Bacon grease, herb stems and other flavorful food scraps worth saving

Some of the best broths come from picked-over poultry carcasses and vegetable scraps. Rey Lopez for The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky

I get immense satisfaction from using every last bit of something I’ve paid good money for: squeezing the dregs of the toothpaste until my knuckles turn white, using a pen until the ink runs dry and turning the dish soap bottle upside down to ensure nothing is left behind. The same goes for food. Not only do I get a thrill out of turning surplus jam into a vinaigrette or tucking a handful of potato chip crumbs into a sandwich, but I also give myself a pat on the back every time I stretch an ingredient further than it was originally intended.

This means hanging on to parts of the food that I may not have used in a given recipe or getting