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Hoarding Ingredients - suffering from Allgoneophobia?


Kerry Beal

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I think I might have an illness.  I have a a number of ingredients stored away that I can't bring myself to use - cause if I use them I won't have them to use anymore.  

 

Penzey's used to make a freeze dried tomato powder - they don't make it anymore because it had a tendency to go solid in the jar.  I have a jar in the fridge that I bought from the Spice House - never use it - cause if I do - I won't have it anymore.  

 

I have yuzu juice - brought from Japan and given to me by Prasantrin - if I use it - I won't have it to use.

 

I was proud of myself - I used the McCormick's tocino mix that she had brought me from the Philippines - but only after I managed to buy some from Amazon.com so I would have it to replace what I'd used.  Didn't even know if I'd like it - but couldn't use it until I had replaced it.

 

I'm trying desperately to purge a few things around here since I'm getting overrun with stuff - this illness isn't helping.  Common sense would say - "if you aren't going to use it, you might as well throw it away now".  

 

Anybody else suffer from Allgoneophobia?  What do you have hanging around that you can't bring yourself to use because then you won't have it?

 

 

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My name is Nancy, and I'm an allgoneaphobic.

 

I have more than one shelf half-filled with hoarded materials: the last jams and jellies my mother made, exotic spices from Egypt, interesting sauces from some place that I'll probably never visit again.  I've been making a conscious attempt to work through them, and I'm turning out some interesting one-off meals. One-off meals are a dilemma: if my darling doesn't ask me to make sure I remember what I did, then I know it wasn't a hit; if he does, then I have to stammer and say, "I just used xxyy up and can't get any more."

 

My sister and I have a pact to no longer hoard things we buy and give each other.  Last spring while in Florida I bought some jars of a great garlic sauce and garlic/tomato dip; I kept some and sent her some as a present, with the reminder not to hoard it.  So far I've only opened one jar, and I'm willing to bet that she hasn't touched her stash of it.  I don't dare ask.   :laugh:

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Nancy Smith, aka "Smithy"
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Oh no. I think it's contagious. Bet I caught it from Kerry Beal. I too have shelves of things I am afraid to use lest I cannot replace them. Some I'm afraid to even open since I know they are stale/rancid/possibly moldy..... BUT I HAVE THEM. Is this a chronic illness? Can it be cured?

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Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

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Whoa!!!! You don't want to know!!!

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~Martin :)

I just don't want to look back and think "I could have eaten that."

Unsupervised, rebellious, radical agrarian experimenter, minimalist penny-pincher, and adventurous cook. Crotchety, cantankerous, terse curmudgeon, non-conformist, and contrarian who questions everything!

The best thing about a vegetable garden is all the meat you can hunt and trap out of it!

 

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A good time to revisit one of the best Daily Gullet posts (remember them?) ever.

That is indeed a beautiful post. I am awfully glad you brought it to the forefront again. But I think this is a much more lighthearted approach. That soup of course could never ever be replaced. But for most of us today the things we hoard can in fact be easily replaced. We are just somewhat neurotic about our unusual ingredients. Thanks again for reminding us of the good old days of the Daily Gullet and some great writing. Now back to my neurosis..... Oh yes those Spanish peppers which I had to have and which I finally found at Pusateris' gourmet grocery. They are still on my shelf years later. That's because by the time I found them I forgot why I needed them.

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Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

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I didn't know there was a word for it but I'm glad I'm not alone. I once had to toss a 100 gram pack of activa (back in the days before it was easy to get in user-friendly amounts) because I'd managed to get two and already used one so I kept not using the other so I wouldn't be without. By the time I finally gave in and opened it, it was trash can fodder. I'm really bad with my booze cabinet. I have many things that I acquired via the help of others that I know I'm unlikely to be able to replace, so I'm very stingy with them. I haven't even been able to bring myself to open my bottle of Lemon Heart 151 and I'm having a difficult time convincing myself to open my last remaining bottle of American rye. I have more modernist ingredients and their supporting cast than I'll ever be able to use because I always buy them in the larger containers in case I can't get them again if I run out. I won't even go into my freezer stash or spice cabinet hoarding.

It's kinda like wrestling a gorilla... you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is tired.

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You mean the activa in my freezer for several years is toast?  What about the creme fraiche culture and the Bactoferm - surely 10 years in the freezer wouldn't do them any harm?

 

I can't make cocktails with Apry until I get another bottle even though I've still got some. 

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You mean the activa in my freezer for several years is toast?

It may be okay. This was a really long time ago and information about it was hard to find. I'd probably already had it for over 2 years before I learned I was supposed to keep it in the freezer. Then it sat in the freezer for a long time. By the time I finally opened it, cooking issues had posted their primer on it which said if it smelled kinda like a wet dog, it was still good. If it smelled pretty much like nothing, toss it. Based on that, I tossed it. Then it became easy to get and I stopped worrying about it. Now I just order a small package if I have a project in mind... because I know I can get more.

It's kinda like wrestling a gorilla... you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is tired.

