Embarrassing stuff in the pantry

[gfweb]

 

Why do I keep these around?

 

The green cheese can started when the kids were little and I didn't want to waste good parm on them. Now I'll occasionally toss a couple tbsp in an omelet. Actually good.

 

Airplane wine comes in a nice cooking unit...about what I need for most dishes. I hate opening a good bottle and using half a cup.

 

Gravy Master...for darkening gravy of course.

 

Spray cheese? For after 1am with artisinal homemade potato chips and sriracha.

[rotuts]

"""  opening a good bottle and using half a cup. """

 

Ive never had this problem.

 

I use gravy master also for a bit of color.  its caramelized onions and tasty chemicals I think

[Lisa Shock]

HERE's something interesting to try with the Gravy Master.

[rotuts]

BTW  I grew up with Kraft in the green cardboard 'can' before I guess it became a greenish plastic can.

 

back then, you could not get the real stuff in a block, unless you lived in a large city that had a little italy

 

that's my guess.  none I think in northern CA.

 

wonder what the real stuff cost in the mid '50's  in the various little italy's

 

all i remember about it was that it was pretty sour

 

my father liked it.

 

but there probably wasn't a cheese made that he didnt' like

 

maybe not American Processed  

Edited March 27, 2015 by rotuts (log)

[gulfporter]

My embarrassing stuff.  

 

 

Edited March 27, 2015 by gulfporter (log)

[BKEats]

I just cleaned out my pantry yesterday.. I had 2 things in my pantry that were embarrassing and not purchased by me.. One was a large cosco container of salsa (mother in law) 2nd was a can of 4 c or seasons bread crumbs (gluten free)  I gave away the salsa to my daughter's tutor.. In order to not sound like a snob, I told her there was something in the salsa i was allergic to. "it appears, I am allergic to horrific salsa" and the can i just tossed in the garbage. That was for a gluten free person at an event I catered. 

[ElainaA]

In the fridge rather than the pantry - American processed "cheese". I cringe when a guest opens the fridge - they might think we eat the stuff. Not fit for human consumption but a slice waved in the air brings our poorly trained lab from wherever she is and into the house. Works every time- I think she can smell it a mile away. We call it 'dog cheese'. 

Elaina

[Tri2Cook]

I don't understand the concept of being embarrassed over something I like to eat or drink. What other people think about what I like to eat or drink would be at the very bottom of my give-a-crap list.

[CatPoet]

The worse thing I have at home at the moment is seasoning salt, yes a mix called all round spice, bought it for one recipe only.

[hummingbirdkiss]

I have a can of vegan pate a friend told me ...she thought of me when she saw it?"...not sure why she thought of me ? I am not vegan and not a pate kind of gal in general ( although i have tried some yummy chopped liver) but i am embarassed it is there for so many reasons. ...i just can not open it i have a block i think ? I can not even imagine canned pate let alone vegan? But i know little about it because again i do not care for it much

My entire pantry is embarassing lately ..I have been unable to cook as much as usual so everything "good" is gone..time to purge

PS some of the best Islad curries i have eaten have a shot of Browning ( kitchen boquet or gravy master)

Edited March 27, 2015 by hummingbirdkiss (log)

[pastrygirl]

The most embarrassing thing about my pantry is how bare it is.  And the fridge shelves could use a scrub.  OK, and the instant coffee that my brother acquires in his travels and gives to me.  It helps that when I buy junk food I devour it pretty much instantly so evidence is destroyed.

[Arey]

A bottle of Taster's Choice Instant Coffee with a best by date of 2003. It's at the very back of my top kitchen cabinet, which I can't get to it without a stepladder. That's probably why I still have it.

[dcarch]

Sometime ago.

 

"Excuse me DC, do you have anymore sugar? Your jar is empty"

 

"Yes. I have a bag on the very top shelf in the pantry, next to the refrigerator."

 

"Thanks. Found it. By the way, in case you are looking for them. Your Playboy Magazines are also up there."

 

 

dcarch

[scubadoo97]

The most embarrassing thing about my pantry is how bare it is.

For me it's the opposite. Our pull out shelves are overflowing

[Thanks for the Crepes]

I too grew up with Kraft parm, and have never developed a taste for the stinkier cheeses. Trader Joe's sells a mellow nutty Parmesan that I really enjoy, and I've found a few others that I like too. Marcella was a fan of the more mellow ones too. She says in her "The Classic Italian Cook Book:" "When buying Parmesan cheese, ask to look at it and taste it before it is cut for you. If it is whitish and dry, and leaves a bitter aftertaste, do not buy it. If it is pale yellow, slightly moist on the tongue, and pleasantly salty, invest in a good-sized piece."

