Orange oil experiment

One of my experiments, and at the same time my first post in the Foodie Bee Hive.

We eat a lot of organic oranges, and as I hate throwing out things that might be of use, I cut off the outer layer of the peel and put it in rapeseed oil. The oil tastes bitter and aromatic and very orangey. I have been wondering what it should be used for. You can probably use it in cakes, e.g. cookies, and the oiled peels themselves must be usable frying as a spice (I've seen Jamie Oliver use mandarin peel with fried potatoes). I have poured most of the oil in a jar so it doesn't become rancid, and then I have greased all our wooden utensils with orange oil. In particular the kitchen utensils become quite dull and etched by the dishwasher so they will benefit from it.

Any suggestions as to what I can use it for will be welcome

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The oil has a beautiful yellow colour

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The jar where the orange peel has rested for about a month

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Different wooden kitchen utensils covered in the orange oil

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I'm not great at stuff in the kitchen. I just get by with the basics, but it would be great to reduce the waste.

Reducing food waste is both good for the climate and the economy. I have mainly done it through the years to save money as we never had a fixed income. Fruit and vegetables are the most waste creating (peeling and cutting off ends etc.) but we do have a system in Copenhagen where organic waste is collected and used to make bio gas and fertilizer. So to me this is mainly following the principles of using everything from a gastronomical point of view. I find that trying to follow such principles through often lead to interesting discoveries

We have compost heaps and there is a food waste collection for what can't go in there, e.g. cat food. I have tried the chickens with some scraps, but they tend to be fussy. They do like sweetcorn/maize.

We get a vegetable box delivery that includes locally grown produce with minimal packaging.

If you have a garden there are many ways to get rid of the waste. If I had a garden I would use Bokashi composting, but it does mean that you should have at least a bit of land, and I live in a flat :)

Limited options in a flat unless you can grow a few pots. I'm not the best gardener, but we get a fair bit from it. Some things grow by themselves. I do need to trim back the raspberries soon.

We do have two balconies so in the summer we have tomatoes and chillies, and as long as they can survive the cold we also have different herbs, but nothing that can really fill your stomach. If I had a garden I would have cabbage, kale and potatoes. Apples and berries too of course.

Now, this is a good way to save cost and make good use of what would have actually been termed waste.
Truly, some things are not actually wastes buy we dispose them without reconsidering other benefits they can be used for.