The all new using what you have from your Freezer, Cupboard or Shed (Barn)

Nelliegrace

A small tin of pink “salmon” which was more than a year past its use by date. It looked and smelt and tasted alright, and we are alright. I thought it best to use it all up, not keeping any for the next day. 
The tin of corned beef was only six months late and was fine.

I will try to be more organised. 

carinjo

Nelliegrace said:

A small tin of pink “salmon” which was more than a year past its use by date. It looked and smelt and tasted alright, and we are alright. I thought it best to use it all up, not keeping any for the next day. 
The tin of corned beef was only six months late and was fine.

I will try to be more organised. 

I remember someone opening a tin of something from wwII a few years ago and it was perfectly fine!

Cherryfudge

I think as long as the tin is undamaged (no dents/holes!), the food should be safe, though eventually it will lose flavour.

Today I intend to pull out loads of stuff from the kitchen and see what's really there as I am a terror for buying dried goods then not using them. A few weeks ago I batch-cooked chickpeas and froze what I didn't need to use that day: they've come in useful since but I'm keeping the other items uncooked for now to try to get through more freezer stuff. I will probably find a host of other over-buys once it's all on the lounge floor for an overview (like dried fruits for baking...)

I have taken rhubarb out of the freezer and am considering making a rhubarb and ginger cake which is a new-to-me recipe. I have all the ingredients in and we are running out of cake.

I've also finished an out of date margarine that tasted and smelled okay, and chucked out the remnants of one that didn't. I'm not sure how we got several on the go but I think I'm down to two now! I finished a box of eggs the other day but still have six to be used up soon: I also bought loads of unwaxed lemons which were reduced for quick sale and from those I've done a batch of lemon crunchy-topped muffins, a bottle of lemonade and a savoury recipe. I still have eleven left so there may soon be a glut of lemon curd, which I've never made before and don't actually need as we have several jars of spread-ables opened already. I wonder what happened to all the bags of lemons I left on the shelf? I hope someone made marmalade!

Oh, and there's lots of bacon left from a 'cooking bacon' pack so I think I'm going to be divvying it up and freezing it in batches.

@carinjo, did you do traybakes in the end? I like the idea of freezing them: it might slow down the rate they get eaten in this house!

GreenFairy

Hey folks,
I've been running down our supplies for about 6 weeks, so finally seeing spaces in the freezer and am getting used to the fridge not being as jammers.
Making fake Dominos for dinner tonight. Have mozz in the fridge, pizza sauce in the freezer, have bread flour and yeast in too. Will use up a packet of ham and a couple of eggs as well, and some spinach for whoever can be pursuaded on that front!

Cherryfudge

GreenFairy said:

Hey folks,
I've been running down our supplies for about 6 weeks, so finally seeing spaces in the freezer and am getting used to the fridge not being as jammers.
Making fake Dominos for dinner tonight. Have mozz in the fridge, pizza sauce in the freezer, have bread flour and yeast in too. Will use up a packet of ham and a couple of eggs as well, and some spinach for whoever can be pursuaded on that front!

Bread flour and yeast... another area I need to use up before they go (too far) out of date!

Left over spinach... freeze to add to curries or casseroles?

Well done for sustained efforts  

Cherryfudge

I had a massive sort out/clean of some of the kitchen cupboards yesterday.

Thrown out some flour that had weevils starting to move in it  . Thankfully I learned long ago to keep flour in sealed containers, so they hadn't spread. I've come to the conclusion that a lot of flour must be contaminated with them as they seem to start when the weather warms up but the containers are sealed and there was no sign of life when the flour was put in.

A jar of jam has gone too, it was too alcoholic to use (not nice alcoholic, more gone-off alcoholic).

I had a baking session to try to decrease the amounts in store so there are now cheese and chutney scones which I'm trying not to eat before tea time, and rhubarb and ginger cake (ditto).

I've ordered citric acid so I can make more lemonade: I still have eleven lemons plus lemon wedges in the freezer!

Ideas please on how I can use up half a packet of vegetarian suet? I think it's not suitable to feed to the wild birds but it needs using soon.

Nelliegrace

Mincemeat?

Cherryfudge

Nelliegrace said:

Mincemeat?

Ummm... do I confess? I have three jars of mincemeat! I guess I could put some down for Christmas though! I'm sure it takes a while to mature and for the commercial mincemeat, I have a mincemeat cake recipe from @nannygladys to try.  

Could be win/win when I think about it - use some of the dried fruit!

Nelliegrace

Mincemeat tart is lovely any time of year. I buy a few extra jars of posh mincemeat in the sales.
You could make a sweet or savoury suet pudding in the slow cooker, or suet pastry roll. I was going to suggest a steak and kidney pudding, but you said it was vegetarian suet. 

rtandon27

@Cherryfudge - How about a Leek, cheese & herb pudding?