How to Avoid Waste When You Bake

The only way to become a better baker is to get in the kitchen and bake. Yay! Any excuse to bake is music to my ears, but the bad news is you are about to be knee deep in delicious desserts. You do not want to waste your ingredients, kitchen space, or finished bakes that you just put so much work into. Let’s talk about ways to avoid waste when you bake.

 

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What is Baking Waste?

 

What exactly am I talking about when I say “baking waste”. Well, that can actually be a few things. First off, it can refer to ingredients or tools that you buy for one specific recipe. If you never use those again, you may have just wasted money and storage space.

The more obvious “waste” to come out of a baking session is your final bake. If you bake frequently, you’ll very quickly realize how difficult it can be to consume a full sized cake on a regular basis. But, there are options besides just throwing away those tasty treats!

 

 

Avoid Wasted Ingredients

 

There are recipes, including ones on my own site, that will list an obscure ingredient. Now you’ve got to decide if you go out of your way to purchase said ingredient, or if you can use a swap instead. Let’s use my Vanilla Bean Madeleines with Fiori di Sicilia as an example.

That recipe has two weirdo ingredients: vanilla bean paste and fiori di Sicilia. Vanilla bean paste is incredibly useful, but it can be very pricey. If you don’t want to spend that much, just use vanilla extract and it will be perfect.

 

Ingredient Swap

 

Fiori di Sicilia is a bit different. It’s not expensive, but the only place I’ve ever purchased it is from King Arthur Baking. Shipping can be expensive. If you read the blog post for those madeleines, firori di Sicilia tastes of oranges with floral notes. You could try using orange zest or extract instead.

Now, if you’re going to make an ingredient swap, you’ve got to understand that the recipe may not turn out exactly the same. In this case, it’d still be delicious, though the flavor would be slightly different. Swapping flavor extracts is fairly simple, but if you get into the other ingredients like flours, leaveners, or sugars, this could drastically alter your final bake.

 

 

Use Leftovers

 

If a recipe leaves you with leftovers of an element, see if you can’t re-purpose that element. For example, I made a batch of homemade honeycomb for my Chocolate & Honey Cupcakes. The thing is, I barely used a third of that honeycomb.

Rather than wasting the candy that took my time and energy to create, I figured out a way to use it up. I had no idea if it would turn out, but I chucked the honeycomb into a batch of cookie dough with a dash of cinnamon. The honeycomb chocolate chip cookies turned out great! I do this a lot actually.

 

Related Reading: Do I Really Need a Stand Mixer?

 

Avoid Wasted Tools

 

You also probably don’t want to buy a tool that is a one trick pony. Not only can that feel like a waste of money, it’s going to take up valuable space in your kitchen. Whenever you come across a new tool that a recipe calls for, think about whether you can get a lot of use out of it, or if it saves you a big hassle.

My cherry pitter only does one thing, it pits 6 cherries at once. I can’t find any other use for it, but if you’ve ever tried pitting 6 cups of cherries with just a paring knife, you know that this tool is a life saver. It’s small enough that I don’t mind storing this one hit wonder in a small drawer until cherry season comes around again.

 

Tool Debate: Macaron Edition

 

If you want to learn how to make macarons, a silicone baking mat with a template can be a game changer. But making macarons is a difficult skill to master, and you may not end up making them often. Luckily, you can use silicone baking mats for so many other bakes! To me, this tool has earned a place in my kitchen. 

Now I make a decent amount of macarons every year, so I actually took my macaron mat game up a notch. I place teflon sheets over my silicone mat. These sheets are inexpensive, but I only use mine for making macarons. I was only willing to add this item to my kitchen because I know I can get enough use out of it. If you don’t make macarons regularly, this might not be a worthwhile tool.

 

 

Avoid Waste When You Bake

 

Don’t throw away your bakes! First of all, I’ve got an entire blog post about using up leftover buttercream, so check that out. Okay, so you’ve just whipped up a new dessert, what happens next? You may have a few willing taste testers in your house, but there’s no way you guys can finish it before it spoils.

The solution is seemingly simple, yet oddly difficult in reality. Simply put, share. Brainstorm a list of people outside of your home that may be interested in some yummy treats. Let me help get you started:

• Neighbors
• Friends
• Extended family
• Coworkers (I send my bakes in with my husband all the time)

 

Donate to Charities

 

If you’re not close with people in your community, it can feel a bit weird trying to offload your bakes onto people around you. It’s been my experience that most people are very willing though. That being said, there are charities that would love to capitalize on your passion for baking.

This is not a great option for those random desserts you whip up on a whim, but if you can plan your baking around them, it’s a great opportunity to gain experience in the kitchen and even play around with new recipes or techniques.

 

 

Icing Smiles

 

If you love to bake and decorate cakes, consider signing up to be a Sugar Angel with Icing Smiles. Icing Smiles is a nonprofit organization that uses local bakers to provide free cakes to children battling illness.

 

No Kid Hungry

 

Help feed kids across America by hosting a bake sale for No Kid Hungry. I did this back in 2019 and loved it! You can create a page through their website to collect online donations, plus the organization will help you with promo materials. 

Bake whatever you want, set up a booth (maybe at a community event), and collect those donations. Not only do you get to practice your baking skills, you are helping hungry kids in your area. To really make an impact, see if any other local bakers want to participate. That’s what I did and it was a great way to connect with other home bakers.

 

Related Reading: Ultimate Gift Guide for Bakers

 

Alzheimer’s Association

 

My grandmother suffered from Alzheimer’s, so I’d love to host a bake sale to support this organization. From what I gather, you can use any hobby or idea to raise awareness and collect donations for the Alzheimer’s Association. 

 

Community Events

 

Keep an eye out for donation opportunities in your local area too. I’m very involved with our military community and have donated baked goods to several functions to help support our families, service members, and local community.

 

 

Happy Baking!

 

Now you’ve got one less reason not to bake. You know that you can use your bakes to bring cheer to your loved ones, community, and coworkers. And if you’re up for a bigger challenge, you can even use your passion for baking to support deserving charities.

I’m always open to new ideas though, what are some of your favorite ways to avoid waste when you bake? Let me know in a comment down below! If you enjoyed this post, pop on over to the Bakes & Blunders Facebook page and share your thoughts.