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Okay look,

I used to do this...I also used to buy stuff that was discontinued that I loved, and store it away.

I did this with beauty items as well...

 

I had Hamburger Helper Spaghetti flavor stored away from 1999!

Hair Dye, Winsome Wheat color from 1994...

 

Tossed it all. you know why? cause you get used to not wanting to use your stash and find new replacements.

Use it! Enjoy it...be happy.

Truly you can get more...

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Wawa Sizzli FTW!

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What a great topic!  Just tonight I am going back and forth to the kitchen trying to make some hard choices.  The coveted item? Hominy from Rancho Gordo that I brought back from Napa trip.  Half is not really enough to make posole but if I use all of it there will be none left.  May be I can stretch it by using what exactly?  Or may be we can eat smaller portions.  Or may be we can go back to Napa to buy more.  That is a great idea.  But I will not have any until we go if I use it all.  So I ended up soaking half of it.  The real question is: can the remainder portion be divided further?  My later grandmother would be very proud of my frugality.

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I have several things - one is a large (900gm) jar of Furtta di Mostarda  that is no longer imported - whole fruits in a clear syrup.

I bought 4 at the time, sent one to my daughter and have used two.

Because the vendor discontinued the product and the other brands are not to my liking, I keep this jar - just to look at and wish on...

 

I have some grains in the freezer (in suspended animation) that are difficult to get, even online.  (Einkorn, Kaniwa, Triticale (grown in Poland), etc.)  I could probably buy more, but I need to actually use these first.

 

I have a stash of jams and preserves - they keep forever if the seal is not broken - a couple of the companies have since been taken over by multinationals or ag giants but these are when the companies were family-owned. 

 

I have a jug of Watkins' Tupelo honey that was given to me by a friend who had vacationed in Florida with family who live in the town and brought some back because the raw honey is not sold outside the immediate area and I know I can never replace it.  It's been in the pantry since 1998.

 

I guess I am just a hoarder but of specific things so probably fit into the designation of allgoneaphobiac.

Edited by andiesenji (log)

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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Look,

 

What if something happens? What if your power goes out for 5+ days?

JUST USE IT! BE HAPPY!

 

BTW I got Yuzu juice at Hmart...Theres NOTHING you cant replace by internet, post or bribes.

How many people in NAPA California were saving shit up for that special day and that earthquake came

and it fell on the floor and broke and spoiled it?

USE IT! use it!

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Wawa Sizzli FTW!

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I kept a final bag of the amazing Gray's coarse stone ground polenta for years after they stopped making it, carrying it across country at one point. I finally thought I'd better use it after a few years- and yes, even with the freezer, it was turning a bit rancid. I threw the rest out.

Used to hoard Amarini cherries but easy to come by now

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Theres NOTHING you cant replace by internet, post or bribes.

Except maybe my Lemon Heart 151. You don't even want to know the shenanigans involved with getting my hands on that one from where I live. But I understand your point... just not sure I can follow your advice. :biggrin:

It's kinda like wrestling a gorilla... you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is tired.

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Except maybe my Lemon Heart 151. You don't even want to know the shenanigans involved with getting my hands on that one from where I live. But I understand your point... just not sure I can follow your advice. :biggrin:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Lemon-Hart-Demerara-Proof-750ml/dp/B005ZV7GVK/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Wawa Sizzli FTW!

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Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

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--------- Penzey's used to make a freeze dried tomato powder - they don't make it anymore because it had a tendency to go solid in the jar.  I have a jar in the fridge that I bought from the Spice House - never use it - cause if I do - I won't have it anymore.  

 

I have yuzu juice - brought from Japan and given to me by Prasantrin - if I use it - I won't have it to use.

 

------

 

I have my own yuzu potted tree. It has 11 big fruits on it now. May be another month for yuzu juice.

 

I make my own tomato powder. All you need is a dehydrator.

 

dcarch

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Does pre-war Yugoslav slivovitz count?  Lots of I'm sure undrinkable wine.  Bottles of old, irreplaceable first growths.  I have some chocolate my son brought back from Paris in the 1990's.  I have some chocolate a friend brought back from Paris a couple of years ago.  I have some lovely limited edition Lindt I bought in 2005.  Many things in my refrigerator from the last century.  And then there is my freezer...

 

I have some spices from the 1970's -- but that's different as the spices probably are replaceable.  Though I've read cardamom keeps forever.

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Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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This one works

 

http://www.drinkupny.com/Lemon_Hart_151_p/s0375.htm $31.99 a bottle, in stock

That's all great if you happen to live in the states.  Tri2Cook is in the middle of nowhere in Canada (then turn left and go another several hundred miles).  So it's challenging for him to get his hands on a lot of the things that others take for granted.  

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Did you follow your link? That's why it is hoarded.

 

Fortunately here Lemon Hart is easily replenished...enjoying some at the moment in a zombie.  (As is my wont.)  Actually I thought Lemon Hart these days came from Canada??

 

In the 1970's Lemon Hart was even easier to find, and I used it the way I use W&N now.

 

The nice thing about Lemon Hart 151, I don't think it goes bad.

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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