What food items will you never use/swap ideas?

Gazing_On_Sunsets

A jar of capers. I used a "handful" in a special fish sauce thing, a one-off cooking experiment. Now what? I live alone, I cannot be bothered to faff with capers. You can't just smear a load on toast, can you?

My boyfriend's diabetic and when he comes to stay, he will bring bits and bobs that he needs - usually filling my fridge with "emergency chocolate bars". I made him throw out the large jar of sweetener this weekend. The one with the best before date of March 2003.

Penelope_Penguin

Gazing_On_Sunsets wrote: »

A jar of capers. I used a "handful" in a special fish sauce thing, a one-off cooking experiment. Now what? I live alone, I cannot be bothered to faff with capers. You can't just smear a load on toast, can you?

Pasta Puttanesca or atop a HM pizza

[Deleted User]

I have a tin of guava chunks that I won in a raffle and I keep forgetting to give it back to the school for their next fete as I just don't fancy them,plus a steamed sponge pudding thats far too big for just me and none of my family or grandkids like steamed sponge pud,oh well roll on Harvest festival time

Frugalista

Couldn't the guava chunks go in a big mixed fruit salad or trifle?

As for the steamed pudding, my OH likes them but I don't, so he just cuts into portions (straight from the tin - no need to steam) and cooks it in the microwave. The remaining portions will keep in the fridge for quite a few days.

I have just found a jar of homemade pickled damsons - have no idea who gave them to me or what to do with them :huh:. Do you serve them with cold meats or something? If I like them I can have a go at making some myself this autumn for Xmas pressies .

vixtress

oooh, i love this thread.
a friend of mine emigrated and gave me the contents of her cupboards i am now the proud owner of tins of - smoked oysters. artichoke hearts, spinach, asaparagus spears (love it fresh but not sure about tinned!)
any ideas?

Frugalista

vixtress wrote: »

oooh, i love this thread.
a friend of mine emigrated and gave me the contents of her cupboards i am now the proud owner of tins of - smoked oysters. artichoke hearts, spinach, asaparagus spears (love it fresh but not sure about tinned!)
any ideas?

Don't know about the other stuff but I would add the spinach to a curry.

Do you know anything about pickled damsons?

spike7451

For me,it's Brussels Sprouts...Tapioca...Peas Pudding...Squid & shellfish...that's about it!

Winged_one

I got a tin of crab, which it took me 3 years to figure out what I could do with it. But I made crab cakes a couple of weeks ago, which were a great hit with everyone!!

Also in the back of the cupboard are various chutnies (mostly presents) that we go through so slowly that I have enough for about 10 years there now. A tin of bamboo shoots and another of water chestnuts - I use those in stirfries when I have not enough fresh veg so it also tends to last about 4-5 years. And a couple of marinades for BBQing etc - which I never remember to open. Although I DID use a 2 year old one last month which was nice (just a shame that by the time we tried and liked it, M&S were no longer selling it to get another).

We do eat a lot of pasta, but I have a packet of linguine which is open for the past 3 years and I just used it once - it's fine to use still though, and I am planning on using it with a tin of clams (about 4 years old) later this month as part of my "clearing out cupboards" phase.

Emuchops

12 jars of the above which I bought from Approved Food. I have tried it-not great. Its finely chopped and in water-tastes fennel-ly.

rachbc

barley - I knew I didn't like when I bought it - made a load of barley risotto -- hated it - now have no idea what to do with the half a bag of barley I have left. Might try triftlady's barley water... or just feed it to the birds!