1. Defrost meat in the fridge overnight or in the microwave instead of defrosting it in a bowl of water.
2. Steam veggies in the microwave instead of boiling them. You can reuse the warm water to rinse a few dishes.
3. Fry your pasta, rather than boiling it. You’ll need a little stock, but it uses a lot less water and the result is super tasty!
Try: Toasted penne with pork meatballs
4. Wash your veggies in a bowl of water so you can reuse the water.
5. Following on from the above, don’t peel your veg, rather cook it with the skins on. This way you won’t have much to wipe down when it comes to the cutting board or counter.
6. To save on soaking and washing up, use disposable foil containers instead of traditional oven bakeware, or line your baking trays with foil.
7. One-pot meals will make for fewer dishes in the sink and less washing up.
Try: Baked ham-and-kale risotto or poached chicken in Asian coconut broth or chicken tray bake with roast apples and thyme
8. Use paper plates to save on the washing up, too. Keep the used plates and use them as firestarters for the braai.
9. On that note, what a great excuse to braai! Add meat and veg to skewers and eat with your hands. Or use a paper plate, and repeat the previous tip.
10. Instead of boiling eggs or potatoes, bake the potatoes in the oven and whip up a frittata of sorts with the eggs.
Try: Roast potato salad, spring green skillet-baked eggs.
11. Roast two chickens at the same time. Not only will you be prepared for the week ahead with plenty of leftovers, but you’ll use less water in the cooking and cleaning department.
Try: Tomato-and-Tuscan chicken tray roast
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Although a lot of these tips are useful, I disagree with the sentiment that using disposable items such as foil and paper plates saves water. These items use water to be made, and all this does is make the water issue someone else’s problem. Nevermind that to recycle these resources would need water, unless you propose the other disgusting notion of throwing the resource into a hole and covering it with sand.
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