PrintQuestion of the Day: Bought but Never Opened
We all have it—that one food item in the pantry or refrigerator that we've purchased but never opened. What's yours?
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45 Comments:
A jar of Chinese Five Spice. My boyfriend got it for me for a particular recipe that I never made, so I feel doubly bad for never opening it! I don't even remember what recipe I was going to make. It's probably 8 or 9 months old at this point, and I can't find a freshness date. I'll probably let it hang out with the other spices for a bit longer. This is kind of motivating me to use it!
K at 10:55AM on 04/24/07
dried porcini mushrooms. they've been in my pantry for three years.
Bay Burger at 11:18AM on 04/24/07
chrysanthemum tea. a friend gave me some after i enjoyed it while eating dim sum with him once. and it sat there on my shelf for two years. i finally threw it out when we moved.
french tart at 11:23AM on 04/24/07
Fennel seeds. I have no memory of buying them, either.
hereandthe at 11:26AM on 04/24/07
What a great question!
Two mini-sized bottles of white wine from a year ago and a large hunk of Joey's corn bread. Damn those impulse buys!
Balanced dinner?
HeartofGlass at 11:29AM on 04/24/07
I have yet to try the Marmite I bought. This Aussie item might have their praise (the reason I bought it), but does not sounds yummy. Yeast spread? Kind of ewwwww... But I love my Nutella, so I should stop fooling around and try this stuff out tonight.
jsholar at 11:37AM on 04/24/07
Marmite and butter on bread, very good. Add a teaspoon of it to soups. very healty for you.
nelson5757 at 11:53AM on 04/24/07
j --re: the marmite, try a thin skate of the stuff on a water cracker or saltine. Some people like it, but others would not be surprised if you pitched the rest of the jar. You'd think it could be used as an ingredient, like miso, but it can't.
I found a can of mango pulp in the back of a cupboard the other day. Couldn't remember how old it was, but it wasn't from this century.
jscheck at 11:57AM on 04/24/07
A year or so ago I spied teff flour at Rainbow Market. I had grand fantasies of serving a huge authentic Ethiopian feast! It's been in the back of the pantry ever since.
kitchenbea at 12:11PM on 04/24/07
I have one item in mind, it's been opened with a grand intention of using it all the time for baking. I bought meringue powder to make royal icing, I have had it for 2 + years and have used it twice!!!
Sarahrm at 12:25PM on 04/24/07
My cocoa nibs are sitting in the pantry unused. I'm still a nib virgin.
Acme Instant Food at 12:25PM on 04/24/07
A jar of lemon curd. I learned how to make it myself. So now the jar looks like really nasty stuff to me.
Mich23 at 12:28PM on 04/24/07
Egg roll wrappers. A boyfriend begged me to make him homemade egg rolls. He's gone, but the wrappers remain in the fridge, sigh.
hatlady at 12:33PM on 04/24/07
A jar of Cheese Whiz
susanl at 12:42PM on 04/24/07
A jar of pimentos, Flax seed oil that is probably rancid by now, a box mix for beer bread (i know its good but i never have reason to make it!)
ThatGirl153 at 1:08PM on 04/24/07
Purple Yam flour...
@Bay burger: how can dried porcini survive for three years??? Take them out now, soak them in hot water and make a nice risotto, or a stew or a nice pasta sauce!!! Porcini are so, so, so good!!!
Sara - Piperita at 1:12PM on 04/24/07
Old Bay seasoning.
I bought it once for a crab dip, or something like that, and have probably not used it since. In 3 years.
Just can't find any use for it....
Stefanie at 1:25PM on 04/24/07
A jar of anchovy paste. It adds a nice kick to a pasta sauce with shrimp... if you remember to use it.
kqrbob at 1:32PM on 04/24/07
Pistachio Cream. The jar is just too damn cute plus it reminds me of a really good time in my life. I doubt I'll ever use it.
missus_p at 1:39PM on 04/24/07
Himalayan 'pink' salt in chunks - comes with it's own grater - love it but am waiting to have guests to impress them wit' it
beaujolais at 2:33PM on 04/24/07
Almond Paste. I thought I was going to make macaroons. I think the box (and its contents) date back to about 1998.
Amandarama at 2:51PM on 04/24/07
A jar of pickles.
Ash at 3:38PM on 04/24/07
Gram flour and a block of tamarind. I have a project in mind for the tamarind, though, so maybe I'll finally be able to put it to some use.
caley at 3:56PM on 04/24/07
Tahini. Oh, my grand dreams of hummus and babaganoj.
