It's been on my mind lately to start running down my storecupboard and freezer in readiness for moving. I have a lot of stuff that I could use up and it will save me money too! I started with my herbs and spices. Despite getting a new kitchen 2 years ago (September 2021!!) I had spices dated 2017!! I must have just put them back in the cupboard without checking!
So I chucked out the really old ones and sorted the rest. My cooking seems to fall into categories so I sorted my spices into those. The above photo is of my Tex Mex spices. I make up my own fajita and taco seasoning mixes, much cheaper than the ready made packets and no fillers.
Basic curry spices (cumin does double duty!)
Baking spices, although I tend to just use mixed spice for most things. No idea why I have cinnamon as I don't like it. I can only think I bought it for a school project and didn't use that one. The whole nutmegs are dated 2019 but they'll still be fine.
Standard cooking herbs/spices. The saffron was a gift but I've only used it once. Any ideas on what to use it for?? It's too expensive to just throw out!
This is my most recent purchase. I used to live on stir fries when I was working as they were quick and easy to throw it together when I was tired. I've not really had many recently. I want to start again as it's a great way to stretch a little meat with loads of veggies.
I did a search on YouTube for some authentic Chinese sauces as the ready made ones have got too many processed additives for my liking. I found a few channels that suggested these 5 basic ingredients were the base of most sauces:
- Soy sauce
- Sesame oil
- MSG
- Starch (something like cornflour)
- Scihuan pepper
- Oyster sauce
- Rice vinegar
- Chinese cooking wine
- 5 spice powder
- Chilli sauce
I would use the saffron to colour homemade soap a beautiful yellow but that might not help you out😀
ReplyDeleteIf I even look at something with MSG in I get a vile headache so I would be passing on that too!
I wonder what the official line is on whole nutmeg longevity - I'm still using some that are positively ancient 😂
Alison in Wales x
I'm the same with MSG so I give it a wide berth. I'd bet nutmeg lasts forever!!! :-) xxx
Deletespices last forever but just lose intensity and I reckon nutmegs have probably been found in Egyptian tombs!
ReplyDeletesaffron to colour rice?
A few jars smelled a bit musty and the contents clumped hard together so I'd guess they had some moisture in them. I think I coloured rice with it before so I might just do that again :-) xxx
DeletePaella! Or saffron cake or buns - a Cornish deliciousness. Also my stir fry sauce is one tbsp of runny honey, one tbsp of soy sauce and the juice of a whole orange. I always use fresh garlic, ginger and chilli and whatever veg is fresh and in season. Think I might make a stir fry tonight as I have all of the above plus spinach, chard and leek ready to pick in the veg plot and a few carrots and a red pepper in the fridge and noodles in the cupboard. Thanks for the inspiration Ali! Sarah in Sussex
ReplyDeletePaella is what I was thinking but it's a bit faffy and I don't have all the ingredients. I've never made it from scratch but it's on my list to make as I love it so much!! My go to stir fry sauce is just honey and soy sauce but I want to expand my range. Enjoy your stir fry tonight! :-) xxx
DeleteOn a similar subject, buy a cheap bottle of dry vermouth and use in any recipe instead of white wine it lasts a whole lot longer (that is if you don’t quaff it - HIC) as it has a screw top. Am feeling your excitement about your move, good luck. Jan in Castle Gresley
ReplyDeleteOoo great tip! I googled it and found that vermouth is a good sub for sherry. I've just checked Tesco's website and a litre of dry vermouth (£8) is cheaper than a litre of dry sherry (£9.25) The plan is to have the house on the market by the end of March/beginning of April. That's just 4 weeks! Eeeeek!! :-) xxx
DeleteI checked my spices recently and found 3 unopened jars of ground ginger! Good luck with getting the house prepped and ready for sale. I am doing donate for Lent and am up to around 20 out of 40 items already. Catriona
ReplyDeleteI thought I was pretty good at keeping my storecupboard supplies in date but it just shows how easy it is to let a few slip through! :-) xxx
DeleteI've got some realllllllllly old spices!!!! I really should chuck some out too! They are taking up valuable cupboard space in a massive box!!!
ReplyDeleteI recently got some reasonable Sesame oil at Lidl.
Mine were taking up a whole shelf!! I'll check Lidl for sesame oil the next time I'm passing. They usually have decent prices on stuff like that :-) xxx
DeleteThe stir-fry sauce I make has fresh ginger, garlic, onion, red pepper flakes, fish sauce and lime juice besides the ones you mentioned. I'm careful about adding too much sesame oil; sometimes it can overwhelm the other ingredients. ~ skye
ReplyDeleteSounds yummy! I add the sesame oil at the end as I think it overwhelms the other flavours too :-) xxx
DeleteI would infuse the saffron in a good olive or sunflower oil, - use for stir fries etc. I used to make Chines Five Spice biscuits - just add it to your favourite plain biscuit recipe.
ReplyDeleteI like the infused oil idea! 5 spice biscuits sound interesting! :-) xxx
DeleteI'm a bit ahead of you, had the surveyor for the home report and the photographer in yesterday. I think the house will go live online by the end of the week. I had flu four weeks ago, and so I'm a week behind my original timescale. But had allowed for glitches. I had fun chucking out of date herbs and spices too! I go by smell and appearance rather than beat before dates. Good luck with the rest of your prepping. xx
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping to get the home report done in a few weeks. I have a former colleague who said she was interested in buying my house so I promised her a first look. If she makes a decent offer I might not need to get an estate agent and save on their fees :-) xxx
DeleteThat would be a terrific saving. I hope it works out for you. Mine has just gone live online.
DeleteIt's an outside chance but worth investigating :-) xxx
DeleteIt's nice to have a good sort through the spices isn't it, something I should do really but I keep closing the drawer quickly before the urge overtakes me. ;-)
ReplyDeleteWe are just putting our Welsh flat on the market, fingers crossed it sells quickly. We brought home all our stuff on Saturday, which included some food and spices, so my cupboard is a bit fuller again. At least we managed to eat all the food out of the freezer.
I'm trying to eat out of the freezer but I keep filling it with more stuff! :-) xxx
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