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Throwing it away


mamster

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Recently we got in a new order of spices from Penzeys and I set to portioning them into jars and getting rid of last year's faded glory. I also found a few jars we had inherited from a friend who moved, some sort of Indian cooking set with ground cumin and coriander of uncertain but surely advanced age. Some five-spice of similarly uncertain pedigree.

Anything that wasn't provably knock-you-on-your-ass fresh went into the trash. It was incredibly satisfying. Some people hoard. I love throwing things out. How about you? Any parts of the kitchen you've taken a metaphorical bulldozer to lately, or should?

Matthew Amster-Burton, aka "mamster"

Author, Hungry Monkey, coming in May

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The whole pantry. When was the last time we used that cornmeal? May? Even if the check for bugs was negative, out it went. Ditto wild rice, cake flour, honey, ancient oatmeal.

But I still hang on to twenty year old candied mimosa. Go figure.

Margaret McArthur

"Take it easy, but take it."

Studs Terkel

1912-2008

A sensational tennis blog from freakyfrites

margaretmcarthur.com

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 How about you?  Any parts of the kitchen you've taken a metaphorical bulldozer to lately, or should?

Wait a minute! When egullet is my mentor that's OK but when it threatens to become my conscience....... :huh:

My bottom kitchen cabinet which seems to have become a graveyard for ingredients I never (or rarely) use.

Both freezers - the stand-alone and the one on top of the 'fridge. I feel guilty when I have to toss what was one promising food but is now identifiable only with the aid of forensic science.

Ok Ok. I'll add them to my to-do list -again! :rolleyes:

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 just took the afore-mentioned Bulldozer to my pantry just last week.

Was *very* satisfying.. it's been YEARS hehe.

Filled an entire trash bag and a half with violated grains, flours, oatmeals, brown sugars.. /shudder.

And a rather large box for donation filled with odd canned foods that Past Roommates had left behind.

Scrubbed it down, relined the shelves and arranged what remained to some semblance of an order.

Felt great and looks great too :biggrin: Who knew I had so much tomato sauce?

To my chagrin though, one of the current Roommates saw the donation box as a treasure trove of low rent eats and loaded all but like 6 cans back into the pantry :hmmm:

argh! Like he'll eat that ancient can of hominy.

Edited by Steebles (log)
Tripe my guacamole baby.. just one more time.
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Ditto wild rice, cake flour, honey, ancient oatmeal.

Maggie, why do you throw away honey? It keeps forever. Do you simply get tired of it?

:wub: I hang my head with shame: Discovered tiny dead insects stuck on the jug!

(Also, I don't like honey much. Otherwise there would be no stickiness on jug!)

Margaret McArthur

"Take it easy, but take it."

Studs Terkel

1912-2008

A sensational tennis blog from freakyfrites

margaretmcarthur.com

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I have such limited cupboard space that I have to clean it regularly. When i do notice something close to or just past an expiration date, I pull it out and keep it on the counter. I HATE having things on my counter so that way I will use it up as soon as possible. I have no problems throwing some things away, but I tend to hang onto spices for longer than I should, beans too. I buy way too many beans and they end up on the shelves for years. I end up using most of them when blind baking pie/tart crusts! :raz:

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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The fact that spices never actually go bad in an obvious way is what makes me feel virtuous when I toss them. Then I cash in that virtue by noticing a box of toffee in the cupboard and eating like six ounces of it.

Matthew Amster-Burton, aka "mamster"

Author, Hungry Monkey, coming in May

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...I pull it out and keep it on the counter. I HATE having things on my counter so that way I will use it up as soon as possible.

THERE'S an idea! I hate throwing things away as long as I think there's any hope of using them.... so they hang on in the back of the cupboard. This would get them right out into the open where I'd be forced to make a decision.

Now, what to do with the stuff in the bottom of the freezer?

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What are your rules for dried spices in regards to how long to keep them...I have a pretty good supply of Dean and Deluca spices and your basic mcCormack that Ive had for some time...but Im not sure which are older and which are newer :wacko:

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I admit to an almost total inability to throw out any food that is not spoiled. :blink: So this thread is making me hyperventilate.

However, one of the advantages of being so anal is that I date almost EVERYTHING -- cans of tuna fish, jars of salsa, boxes of spaghetti, not only the stuff I put away in the freezer -- so at least I can rotate my stock in good FIFO (first in, first out) order. I use adhesive labels on the outside of the jars, cans, and plastic containers, and inside the outer-most plastic bag for frozen stuff.

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Some whole spices (in my experience, white and black peppercorns, nutmeg, cumin, coriander) do last a long time -- two years is not unreasonable. Others (sesame seed, fennel seed) are gone in twelve months -- also dried bay leaves. I think it might have something to do with oil content. Herbs, ground spices and chemicals (baking powder/soda; cream of tartar; granulated garlic/onion) get six months before I start worrying about them.

I bought a Sharpie marker, which I store by the refrigerator. When I bring a new flavoring into the house, I date it on the label or the bottom of the jar or box. Then I toss it when its time is up (sorry, Suzanne!).

Unless I don't have a replacement. Or I don't notice. :unsure:

Dave Scantland
Executive director
dscantland@eGstaff.org
eG Ethics signatory

Eat more chicken skin.

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Once a year, my friend Dianne and I toss all of our dried spices (not necessarily the whole ones), wash and dry our jars, and have a date at Penzey's, followed by lunch at Lucia's. It's a divine day. For spices we don't use that much of, we'll split a small bag, which makes it a little more economical and less wasteful. I will add that I just empty the old spices into the compost.

