Cooking without leftovers: how do radish leaves taste?

Cooking without leftovers is a creative challenge for Bernadette Wörndl: What others throw away, she transforms into delicious dishes. An interview – and delicious recipes that use fruit and vegetables as a whole.

From the shell to the core: Cooking without leftovers

On average, every German throws more than 80 kilos of food per year gone, almost half of it fruit and vegetables. Bernadette Wörndl proves that this doesn't have to be the case. She cooks with what others throw away: broccoli stalks, carrot greens, even apricot kernels. She makes syrup from the core of the apple, and uses tomato peels to flavor salt.

In her cookbook "From the shell to the core", Wörndl presents recipes in which fruit and vegetables are used whole – both creatively and sustainably. We talked to Bernadette Wörndl about good food, hideous supermarket vegetables and ice cream on the cob.

BRIGITTE.de: Ms. Wörndl, how do radish leaves actually taste?
Bernadette Wörndl: They taste spicy, similar to rocket. They also color extremely green, which looks great. You should definitely try pesto made from radish leaves.

I only found out from your cookbook that you can eat them.

A lot of people don't know that. That's why they don't dare to cook with it – and throw away what tastes wonderful.

What else belongs in the pot instead of in the bin?

For example the stalks of broccoli or cauliflower. They're even a bit more delicate than the florets and make a great puree. And you can braise the cauliflower leaves in the oven or in the pan.

Why is it so important to you: to use everything from fruit to vegetables?

Appreciating food, I learned that in childhood: I grew up with my grandma on the farm. She was always economical with ingredients – you didn't have much in the past. From her I learned that a freshly picked carrot from the garden is something special. It would be a shame to just throw away a large part of it!

There seems to be a rethinking of food waste. Films like "Taste the Waste" have shaken people up, there are campaigns like "Too good for the waste".

Yes, there is a greater awareness of good food and good products again. People want to know, "Where do my vegetables come from?" And that's just as well. It wasn't until I moved into town that I noticed how awful the vegetables from the supermarket taste like. Today I have my own vegetable garden.

Vegetables play the main role in your book. Are you a vegetarian?

No, but I wanted to put the vegetables in the spotlight. To show: you don't always need meat and fish to cook in a varied way.

Corn on the cob ice cream, beetroot cake, carrot panna cotta – some of your recipes are really extraordinary. Why do you think that?

My ideas often come from colors. The recipe for my corn on the cob ice cream came to my mind, for example, because of the ice cream cone: It's yellow. I thought about what could go with it and came up with corn. I really enjoy creating recipes this way.

To be able to cook like that, you need a lot of experience.
Everyone can cook something simple but special from a few good ingredients – you just have to dare. I want to encourage people: be creative! Grab a recipe, see what is being combined. You don't have all the ingredients in the house? Never mind Think about how to replace them.

What if it doesn't taste good?

That can happen – even to me. Then I try, think "That doesn't work at all" and immediately feel like experimenting further. And in the end you can be proud of yourself: Hey, I created a dish!

Do you never throw food away?

If I know I can make something out of the ingredients, then I'll use them too. I pre-cook food and freeze it. You can also canning, drying, pickling. There are so many possibilities! Or I invite friends – they help me eat up.

Thank you for the interview!

Here we show you creative recipes for the whole family, with which you can use leftovers.

Tips for cooking without leftovers and waste

Cooking without leftovers also means that you don't throw food away as soon as it has a dent or has become wrinkled, floury or brown. There are many dishes that taste much better with shriveled fruit or vegetables than with fresh ones. Apple crumble cake is particularly tasty and aromatic in late autumn when it is prepared with wrinkled apples. Very ripe, dark bananas add a lot more flavor to a smoothie than fresh, light ones. Wrinkled vegetables and different types of beet can be wonderfully processed into a sauce. You can also add a couple of overripe tomatoes and dried peperoncino pods that you would not use any more otherwise.

All kinds of dough can be made from old potatoes, for example for potato dumplings or gnocchi. In our recipe for potato dumplings, gnocchi and potato noodles, we show you how all of this works with a single basic recipe. Laby lettuce leaves can be braised and prepared with vegetables to make an aromatic, warm salad. Raisins can be conjured up from wrinkled grapes that you dry in the oven and you can easily cook tomato soup from mushy tomatoes.

Admittedly: Cooking without leftovers requires a good deal of experimentation, a little creativity and a lot of experience. But if you approach it slowly, you will do better and better at avoiding food waste.

Video recommendation:

Interview: Angelika Unger