Zero waste kitchen: What to do with potato peels

Our first idea is a delicious one – homemade potato chips!

All you have to do is drizzle the cleaned peel of organic potatoes with a little vegetable oil, add your favorite spices such as salt, pepper, paprika or chilli and roast it in the oven for about 10 minutes at 200°C. Voilà, your homemade snack is ready for the next movie night!

Attention! To avoid the dangerous solanine you should only use fresh potatoes and make sure that there are no germs or green spots on the peel!

Tip: The peel of sweet potatoes, beetroot, parsnip and radish as well as leaves of savoy cabbage and kale can also be used to make delicious vegetable chips. Here, too, you should make sure to go with organic vegetable, so that the peels are free of pesticides!

Did you know that you don't need a special cleaner for stainless steel pots, dishes, fittings and the sink? The starch in potatoes does a good job as well! The best thing about it: you only need the potato peel.

Take the moist side of the peel instead of a rag and rub the dirty surfaces with it. After that, let everything it rest for a while before you rinse it off or wipe it with a cleaning cloth – done!

Yes, you read that right: dishwashing liquid can be made from potato peels!
All you need is a jar (e.g. mason jar) and the peel of some potatoes.

Here's how it works: After washing the potatoes, you collect the peel in the jar and pour it over with boiling water before closing it tightly. After about 30-45 minutes, you should shake the potato peel water vigorously creating some foam. When the jar has cooled down completely, you can put it in the fridge (preferably overnight). Twelve hours after the dishwashing liquid has been prepared, all you have to do is sieve out the potato peelings and pour the liquid into a bottle – voilà, your organic dishwashing liquid is ready to use!

After washing, the dishes should be rinsed with clear, warm water.

Attention! Since it is a natural product, fermentation can occur quite quickly and can be recognized through a slightly sour odour. The detergent can then no longer be used and should be disposed of.

It is best to store the potato dishwashing liquid in the refrigerator where it will stay good for use for about eight days. You can also add a teaspoon of washing soda. This does not only eliminate germs, but increases the detergent's fat-dissolving power.

Potato peels are an ideal fire starter. Adding them to the wood, whether in your fireplace or the tiled stove, they burn quite slowly glowing for a relatively long time. The next time you are peeling potatoes, just let the peel dry on a plate or in a bowl on your stove or heater. When they are completely dry, you can easily place them between the wood when lighting the fireplace. Nice, isn’t it?

Stains in light leather whether it is on the couch, on chairs or on boots are the literal worst! Fortunately, potato peel is there to help. Gently rub the stains with the moist side of the peel until they significantly fade or at best completely disappear. Wipe it with a moist cloth or a special leather care product afterwards – done!

Cleaning mirrors without streaks and stripes? It's possible! Simply rub them with the moist side of potato peels before polishing them with a soft, dry cloth. An advantage for mirrors in the bathroom: after this treatment, they no longer fog up – even when fog fills the room during a hot shower.

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