FKC at 4:01PM on 04/24/07
Chinese style XO sauce, a jar of Farro for an Italian farro salad that was never made, and then an entire tupperware of spice bags of indian spices- masala, two types of curry powders, fennelgreek seeds, cumin seeds..... everytime i think to make Indian food, I get intimidated and order takeout instead.
shaofan at 5:50PM on 04/24/07
Maybe we can set up a swap?
I'll swap all of those flavored oils everyone keeps buying me for: anchovy paste, Chinese 5 spice, almond paste, tamarind, dried porcini, fennel seeds or chrysanthemum tea.
I've got basil oil, oil with chili peppers, tarragon flavored....you name it!
Judith klinger at 6:04PM on 04/24/07
lavender and rose jelly bought in paris 3 years ago...I have NO idea what to do with them.
@stefanie re: old bay...awesome on steamed shrimp & crabs, sprinkle on salmon/ bake and top with a squeeze of lemon, fried chicken, popcorn...anything really is better with old bay but Im from MD so I am biased.
hammondcheese at 7:27PM on 04/24/07
stefanie -- try sprinkling the old bay on the skin of the next chicken you roast. Or, on tilapia filets before you dip them in the egg.
I usually don't have a lot of stuff hanging around in my cupboards, but I often buy a piece of meat, and then lose my steam when it comes to preparing it. I bought a 2 lb chuck roast with the intention of making a pot of chili. Then the weather got warmer, and the last thing I really wanted was a hot bowl of chili. So, there the roast sat, and got darker and darker. I tossed it out a week after its sell-by.
DaveFaris at 7:38PM on 04/24/07
A little unopened jar of mustard with wasabi, four or five months past its sell-by date. It was hiding way in the back. Think it's still good, or should I toss it?
baboo at 7:54PM on 04/24/07
A bag of fresco de cacao mix I brought back from Nicaragua 8 months ago. Delicious when prepared fresh in Nica, but I've been convinced it just wouldn't taste the same here. Perhaps I should give it a go, like all the other brave souls here.
veggiesattva at 8:24PM on 04/24/07
I too have a jar of meringue powder (don't even remember what I was planning on making with it). Also, a jar of preserved lemons.
Ovens2Betsy at 8:32PM on 04/24/07
I've had blood orange ice cream in my freezer for 5 months.
I bought some tea in Laos that I've never used because I have no idea what it is.
NSW at 10:23PM on 04/24/07
Judith, I'll swap you a once used bottle of fennel seeds for the basil oil! ;)
FKC at 11:47PM on 04/24/07
I have most of the things that most of you have but I use the stuff. My things that I have not used are a small list. Trader Joes sweet and sour sauce. I will find something for it. Branston pickle I keep forgetting it is in there when I get good cheese. A package of lady fingers. A tiramisu is coming one day. A box of amaretti. A pie crust is coming out of that. Assorted flours, soy, rice, buckwheat, flaxseed. All waiting for me to experiment.
JerzeeTomato at 12:32AM on 04/25/07
Judith, i already threw out the chrysanthemum tea :( but next time i get any as a gift i'll swap you for tarragon oil!
french tart at 7:02AM on 04/25/07
A can of capers!
Josie at 7:06AM on 04/25/07
This stuff would make the best Iron Chef show EVER!
Cheez Whiz egg rolls, anyone ;)
HeartofGlass at 9:03AM on 04/25/07
whole wheat panko bread crumbs.
KItkat at 9:22AM on 04/25/07
Maggi seasoning, canned tuna and canned pinapples (supposedly to make upside down cake, but never remembered them). Oh there are also five spices powder, dried parsley... I'm too scared to raid the pantry
winny at 10:03AM on 04/25/07
make sandwich cookies with the lavender and rose jellies.
a package of sweet and sour powder from chinatown - it's fuchsia.
Dish at 10:34AM on 04/25/07
wasabi powder, for the homemade sushi I've yet to create!
à la mode at 1:58PM on 04/25/07
Cocoa powder----I never bake anything
JEP at 7:12PM on 04/25/07
A bottle of ginger powder since last Christmas for my grand dream of having a gingerbread making day with my nieces and nephews but getting the right molasses scares me off. I don't have unused stuffs. Things always get used up - I buy or have been given stuffs I like and watch expiry dates with clockwork precision. First task when moved in with bf - dumped all his expired junk food - canned macaroni and cheese, canned ravioli for eg...! It was a revolution.
Karen LIM at 12:08PM on 04/27/07
capers, sauerkraut (white AND red), felafal mix, canned vegetables, white wine vinegar, chocolate, coconut powder and cream coconut (hard)...I was in the pantry earlier and this is all I can recall!
tgchi at 10:39PM on 05/03/07
umeboshi paste. maybe one day....
hohnsolo at 2:12PM on 05/08/07