Zero Waste Cooking Workshops in Wrocław

Wasting food and other important natural resources is now a global problem. The Sokołów has once again raised the subject of Zero Waste cooking, by organising in Wrocław workshops devoted to this issue. The participating bloggers and journalists could learn what to do every day to effectively limit wasted food. Together with Piotr Kucharski, they have prepared 4 original dishes, and while doing so, they discovered how much taste can be created cooking with the so-called leftovers.

Social responsibility in business and in everyday life

The Sokołów, which is committed to culinary education related to new trends and major social issues, sponsored the meeting on Zero Waste cooking.

“Sokołów operates in accordance with the principles of sustainable development,” says Marcin Bałanda, Sokołów S.A. PR and Communications Director. “We effectively reduce CO2 emissions and optimize the consumption of water and electric power in our facilities, and we modernize our product’s packaging. We want to broadly communicate the idea of social responsibility to our consumers, encouraging them to adopt this attitude every day, in different areas of life, including, of course, when preparing meals. During the previous Zero Waste workshops, we have discovered how popular is the subject, so we have decided to continue to educate on this topic.”

The Wrocław meeting was led by Piotr Kucharski who is an expert on original ideas on how to use the products that are usually thrown in a waste bin. The workshops took place at the Culinary Studio in Browar Mieszczański. Marcin Bałanda introduced the participants to the idea of Zero Waste. “We all need to realize the importance of the food waste problem,” he stressed. “Just in our country, several million tons of food end up in the landfills every year.”

How to change that? One of the most important things is a greater awareness of the culinary use of so-called leftovers, rational planning of purchases and proper storage of food. Piotr Kucharski also tried to convince people to counteract wasting water and energy in the kitchen and to make maximum use of a single energy source. One simple, yet important action is to reduce the use of plastic bags. That’s why each participant of the workshop received a set of cotton shopping bags.

Cooking smart

Piotr Kucharski suggested four dishes, each of them using ingredients, which often end up in the trash. Delicious creamy soup was based on the vegetables that left from a barbecue. Its taste was completed with crispy chips made from Sokołów raw smoked bacon and paste with wilted herbs and olive oil. A "refreshed" baguette has become the base for the Uczta Qulinarna entrecôte steak sandwich and a Zero Waste sauce with withered chives and radishes. A salad with pickled vegetables, artfully sprinkled with grated Sokołów Beef Jerky proved to be another perfect way of using wilted vegetables. Workshop participants also learned how to prepare original dessert using stale yeast dough – just pour mixed eggs and milk on it, add overripe, seasonal fruit, bake in the oven... and you're done!

Traditionally, the meeting found its culmination in a meal. The people gathered around the table with Zero Waste dishes discussed ideas for everyday actions that can help avoid wasting food.