How many times has an avo gone brown before you’ve had a chance to use it? How often have you thought ‘I hate throwing that out, but there’s not enough left to do anything with it’? For a lot of us, time – or rather, the lack of it! – is not on our side. Things go off in the fridge and the fruit bowl as days disappear. Busy lives overcome good intentions to go. Or maybe, it’s just that you’d love to use up the last smears of tahini in a jar or the bit of cream left at the bottom of a carton, but you don’t know to use such tiny bits and bobs.    

For Alex Elliott-Howery and Jaimee Edwards, the leftovers that could easily end up in the bin are an opportunity. The long-time friends, who run the Cornersmith Cooking School in Sydney (a sister venture to the popular Annandale café), have spent more than 16 years swapping ideas for making the most of what they’ve got.

They’ve had many of us going ‘I’d never have thought of that’ with their Waste hack Wednesday videos on the Cornersmith Instagram. They’ve shared a lot of great ideas in previous books, such as Cornersmith Salads and Pickles and Use it All. They teach low-waste cooking ideas in many of the Cornersmith workshops.  

And now they’ve brought all of that gathered knowledge into one book, so that when folk have wilting greens or a last little bit of something left over, there’s one single place to go for an idea to, as they put it, use up “the thing”. 

“We had discussions with readers and our cooking school students about the obstacles to reducing food waste, and for many, it’s simply that the wisdom of ‘what to do with the thing’ has been lost,” they write in the introduction to their new book, The Food Saver’s A-Z.

The book is jam-packed with ideas for all the bits and pieces that might seem too small, too far gone, or too boring. It’s far more than a recipe collection. There’s info on how to store things (the first step in cutting waste and extending your time to use stuff up!), easy and, often, quirky, ideas for using what you have, and suggestions for substitutions. No bananas? Mango or papaya are great understudies. No lemon?  Depending on your recipe, lime, orange juice+vinegar, kimchi brine or marmalade can all do the job.

There are no recipe photos – which means more room for all the recipes, tips, hacks, suggestions and ideas, while keeping to a book size that will work well on the kitchen bench. Instead, there are line drawings by illustrator Mirra Whale.

It’s organised, as you’d expect, alphabetically, so you can easily go looking for the specific thing you want to cook with, but it’s also a fun browse, as you’ll spot things to file away in the back of your mind for later. Saving the stems from fresh cherries to make cherry stem tea. Using whole lemons in a chocolate version of the classic flourless citrus cake. Turning brown avocado into ‘pretend Nutella’. Or making shortbread-style biscuits with tahini (no need to wait for leftovers to give that a go!)

Here’s a taste of what’s between the covers.

Pretend Nutella with half a brown avo

You can absolutely spread this on toast and give it to the kids for breakfast. Just don’t try to trick anyone over five years old.

Mash ½ brown avo very well with a fork, then mix in 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, 2–3 tsp brown sugar and a little dash of vanilla. Keep mixing until everything is combined. Spread on toast and top with slices of banana. 

It’s easier to make these flatbreads than it is to go to the shops and buy some. This recipe will literally help use up the flotsam and jetsam of the fridge and pantry: milk, cream, yoghurt, nut milk, buttermilk or a mix. The flour should be wheat, but it can be white or wholemeal plain (all-purpose) or self-raising. When cooking in this way, you do need to be prepared to make adjustments. Not all flours are created equal: what you buy in the supermarket is different from what you buy at the health-food shop, so our instructions are a good solid starting point, but you may need to experiment and add a little more of this and that to get these flatbreads perfect.

Remember that the dough needs to come together in a ball with a slightly sticky but not at all wet surface. Dust the ball with some extra flour if it seems too wet. If too dry, dampen your hands and knead the dough. Use these flatbreads to make burritos, or serve them with curries, falafel, koftas or ful medames.

In a medium bowl, mix 2 cups plain (all-purpose) flour or self-raising flour, 1 tsp salt and, if you like, 1–2 tbsp seeds such as poppy, nigella, sesame or fennel. In a small bowl, mix ¾ cup (185 ml) liquid (milk, cream, yoghurt, nut milk, buttermilk or a mix, or just plain old water) with 2 tbsp oil of your choice. If you’re using wholemeal flour, you’ll need a little more liquid – start with an extra ¼ cup (60 ml).

Mix the wet ingredients into the dry and knead the dough for about 2 minutes, until smooth. Wrap in a clean tea towel (dish towel) or beeswax wrap and set aside to rest for 30 minutes. Don’t skip this step. Resting times are important to let the gluten relax, otherwise, your flatbreads will be like leather.

Divide the dough into 6–8 equal pieces. Roll each one into a ball, flatten it, and then roll out to about 12 cm (4½ in) in diameter.

Heat a medium dry frying pan over medium-high heat and, one at a time, cook the flatbreads for about 2–3 minutes on each side. Keep warm under a clean tea towel (dish towel) until you’ve cooked all the flatbreads. Serve warm.

Or try this, also by Alex and Jaimee Green pockets These green pockets are the ultimate fast food! They are our version of gozleme and we’ve been making them for years. 

These green pockets are the ultimate fast food! They are our version of gozleme and we’ve been making them for years. 

Peanut brittle – or ‘the ends of all the nut packets’ brittle

Brittle is a real treat. Sweet, nutty and with a touch of salt. Enjoy a big shard, decorate a cake with it, or crush it up and scatter it over ice cream or banana splits. This recipe is for a classic peanut brittle, but you can use any nut and it’s a great way to use up ends of packets.

