Preserving old food: seven tricks to revitalize it

Dry bread, wilted lettuce, or moldy cheese: When food isn't fresh, it often goes straight into the trash. But this doesn't have to be! We'll tell you how you can use some simple tricks to revamp old foods.

Sometimes we miscalculate when shopping or our meal plans are unexpectedly foiled — and the remaining groceries wither, rot, and dry out. To save resources, money and the environment, we reveal 7 tips you can use to update old foods.

Withered salad

Everyone who lives alone or just as a couple knows the problem: you buy a head of lettuce that you cannot consume immediately. But within a day or two, the leaves begin to wilt in the refrigerator. What do I do?

Soak the wilted leaves in lukewarm water for a quarter of an hour. From this the leaves draw new moisture and quickly become crisp again!

Dry bread

Did yesterday's leftovers accidentally roll onto the table overnight? Don't worry: Dried pasta doesn't have to go straight into the trash. Instead, try adding moisture to your bread. To do this, dip the wraps in water briefly or sprinkle a few drops on top. They can then be baked again in the oven until crispy and fresh.

Wilted vegetables

Whether it's carrots, potatoes or tomatoes - wilted vegetables don't look pretty and don't look fresh anymore. But this phenomenon of aging is by no means a reason to write off food forever. Simply place the carrots and co. in a bowl of cold water in the refrigerator overnight. The result: smooth, crisp vegetables that are as fresh as new!

Dried cheese

Especially if you use cheese in one piece, the outer edges can dry out quickly. But this does not mean that the edges should be densely cut off and thrown away. Instead, soak the amount of cheese you need in milk for 20 minutes until it absorbs enough moisture and becomes soft again.

Leftover pizza

Fortunately, this dish packs just fine and will easily last until the next day. The problem: If you reheat the pizza in the microwave the next day, a piece of dough will come out again. Instead, try heating the pizza in a little oil in a frying pan. This not only makes it warm again, it makes the base crispy again.

Moldy cheese

Mold on cheese - dangerous or not bad? If you discover some stains on hard cheese, you can remove them generously. Most of the cheese is still edible.

But: you should be more careful with cream cheese, semi-hard cheese or soft cheese - if in doubt, it is better to throw away this food.

Dried cookies

Biscuits always taste good. But sometimes we are so eager to bake such a large quantity that we can't keep up with the coffee party. If the biscuits are dry, this trick helps: Place an apple or a few orange slices in the biscuit tin. The fruit provides the pastry with moisture so it becomes softer again.