Overload, Chaos, and Organizing My Pantry
I started out to write an altogether more philosophical sort of post, but I couldn't get it done the way I wanted to in the time frame I gave myself, so I'm working on that for next week. I sort of introduced my topic over on my other blog- you can click through here to read it.
So in way, the following post is part three of a two parter, in which part one has yet to be finished. Yes, that is the way my brain functions (or malfunctions, if you prefer), which is why I need to spend some time regularly.....
Re-Organizing My Pantry
This project often results in the discovery of bottles and jars of foods I forgot I had, and can't figure out why I have them in the first place. Supercook is the frugal but disorganized cook's best friend. Type in an ingredient you have on hand and want to use, and see what comes up (you can type in more than one ingredient). For instance:
Mango Chutney brings up over 300 recipes. Each recipe title tells me the other ingredients I would need- a dip with cream cheese, a yogurt chutney with just the addition of yogurt, and, hmmmm:
Curried Beef with Potato and Peas. Supercook is like a giant Google or Dogpile search engine connected to cookery websites:
Most recipe search engines are very simple: a user types a query (like 'shrimp with garlic') and the engine returns a list of recipes which contain those words. Typically, the recipes returned will require many additional ingredients the user might not have at home. When coming across an interesting recipe, the user then either leaves out the additional ingredients or heads out to the supermarket to buy them. It is precisely this problem that Supercook aims to solve.
Supercook returns recipes you can actually make right now with the ingredients you have. It even tells you exactly how many recipes you can make, broken down into 'Starters', 'Entrees' and 'Dessert' categories. With Supercook, finding a great recipe is no longer a hassle, simply put in all the ingredients you have at home and Supercook will instantly provide you with hundreds of recipes that are all within your reach. If a recipe requires ingredients you do not have, Supercook takes the guesswork out by clearly listing the additional ingredients you will need. This eliminates wasted time spent browsing through recipes to determine whether or not a recipe is right for you.
As we organize our pantry, we put like foods together- all the nuts and raisins are in one area, for instance, because they are both used for baking and adding to other foods. All the small seasoning packets, jello, and puddings go in one basket because they are all convenience foods (something I hope to discuss more next week). Pastas, all sorts, are all in one corner, while canned soups, tomato products, and tuna are lined up in order nearby. Something else we might consider is a tip the grocery store uses- order items by expiration date, with the oldest items in front and newer items in back. This way food doesn't languish in the dark corners until long past the expiration date.
I then plan menus, looking for recipes using the ingredients I already have on hand as much as possible. When I can't find a recipe limited to what I have on hand, I look in the sales fliers and choose ingredients based on what's on sale. I plan menus at least one week advance, preferably two, sometimes for an entire month.
I usually only plan out the main dishes. Side dishes tend to take care of themselves, since I keep frozen vegetables on hand, and lunches for us are generally leftovers.
As you look through your own inventory of what's on hand, be sure to think creatively- for instance:
those last rice crispies or corn flakes you bought to make marshmallow treats with can be used with butter and seasoning to top casseroles, ground up as bread crumbs or extenders for meatloaf.
The last few red hots from the bag of candy for gingerbread houses can go in teas or hot apple cider for a warm, cinnamon spicy drink.
The sugar you're sick of and fear will interfere with your plans for a sugar-free New Year? Make some sugar scrubs- basically half vegetable oil and half sugar, a few drops of essential oil if you have it, and scrub your hands, legs, entire body while showering. This stuff makes your skin feel so good- perhaps because
sugar cane produces glycolic acid, one of the natural alpha hydroxy acids that exfoliates the skin
There's another easy recipe for one here (scroll down, it's the second one, and white sugar is one of the acceptable substutitutes).
What else do you have? Share in the comments, and maybe we can brainstorm some ways for you to use it up. Or share a tip on organizing the pantry, or some creative way you've used up the last of something lurking in your pantry. Once you've organized your pantry, what's the oddest thing you discovered? I'll tell if you will.=)
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6 Responses to “Overload, Chaos, and Organizing My Pantry”
December 26th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
I followed up on your Supercook link and was quite pleased – the system is easy to use once you get registered.
December 27th, 2008 at 9:57 am
Capers.
I enjoyed them once on something, somewhere, and decided I wanted to use them at home. Now I have a small jar languishing in my pantry and can’t figure out what to do with them.
Help?
December 27th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
I like them in an anything you might use green olives in- appetizers, in egg salad, and in this Picadillo recipe:
1 pound ground turkey (other meat works)
1 1/2 t. ground cumin
1 pound stewed tomatoes (more or less)
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup green olives, or pimentos or capers (optional, but I do like the piquant flavor they add)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
cooked rice
brown meat with cumin until no longer pink. Add remaining ingredients, including salt to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered five minutes. SErve over rice, or combine with seasoned black beans.
December 27th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
I am looking forward to trying out the supercook link. Thank you for sharing.
I also rotate my pantry items as well. I like to use my pricebook and stock up, so rotation is a necessity.
December 29th, 2008 at 11:27 pm
This is a good resource. Another good tool is RecipeKey.com They use a visual drag and drop interface to add ingredients. They also allow users to select and filter food allergens and dietary restrictions.
December 30th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
The oddest thing? Well, the strangest thing that I’m still trying to figure out to this day: 26 cans of chicken noodle soup. No one eats that KIND in my house unless really really sick. Needless to say, I have NONE now … all got donated.
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