Store cupboard challenge

HOLsale

Adrift wrote:

Hi
used up 6 eggs that were 4 days out of date,

to test if eggs are safe to eat try this

have a bowl of cold water with enough to cover the tops of the eggs (just)

carefully place your eggs in the bowl so they don't touch

if it lays on the bottom it's fresh

if it starts to rise a bit it needs to be eaten quickly

if it stands up or nearly so throw it away it'll make you VERY ill!

the way this works is that when an egg starts to turn the shell fills up with gas. the gas is lighter than the water and will make the egg 'stand up'
it's not at toxic levels yet if it only raises the egg a little but if it stands up it's hoaching with the stuff and not worth the risk

nabowla

Anyone got any suggestions about what I can do with three or four squashy pears?

I've also got one squashy banana - not enough to do banana bread and no custard (or custard ingredients) in the cupboard. Any ideas?

kiwichick

HOLsale wrote:

i make stock from all the bits and pieces you wouldn't eat. for example:

veg peelings
tops and tails of veg (carrots, swede, beets etc)
juice left in the bottom of a jar (beet root, olive etc)
hot water swished around the remains of a marmite jar
half eaten apples/pears etc (VERY nice in savoury stock)
cores from any veg or fruit like apple cores etc
onion and garlic skin
fat, skin and or bones cooked or raw from meat
celery leaves, carrot tops etc (no rhubarb, it's poisonous!)
rocket, lettuce, cucumbers etc that won't be eaten in time
anything that will go off before being eaten
leftover wine, beer etc

you name it!

my only definate no is whole peppers. the seeds give a yucky taste to the stock

i keep all this in a plastic ice cream tub with a lid in the freezer until it's full. i ususally bung mine into a slowcooker but you can do it on the cooker instead. you simply add in enough water to cover and allow it to simmer for a few hours (no more than 3) then you put a collandar in a bowl and pour the lot in. the solids get dumped away and the stock is yours to keep, all full of vitamin goodness.

if you had a carcass in the lot then you'll want to pick the meat off and toss that in with stock or set aside for use elsewhere

i've been doing this for years and it's really nice. i love it when we get roasted chicken on clearance for a £1 from tesco's or asda because the skin and carcass give such a gorgeous flavour to the stock!

THAT IS FANTASTIC!!!! Thank you SO much. I am vegetarian so get through loads of veg each week what with curries and soups etc. I ALWAYS feel guilty about chucking those bits away as our garden is the size of a postage stamp and we dont have room for a compost bin/patch. I am going to do this from now on. VERY OS, will save money on stock and give me vitamins that would have been chucked away. Also good forreducing salt intake as no more manky stock cubes.

YAY.

**purpleprincess**

Need some ideas folks!!!

I've got LOADS of tins of tuna (can't quite remember why :rotfl: )

And I've got a few tins of carrots (again, can't quite remember why!!)

A few tins of sardines in tomato sauce (are you detecting a trend here!!!! )

And I have got a tin of spinach, a tin of mixed veg, a tin of mushy peas and a tin of hot dogs.

I can't bear to throw them out as they cost me money!!! What, if anything! Can I do with this lot?????? :think: Please don't suggest I whizz it all up!!! Don't think I could cope!!!

Thanking you lovely people in advance!!!!! :happylove

mirakl

I use chopped up hotdogs in stirfrys or in omlettes if I've forgotten to defrost any meat.

I'd make saag aloo with the spinach which is just boiled and chopped up or mashed potatoes, spinach, some cumin, butter and seasoning to taste

Although I tend to chuck a lot of old tinned food I can't think of anything to do with into omlettes unoriginally enough

Yoga_Girl

**purpleprincess** wrote:

Need some ideas folks!!!

I've got LOADS of tins of tuna (can't quite remember why :rotfl: )

And I've got a few tins of carrots (again, can't quite remember why!!)

A few tins of sardines in tomato sauce (are you detecting a trend here!!!! )

And I have got a tin of spinach, a tin of mixed veg, a tin of mushy peas and a tin of hot dogs.

:happylove

If you've got some potatoes in you could make a tuna pie, just mix the tuna with the mixed veg, top with the mashed potato, add a bit of grated cheese on top and pop it it the oven.

Badgergal

How long does the stock last once you've made it; does it keep, can it be frozen or does it need to be used straight away? Mine won't have meat ingredients in it...

squeaky

I normally make up a batch of stock and then freeze it in "useable" sizes. Usually either a litre or a half litre so that I can take out the right amount for whatever dish I'm making in the future.

MushyPeas

I took some stock out of the freezer to use, but still hasn't. It's been in the fridge for over a week so I'm guessing I need to throw it away? Am I correct? It is vegetable stock.

Queenie

MushyPeas - sorry no one got around to answering your question and I know I'm probably too late for your particular circumstances, but, after a week of sitting in the fridge after defrosting it will have turned sour.

If in doubt you need to use your senses: sight (does it still look ok?), smell (does it smell sour/rancid?) taste (once reheated) and finally, good old "common" sense