 

So I don't feel so unsophisticated in my stance that if it smells like dirty feet or vomit, it's not going in my mouth. I realize many people enjoy the stronger flavored cheeses. They should look at like people like me leave a larger supply for them to enjoy. 

 

All that said, I still usually have a container of Kraft in the fridge, because it's the most accessible and cheapest parm that I like.

 

I also use Gravy Master, Kraft Mac and Cheese for my husband (I can't stand it since they quit using any cheese in it), frozen pie crusts and puff pastry, and I've been known to make the Hormel canned tamale and chili casserole. WITH delicious beans, so there Texas! 

 

I even have a package of Totino's pizza rolls in the freezer, although the rest may get cooked up for the raccoons, unless the husband wants to eat them. Every decade or so, I forget how bad they are with all the ersatz ingredients and give in to a craving.

 

I don't worry too much about what other people like to eat. Life is too short, and there are way too many other things to worry about.

[monavano]

A big block of Velveeta

(it's for giving the dogs pills but that's not to say I don't snag it for nachos once in a while)

[rotuts]

""  Velveeta ""

 

Old Time Real  Velveeta "

 

freeze it in chunks !

[monavano]

""  Velveeta ""

 

Old Time Real  Velveeta "

 

freeze it in chunks !

Great idea, thanks!

 

I grew up with the Green Can Parm, so it's a sentimental favorite for me.

[paulraphael]

Splenda, instant coffee, Smart Balance Buttery Spread. I accept these items out of love for someone who uses them to torment me (the last item, for instance, she now insists on calling by its full name: "can you pass me the Smart Balance Buttery Spread?")

[cyalexa]

Instant coffee - purchased for use in a bread recipe ( http://www.foodlovermagazine.com/recipes/try-classic-russian-black-bread-recipe/5799  if you make it, beware of over-proofing and slashing too deeply, I have done both twice); possible the most delicious bread I've ever made

 

Bisquick - purchased for making pineapple coconut upside down cake, developed from a recipe from someone I trust; they said the cake was just as good as if made from scratch and my husband loves it  http://forums.egullet.org/topic/147429-your-daily-sweets-what-are-you-making-and-baking-2014/page-15?hl=%2Bcoconut+%2Bpineapple+%2Bupside+%2Bdown+%2Bcake#entry1984355

[Thanks for the Crepes]

I also use instant coffee (Taster' Choice). It's actually quite good

 

It's to keep peace in the house. The husband trashes the real coffee maker, and I don't care 'cause I don't use it anymore. 

[weinoo]

Splenda, instant coffee, Smart Balance Buttery Spread. I accept these items out of love for someone who uses them to torment me (the last item, for instance, she now insists on calling by its full name: "can you pass me the Smart Balance Buttery Spread?")

The shame, Paul.

[Beebs]

We recently had grain beetles in our pantry. That was pretty embarrassing....

 

Kraft Singles cheez slices.  For junky grilled cheese.  I hide them under the real cheese so my husband doesn't find them.  

[Thanks for the Crepes]

Hey Beebs,

 

It should be no shame to get grain weevils.

 

I recently spent $15 on a 10 pound bag of basmati rice (my favorite rice) from a local mom and pop Indian grocer. I was so proud of myself because it was so much cheaper than mainstream sources. Well, I had to eat what was a big loss for me, because the bag was infested.

 

The first time I went to cook some, even though it was well within its expiration date, it smelled off to me, rancid. I asked my husband and brother to smell it, and they said it was fine. I chewed a raw grain, and I insisted it was off, and had them smell it again. They still insisted they detected nothing.

 

So I toasted the rice lightly in a little butter, and then added the water. This is when a few tiny, inert black things started floating to the surface. I thought they looked suspiciously like insects, but they were so small, and sometimes there's some chafe in rice.

 

I took another close and critical look at the bag, and I saw a live one. The bag went out onto the porch and into the trash when it was collected next time.

 

I didn't feel like going back and trying to negotiate a refund with people who don't really speak English, although I could've really used that $15 for something useful.

[liuzhou]

I have nothing I am particularly embarrassed about, other than an excess.

 

I am a bit of a hoarder. I never was before moving to China, but here, for some reason I've never figured out, shops have a bad habit of stocking something I really like, then when it runs out, never restocking. Or not doing so for months.

 

Hence the twenty packets of couscous, several jars of a type of pork and bean preserve, dozens of cans of anchovies, etc. 

 

In a culture where people tend to buy what they need on a daily basis and have little in the way of pantry (or fridge-freezer) items, some friends consider my habit to be distinctly weird. But then they expect foreigners to be insane!