Half a jar of...
Does this happen to you? You buy some ingredient for a recipe, but the recipe only needs a little bit. Or half a jar. Whatever it is, you end up with a half-jar of this and a half-jar of that. I'm not talking about normal stuff that you use every day, but odd things that maybe belong to a particular ethnic cuisine.
So what do you do with those half-jars of stuff? Do you make the same recipe again soon? Do you look for other recipes to use it up? Do you throw it out?
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12 Comments:
I usually forget about it until the only option is to throw it out. Sad.
renzata at 3:18AM on 12/15/08
I hate to admit that I throw things out, but it sometimes happens.
it really depends on the cuisine or food item. if it's italian it'll be gone in two days in any case. Same with asian foodstuffs, except the really exotic items. I bought hoisin sauce a month or two ago and my wife asked me what the heck I planned to do with the rest after I used the measly 2 tablespoon for our stir fry dinner. I shrugged and said things will come up. Today I have less than half a jar left. It may come to the throwing out point, but on this one I gave a good fight.
My question is why can't I just get exactly the amount I want when I need it. Whenever I buy stock it seems that I use almost the entire container, but not quite. Honestly I don't need that entire can of chipotles for my chili.
It can also be fun to explore the ingredient you have and try to use it up. Especially if it's not a normal purchase.
phenosteve at 3:26AM on 12/15/08
I've noticed that this only happens to me when I try to cook Asian food. I always end up with half a jar or half a package of all kinds of things like nori, rice noodles and rice wine vinegar, which aren't too odd, but hard to fit into everyday foods. Also, I have a tendency of going to small ethnic markets and buying all kinds of stuff to experiment with and almost always that stuff goes to waste. A while back I bought some canned curries and "beef paste" from a Thai market and I think they're still sitting in my kitchen somewhere.
PumpkinBear at 3:41AM on 12/15/08
I am the type that has a difficult time following recipes, I always end up putting my own twist on things. So those half jars are no problem at my house, if I like the contents of that half jar, I'll find a way to use it! I will always use that half jar somewhere, somehow at some point.
Lilartist at 7:57AM on 12/15/08
What renzata said. :-(
izatryt at 8:33AM on 12/15/08
If it's a really good recipe I'll make it again and use up the rest, but usually it sits in my fridge til it goes bad and gets tossed.
caramel at 8:59AM on 12/15/08
I swear I'll use it. I look at it every day until it gradually makes its way to the back of the fridge. I keep it until it no longer resembles its former self and I can't remember what it used to be, and the fragrance it exudes knocks me right off my feet. Then, I'll most likely get rid of it with a clear conscience.
PerkyMac at 9:50AM on 12/15/08
Actually, I suffer from a disease that many find tiresome OPD or Obsessive Planning Disorder. So if I find a recipe I just *have* to make with some sort of odd ingredient that I'm going to end up with extra of, I seek out other recipes that will facilitate me using up ingredient x. I also have zero problem eating the same thing for every meal weeks at a time, so I might just end up making the same recipe over and over again...
feriorrenna at 10:32AM on 12/15/08
I am somewhat like PerkyMac. I buy something use it one time, I always have good intentions to use it again. But it always gets tossed in the bi-monthly fridge clean.
chardonnay at 11:16AM on 12/15/08
I guess it's not just unusual ingredients in my fridge. Yesterday, I was poking around in there, looking for something interesting to toss into a loaf of bread, and I grabbed a jar of sun-dried tomatoes in oil. That's not an odd ingredient, but I opened it for a specific recipe and didn't use the rest of it right away. Funny thing is that as soon as the jar is empty, I'm going to be thinking that I ought to buy some sundried tomatoes to have on hand.
Sigh. And then there's that jar of Harissa...
dbcurrie at 1:04PM on 12/15/08
It depends on what I am going to make, if I can throw it in the freezer then I will use up what i'm using and throw it in the freezer. If it can't I still make sure I use it up and take it to work or for friends or try and find something else that I can make with it if I have to I will get creative w/it. My pet peeve, I hate to waste any type of food, anything period.
pjracz10 at 4:26PM on 12/15/08
Well, if you used half a jar for something, just make that thing twice. Done. :P
I'll generally use up stuff. My roommate on the other hand. The fridge is filled with bottles of stuff that he has partially used.
wunami at 3:45PM on 12/16/08