Where can you buy smaller sized condiments? So fed up of food waste.

Wizzbang

Hi,

Apart from cash and carry's (which a) I can't access) and b) would be far too many sachets....where can you buy smaller sized condiments? I am so sick of wasting ketchup, mustard, sauces etc because in a 2 person household, we never finish them before they expire.

I've thought about single serve sachets, but I suspect they are only available to the catering trade and also, it seems wasteful in terms of paying for unnecessary packaging/ damaging the environment. Ideally, just a smaller size package would be better.

So, can you get half-sized jars of mustard for example? Or, how do others get round this issue?

Thanks in advance.

redcard

Strange you're concerned about food waste, but not so much about waste plastic?

Ketchup lasts 2 years and budget brands cost 25p!

HappyMJ

Mustard I make up fresh when required from mustard powder.

and...I ignore the best before dates and just keep on using them. As long as they are stored well they'll be fine for years.

missbiggles1

As above, condiments are cheap and last for ages. A couple of jars of mustard and a few sauces will set you back less than a fiver for two years. It really is a question of not sweating the small stuff.

rach_k

Are the condiments going off or are you just going by the date on the bottle? I'd never even think to look at the date on something like ketchup to be honest. As long as it smells and tastes fine, it gets eaten as usual!

I'm sure I've seen mini bottles of Heinz ketchup but unless you're fussy about brand, it's probably cheaper just to buy a big supermarket's own brand and use it past the expiry date... or throw it away and buy a new one.

missbiggles1

rach_k wrote: »

Are the condiments going off or are you just going by the date on the bottle? I'd never even think to look at the date on something like ketchup to be honest. As long as it smells and tastes fine, it gets eaten as usual!

I'm sure I've seen mini bottles of Heinz ketchup but unless you're fussy about brand, it's probably cheaper just to buy a big supermarket's own brand and use it past the expiry date... or throw it away and buy a new one.

Even buying brand name sauces and condiments won't set most people back more than a tenner or so - it seems such a silly thing to be worrying about.

Ms_Chocaholic

We are a 2 person household and we just keep the ketchup/sauce/vinegar etc etc until it's used up. Never think of looking at the BB dates (and don't keep it refrigerated either).

geordie_joe

redcard wrote: »

Strange you're concerned about food waste, but not so much about waste plastic?

How do you work that out?

If you buy a large bottle and throw half the contents, and the plastic bottle away, you are wasting more plastic than if you bought a bottle half the size and used the contents before throwing way the empty bottle.

redcard wrote: »

Ketchup lasts 2 years and budget brands cost 25p!

Yes but it's !!!!!! and it only lasts 2 years from when it is made not when it is bought.

arbroath_lass

Ms_Chocaholic wrote: »

We are a 2 person household and we just keep the ketchup/sauce/vinegar etc etc until it's used up. Never think of looking at the BB dates (and don't keep it refrigerated either).

Same here.

PasturesNew

I keep condiments to a minimum in the first instance.... so I don't have to worry about how long they'd take to use up. Some things, if bought, could languish for 5+ years.... so I stick to just ketchup and brown sauce

Wizzbang

redcard- I stated in my OP that I was concerned about damage to the environment from using smaller sachets etc. Not sure which post you were reading!

I'm never sure how long to keep things for...vinegar I wouldn't care about BB dates- it's vinegar- I just keep it until it's used up. A small bottle lasts me about 5 years! It's ketchup and mustard, that sort of thing that I'm not sure about. I usually keep ketchup until 4 months after it says it should be used and then I'm not sure if it tastes as good. I use wholegrain mustard 99% of the time and I've kept it for a year, but I've been unsure whether that was wise. It didn't look mouldy or anything, but again wasn't sure if it tasted the same/ off. Still no-one got sick from either. Mayonnaise isn't a worry as it gets used up in a month.

Not wanting to waste food isn't purely about cost you know. It's about the environment, about only having/ using what you need, taking up less space in your cupboards, not being greedy/ wasteful etc. Good tip happy about using mustard powder- I keep that for use in recipes- like white sauce or macaroni cheese, but stupidly never thought of making up what you need for a condiment. I will remember that!