Line a small heatproof dish with baking paper, then lightly butter or oil it. In a saucepan, mix 2 cups (440 g) caster (superfine) sugar with ½ cup (125 ml) water and a pinch of salt. Place over high heat and allow the sugar to melt, without stirring, until it turns light golden.

Lower the heat to medium and continue to cook for 5–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it turns golden amber.

Remove from the heat, stir in 1½ cups (210 g) of roasted peanuts, then pour immediately onto the lined dish. Spread out with a spatula to about 1 cm (½ in) thick. Allow to cool and harden completely. Break up into pieces and store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Long live the fritter. Could there be a more forgiving and useful trick up your sleeve? When in doubt, make fritters. When the fridge needs a clear-out, make fritters. When the vegie patch is looking like it could do with a tidy-up, make fritters. Here’s a green fritter recipe (below, or see here) for all of the above. Use spinach, silverbeet (Swiss chard), zucchini (courgettes), kale, celery leaves, peas, herbs, or a mix of what you have. 

Finely chop 1 bunch (about 350 g/12 oz) of spinach. You can include the stems, but make sure to chop them small (you’ll need about 3 firmly packed cups in all). Put the spinach (or other greens) in a bowl with 1 cup picked fresh herbs of your choice, ½ cup grated or crumbled cheese (haloumi and strained feta cheese work well), ¼ cup (35 g) plain (all-purpose) flour and 3 eggs beaten with ½ tsp salt. Mix all the ingredients very well. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat and pour in ½ cupful of the green mix, cooking 2–3 fritters at a time for 3 minutes on each side. 

Serve the fritters warm, but they’re also great the next day for a packed lunch.

Or try this As you like it pancake This Japanese savoury pancake recipe comes from Cornersmith chef Tutu. It’s a take on okonomiyaki and is a staple on our cafe menu and a favourite for us at home. ‘Okonomi’ roughly translates to ‘as you like it’, making this the perfect master recipe to swap in and out what you like or what you need to use up!

This Japanese savoury pancake recipe comes from Cornersmith chef Tutu. It’s a take on okonomiyaki and is a staple on our cafe menu and a favourite for us at home. ‘Okonomi’ roughly translates to ‘as you like it’, making this the perfect master recipe to swap in and out what you like or what you need to use up!

‘Use up that jar’ cookies

We’ve used tahini here, which makes a nutty shortbread-esque cookie, but you can replace it with peanut butter or Nutella to make the kids happy, or try marmalade instead.

In a food processor, whiz 180 g (6 oz) softened butter with ½ cup (110 g) caster (superfine) sugar or raw sugar until light and creamy – this will take less than a minute. Scrape down the sides every now and then if needed. With the motor running, add 1 egg, then 4 tbsp tahini (or another spread), and mix until combined. Add 1⅔ cups (250 g) plain (all-purpose) flour and 1 tsp baking powder, then pulse until a soft, thick, mousse-like dough forms.

Spread two sheets of baking paper on the benchtop and divide the dough between them. Knead each piece of dough briefly, then shape it into a log in the middle of the paper. Wrap in the paper, twisting the ends to secure. Chill in the fridge for 2–3 hours or freeze for up to 3 months.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 160°C (315°F). Slice the dough log into 1 cm (½ in) rounds and lay them on baking trays lined with baking paper. Bake for 20 minutes, until golden, then cool on the trays.

Images and recipe text from The Food Saver’s A-Z by Alex Elliott-Howery and Jaimee Edwards. Photography by Cath Muscat, illustrations by Mirra Whale. (Murdoch Books, $49.99).

More great 'use it up' ideas Use it all loaf This tea loaf recipe is a staple at the Cornersmith cafe and in our kitchens at home. We love it because you can throw in any grated fruits or vegetables, any nuts, seeds or choc chips and any spices you need to use up and it always works.  The best green sauce This bright green sauce, a recipe from our friend Margi, takes about 15 minutes to make and adds plenty of colour and a hit of iron to your plate. It’s great to have in the fridge for quick nutritious meals - such as green eggs - and is a wonderful way to use up a bunch of forgotten greens.  Quick kitchen-scrap pickle Quick pickling is a great way to use up any vegetables in the fridge at the end of the week, as well as those leftover vegie stems – cauliflower, beetroot, broccoli and kale stems all make really delicious pickles! Salt-preserved citrus skins This recipe isn't as fancy as preserved lemons, but but it is a great way to reduce kitchen waste and produce a delicious kitchen staple. 

This tea loaf recipe is a staple at the Cornersmith cafe and in our kitchens at home. We love it because you can throw in any grated fruits or vegetables, any nuts, seeds or choc chips and any spices you need to use up and it always works. 

This bright green sauce, a recipe from our friend Margi, takes about 15 minutes to make and adds plenty of colour and a hit of iron to your plate. It’s great to have in the fridge for quick nutritious meals - such as green eggs - and is a wonderful way to use up a bunch of forgotten greens. 

Quick pickling is a great way to use up any vegetables in the fridge at the end of the week, as well as those leftover vegie stems – cauliflower, beetroot, broccoli and kale stems all make really delicious pickles!

This recipe isn't as fancy as preserved lemons, but but it is a great way to reduce kitchen waste and produce a delicious kitchen staple. 

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