Green Tip of the Day

Day-Old Bread

Instead of tossing out stale bread, whip up some delicious bread pudding, bruschetta, soufflé, or French toast.

Less bread purchased means less bread packaging, and even though bread's biodegradable, the bags will take years to decompose in a landfill, where light, moisture, and bacteria are scarce.

At the store, day-old bread costs a third to half as much as fresh bread.

Check for mold (which isn't good for birds either, BTW) before you use it.

Refresh it - splash some water on the loaf so it's damp on top, and heat it up in a 300-degree toaster oven for about 5 minutes (use the heat left over from baking something else to save energy).

Make bread crumbs - toast it in a 200-degree toaster oven until it's crusty (or let dry while spread out on a flat surface), then use your cheese grater to grate it into bread crumbs.

Make croutons - chop it into big cubes, coat it with organic olive oil, and toast it at 375 degrees until dry and golden brown.

Use it in a recipe - try these: Apple Pan Charlotte; Baked French Toast; Cheese, Onion, and Bread Soufflé; Chocolate Bread Pudding; and Panzanella (Tuscan Bread Salad)