring, even though it’s not the primer I was hoping for. For me, it’s a volume to flip through for inspiration, but not one to turn to for serious instruction or to cook through from cover to cover. I appreciate Hard’s commitment to flavor and elegance in her recipes. I think I need to find another, more basic book, though, if I want to truly achieve a more efficient and less wasteful kitchen myself.

Disclaimer: I received a free digital advanced reader’s edition from #netgalley in exchange for my unbiased review.

[Alex Can Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a member of Food52’s wonderful online Cookbook Club. Each month we choose a different cookbook to collectively cook from and share our experiences. We’ve cooked from Simple by Ottolenghi; Salt Fat Acid Heat by Saimin Nosrat; Six Seasons by Joshua McFadden and Smitten Kitchen Every Day by Deb Perelman among many others. For a long time, the main administrator of the group was Lindsay-Jean Hard. Coincidentally, in that same group at the beginning of the year we made food-resolutions. One of my resolutions was to throw out less food. I was unaware of her column at Food52, but when I saw that Lindsay-Jean was putting out a book on just this topic, I was delighted. (Though it would have been MUCH better for my resolution if I’d found the column months ago.

The book is organized by food, so finding a recipe to use up the scrap you have on hand is easy. Hard also includes useful tips on storing different vegetables to maximize their lifespan, and tips on composting for when there’s something you really can’t fully use up.

The recipes in the book seem a little bit odd at first, if like me, you haven’t made much of an effort to use the scraps of food before. I’ve been privileged enough to grow up with plenty of food, so I’ve never had to resort to using scraps out of necessity. However, as I paged through the book, I found myself positively inspired by the clever uses for things I’d never have thought to use. Apple cores to make syrup for pancakes? Outrageous at first, but after reading further, it sounds delicious. I am also now obsessed with the broccoli stem ricotta toasts and the cheddar nub pub cheese.

Cooking With Scraps is veggie focused, but it’s not a vegetarian book, nor is it just 80 variations on vegetable soups. Many of the recipes are as inventive and exciting as you’d find in any other inspired cookbook, but they’ve got the added benefit of leaving you feeling responsible. By cooking with scraps you’re not only making an eco-friendly decision, but a wallet-friendly decision as well. You’re making the veggies you buy stretch farther. Waste less, spend less.

Cooking With Scraps hits shelves on October 30 and is absolutely worth picking up if you’re looking to reduce your food waste and enjoy tasty results.

Thank you to Workman Publishing Group for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Workman Publishing Company and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Cooking with Scraps: Turn Your Peels, Cores, Rinds, Stems, and Other Odds and Ends into Delicious Meals. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Cooking with Scraps is a collection of 80 recipes with zero-waste in mind, a perfect cookbook for those who are environmentally conscious or who are on a tight budget. Beautiful photographs dot the pages of this cookbook, providing a very inspirational backdrop. The recipes are organized, alphabetized based on the featured ingredient, such as the cauliflower in the White Bean and Cauliflower Core Puree with Green Olive Gremolata (p. 47). Scattered throughout are sections the author calls "Clean out the Crisper", recipes designed to use every last bit of scraps that readers may have left behind in their refrigerator or pantry.

As the author's philosophy is one to which I try to use in my daily life, I was very excited to read this cookbook. Designed to use that part of the vegetable for which readers may not know how, such as carrot tops, Cooking with Scraps is a unique approach to cooking. Right off the bat, there are recipes that will open readers eyes to a new way of eating. I have often found myself eating the apple peels while I make a pie, not wanting to throw them away. The author suggests turning these scraps into Dried Apple Peel Chips, a delicious and easy-to-prepare snack. Charred Asparagus End Pesto is another gem and a great way to use that which cooks frequently throw away. One of the Clean out the Crisper offerings explains how to make pickles and will open readers minds to the possibilities. One of my favorite recipes is, coincidentally, a seasonal offering that features the pumpkin. Pumpkin Gut Butterscotch Scones (p. 122-123) is topped with roasted pumpkin seeds and uses the "webbing" of the pumpkin in the scones themselves. Another favorite recipe in the book is Black Bean and Green Tomato Salsa (p. 130), which is bright, colorful, and perfect for tacos or nachos.

With many possibilities to choose from, readers will be inspired by author Lindsay-Jean Hard's unique approach to cooking. I would definitely recommend this cookbook to others and I look forward to more by this author in the future.

[Yvette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Banana peels, apple cores, and fatty bacon ends are just a few of the items that will no longer be wasted with this new cookbook/guide from Food52 writer Lindsay-Jean Hard.

In the introduction, and in the lead-ups to the various recipes, the author writes about taking lessons from other cookbooks and tweaking recipes, and making them your own.  And this applies, she is the first to tell the reader, to her own.

Written in a friendly, approachable style, the aim behind this cookbook harkens back to the "waste not, want not" philosophy of generations past.  This is a welcome approach that is sure to appeal to budding "no waste" enthusiasts, as well as the casual cook who wants to make the most of their time in the kitchen and the produce they buy.  And this does focus primarily on produce, though there are a few tempting uses of other staples (think canned chickpeas and aquafaba for, sort of, one).  And while it may trigger nostalgia for the kitchens and frugality of our grandmothers, and a desire to shop at Farmer's Markets, this is very much a modern cookbook.

Within the generous introductory section, "Everything in Moderation (Your Best is Good Enough)" is a must read for those who are not convinced of their ability to take the lessons in this book on board.  You may not become a "tip to tail" type of home cook, but these techniques and ideas will move you in the direction of lessening your food waste.

Cooking with Scraps is full of inspiration, techniques, and quite a few interesting recipes. It will be a useful reference and adjunct to other recipe sources when meal planning or looking for ways to reduce your food waste.  Already, I'm planning my next purchases of cilantro and parsley to include the use of the stems, contemplating how best to save the cores of apples to use in making syrup for Sunday morning pancake breakfasts, and considering the purchase of an immersion blender.

Highly recommended as an addition (or start) to your cookbook collection.

This review refers to a NetGalley digital galley read courtesy of the publisher.  All opinions expressed are my own. This review was originally published on bookworlder.wordpress.com

[Robert Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I approached this book with moderate expectations. There seems to be a cultural and/or environmental movement to reduce waste in the kitchen. I'm not exactly a part of that group of people, but at the same time, especially as food prices skyrocket, a certain degree of respect both for one's ingredients and one's pocketbook demands a certain degree of effort to reduce waste. So I approached this book hoping it wouldn't get too much into the politics of the waste reduction movement but hoping it would give me some good ideas and recipes I could use in my own kitchen. And it did exactly what I wanted.

Some cookbooks don't seem to give a lot of thought to the order in which recipes are presented. Others arrange them by type of meal. This book, I think, does even better by arranging recipes in alphabetical order by ingredient, making it a perfect reference to which you can turn when you need to learn what you can do with scraps from any given ingredient. While not a vegetarian book (much less a vegan one) by any means, the ingredients featured lean heavily toward vegetables, presumably assuming (probably correctly) that we carnivores either already know how to use all the parts or only ask our butchers for the specific parts we want.

The recipes themselves are not universally to my own taste, but I was surprised to find that the vast majority of them actually look quite good. Beyond that, the ideas are rather inspiring, offering tips for using the ingredients even if one chooses not to use the specific recipes suggested. It even has a collection of recipes designed specifically to be flexible and useful not for a particular ingredient but for those days on which you need to quickly use up a bunch of vegetables before they go bad.

I'll definitely be making a few of these recipes soon, and even more importantly, I'll keep the book on hand as a useful and inspiring reference.