Sometimes we throw out food, and when you really think about it, wasted food adds up to a lot of wasted money. Here are some tips on how to keep your food from going bad.

1.  Once your bananas turn too brown for your taste, throw them in the freezer. You can use them later for a delicious banana bread or banana smoothie. To thaw bananas for banana bread, run warm water over the bananas, or fill a pot with warm water and soak the bananas for 5 minutes or so. For smoothie, thaw them for slightly less time, as frozen bananas add texture to the smoothie.

2.  If you buy lots of fresh tomatoes for in the market, make tomato sauce. This can be frozen for several weeks and you can use it for rice curry or spaghetti sauce.

3.  If you buy bread in bulk, or even if you just live alone, keep most of your bread in the freezer. Keep a week’s worth of bread in the refrigerator for easy access, this way bread won’t grow mold or attract insects.

4.  To avoid meat or chicken going bad, divide it into portions that you normally cook, wrapping each portion in plastic wrap, and store in the freezer. If you are unsure of what portions you use, it is best to wrap each piece individually.

5.  All vegetables last longer if you wash them and store them in paper towels in the fridge right after purchase. Lettuce and greens should be stored in layers of paper towels. Peppers, carrots,

should be placed on top of a paper towel.

6.  If brown sugar becomes hard, don’t throw it out. Its softness can be restored by microwaving it for 15 seconds at a time, until it is soft. To prevent hardness from happening, store brown sugar

in an airtight container with a piece of bread on top.

7.  If you buy too much butter, wrap portions thoroughly in plastic wrap and freeze them. Transfer to the refrigerator as you use up smaller portions. Frozen butter can also be used for making scones.

8.  If you have leftover mandazi here’s how to keep them fresh so you can enjoy them the next day.

Cut an apple in half and eat one half and quarter the other half. Put the quarters in with the box of mandazi or paper bag. Put that into another bag and tie it shut. Alternatively, freeze them the night before and then microwave them for 10-25 seconds just before you are ready to eat them. END.