Freezer. Keep it organized. I use plastic milk crates, stacked, which makes it really easy to find the stuff at the bottom (no more empting the chest freezer to hopefully find something at the bottom you think might be there) -- just pull off the milk crate on top. Plus, it makes it really easy to empty the thing to defrost. Just remember to date what you put in.

Susan Fahning aka "snowangel"
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Herbs, ground spices and chemicals (baking powder/soda; cream of tartar; granulated garlic/onion) get six months before I start worrying about them.

Since cream of tartar is just a simple acid used as a stablizer and not a flavoring, it should never go bad. No need to throw it out. Baking soda should also last much longer than 6 months unless it absorbs odors, but baking powder does lose it's effectiveness due to ambient moisture and heat, so you're correct to replace regularly.

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In anticipation of my just completed move, I decided I'd splurge on a housewarming gift to myself, and impulsively ordered Penzey's Spice Replacement Kit, and tossed out nearly all of the herbs and spices I had in my old kitchen. Then I looked at the assortment, and realized that most of the items in the kit weren't going to be replacing anything I use on a frequent basis -- sure, some things looked interesting (like their Fox Point Seasoning), but I concluded that I was mostly paying a whole lot of money for the wooden box. So I cancelled the order, and then went through their online catalog, and ordered the things I know I'll use, and more spices for less money than I would have spent on that weirdly stocked combo box.

You ordered the following items:

30254 Basil French .7oz jar 1 @ 2.09

10658 Bouquet Garni .8oz jar 1 @ 2.89

11055 Chinese 5 Spice Powder 2.1oz jar 1 @ 4.59

27513 Sandwich Sprinkle 16oz bag 1 @ 10.90

12452 Garam Masala 2.1oz jar 1 @ 5.69

12144 Tandoori Chicken 4oz bag 1 @ 6.29

13354 Herbes de Provence .9oz jar 1 @ 3.69

22134 Northwoods 1.25oz pot 1 @ 2.29

31756 Oregano Broken Leaf Turkish .6oz jar 1 @ 2.09

14551 Parisien Herbes .5oz jar 1 @ 2.29

34052 Thyme Spanish .9oz jar 1 @ 2.29

23836 Turkish Seasoning 1.1 oz pot 1 @ 2.09

40552 Arrowroot Starch 2.8oz jar 1 @ 2.69

10458 Bavarian Seasoning 1.5oz jar 1 @ 3.39

21553 Fox Point 1.75oz jar 1 @ 5.15

54645 Ginger China Whole 4oz bag 1 @ 2.79

13783 Lamb Seasoning 8oz bag 1 @ 7.49

31943 Parsley Large Cut 4oz bag 1 @ 5.19

56852 1/2 c. Tellicherry Special Extra Bold Peppercorns 1 @ 3.39

23252 Pizza Seasoning 2.5oz jar 1 @ 3.69

Shipping Shipping 1 @ 10.50

Grand Total--91.47

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snowangel, I'm so jealous that you get to shop at the actual Penzey's store.  If they open one in Seattle, I will personally keep it in business.

Penzeys opened about five minutes away from us. The joy!

We had used the catalogue for years, mainly because they seem to actually know and care about the product. The store is pretty plain and utilitarian...fine by me! But it is really fun just to walk the aisles. We have yet to return with only the stuuf on our list. Something else always calls.

And because we don't do all our herb/spice shopping at one time we don't experience that sticker shock that Dave's list gave me.

I like the Sunny Paris mix in egg dishes.

Suzanne: I am too late smart. Just dicovered the labeling/dating thing a couple of months ago. Works especially well for those delicious leftovers in the freezer. I often forget 1)what they are 2)when we made them. I affix little mailing labels and feel virtuous and frugal. (These feelings visit me very rarely!)

Actually I'm going to have a crack at the big pasta/starch/baking stuff armoire later today. Maybe I'll even find the catnip I bought last week and has completely disapperaed.

Margaret McArthur

"Take it easy, but take it."

Studs Terkel

1912-2008

A sensational tennis blog from freakyfrites

margaretmcarthur.com

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My MIL never throws ANYTHING out. Though she lives by herself, she has a fully packed kitchen with quite a few things that haven't been touched in years. The last time I was allowed to cook in her space, I attempted to make polenta with some cornmeal she had in the fridge. It tasted terrible, and I couldn't figure out why. Then I looked at the expiration date - it was

over five years old.

I now clean things out pretty regularly at my house.

I also buy new stuff to cook with when I go to visit her. :smile:

We need to find courage, overcome

Inaction is a weapon of mass destruction

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wife can't resist bargains, so last sunday i had to throw out 10 bags of flour. i was very happy suddenly to find cupboard room for the ice cream machine which had been standing on the counter for four months (i like my counters to be free, too, and keep wondering how so many letters, notes, toys, sunglasses, lighters, socks etc. end up im MY kithen).

christianh@geol.ku.dk. just in case.

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My MIL never throws ANYTHING out.

Sounds like my parents. Someday, when I visit, I'm going to blitz through their pantry and their cabinets. I've always wondered why my mother still has a jar of someone's homemade jam dated 1995 (and never opened BTW).

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Not only do I get to throw out my old herbs/spices, which is pretty seldom as I buy the small containers at Penzeys...except Pariesian herbs, peppercorns, cinnamon (Chinese and Veitnamese thank you very much!)Thyme and bay leaves.....these are all used in bulk....I get to throw out my client's shtuff and buy new....AND get paid to shop at Penzeys etc. I love my job.

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