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

Cherryfudge

@carinjo, that's a bit of genius with the parchment paper! The loaf looks good too, and the salmon was a brilliant price. 

@RHemmings, I'm in awe that you managed to eat your way through your freezer so close to perfectly. And you're right about the small shops.

RHemmings

@Cherryfudge - a lot of the stuff that has been in my freezer was meals that I cooked up from cupboard ingredients. And fresh vegetables. But, that was later on in the process. When I started there was a lot there. 

But, my freezer is now as empty as it is going to get. Effectively, after stuff I'm taking tomorrow, it's only some rocket lollies and the ginger/garlic now. 

In the fridge there are still some sauces that are open. Hmmm... what to do. It looks like running the small fridge for three weeks would cost about £8. But, I'm also concerned about energy efficiency, but disposing of even a little food has environmental cost. Hmmm.... In hindsight there are things that I shouldn't have bought. 

Off to my small local shop now. Then, it's defrost time. 

When I get back, I'm going to have to make plans to slowly wear down the excess food that will still be in cupboards. I need to put up a sign on the wall saying 'You are moving to a house with a small kitchen'. 

Cherryfudge

RHemmings said:

In the fridge there are still some sauces that are open. Hmmm... what to do. It looks like running the small fridge for three weeks would cost about £8. But, I'm also concerned about energy efficiency, but disposing of even a little food has environmental cost. Hmmm.... In hindsight there are things that I shouldn't have bought. 

If you aren't on Olio or a similar sharing app, could you put a post of social media - 'free to a good home'?

RHemmings

Cherryfudge said:

RHemmings said:

In the fridge there are still some sauces that are open. Hmmm... what to do. It looks like running the small fridge for three weeks would cost about £8. But, I'm also concerned about energy efficiency, but disposing of even a little food has environmental cost. Hmmm.... In hindsight there are things that I shouldn't have bought. 

If you aren't on Olio or a similar sharing app, could you put a post of social media - 'free to a good home'?

Hmmm.... I do give things away on free items groups, but I'm not sure about half-finished sauces. I'll look at Olio and see what people are giving away. 

Cherryfudge

RHemmings said:

Hmmm.... I do give things away on free items groups, but I'm not sure about half-finished sauces. I'll look at Olio and see what people are giving away. 

There's a book called 'Thanks for Sharing' about the sharing economy - I'm pretty sure from the sound of what she writes that if you were clear that the item was opened, somebody might want it. It's one of those odd things, though: it might feel okay accepting from someone you know but not from a stranger?

London_1

RHemmings said:  

My lunch today turns out to be a cooked meal (Chickpea and Potato curry, plus rice) from some time ago before I worked out that filling up the plastic boxes resulted in a too large lunch. So, I'm eating half of it today and will then eat the rest (in the fridge at work) of it either Thursday or Friday. 

 

EDIT: Lunch. It is not well presented. And, this is only half of the lunch I bought in today. 

The curry looks good could you post the recipe as I have an abundance of chickpeas and a good few spuds and I want to make something I can freeze in portions, as I too am moving, but not until probably late spring next year so want to use up as much as I can of stuff and making frozen portions it better for me as I live alone so there is only me to feed I also have a great deal of chopped tomatoes both in tins and in cartons and lots of tinned spuds 
JackieO xx

RHemmings

I will post the recipe as soon as I can use my laptop at the airport. 

Wraithlady

I seem to be filling the freezer up, rather than emptying it, but tbh most of the stuff is prep for Xmas - large tub of Spag Bol sauce, tub of bechamel sauce for Xmas Eve lasagne, large tub of hm soup and the stuffing (which only needs a couple of eggs on the Big Day). Also bought 2 trays of dim sum(s?) at the local Chinese supermarkets, which will do weekend lunches after New Year - now in portioned bags rather than the trays, which saves a bit of space (the trays are great for going under indoor seedlings, prior to being planted out).

In: aforementioned items, cooked chicken thighs, crumpets
Out: Pork fillet, sausages, salmon, bread, (different) hm soup.

I need to remember the large aubergine and the celeriac in the veg drawer - also have rather a lot of herbs left over from the stuffing.
Think curry and soup respectively, need to look up recipes

Cherryfudge

Out: two portions of chicken, 2 packets of sausages.
In: one portion chicken curry.

Mine is somehow filling up faster than it's emptying, too.

RHemmings

Greetings from Doha airport. 

My simple chickpea and potato curry is made this way.

First, chop a good size onion into finely cut bits, and fry a bit in a little oil until it turns transparent. Then, add potato cut into smallish chunks, and add the chick peas. About one tin's worth, though I cook my own. 

The basis of that curry is a mixture of creamed coconut, and tomato paste from a tube. About 1/4 of a block of KTC creamed coconut in the cardboard box, but in Indonesia I'll be using thick coconut cream that comes in a tetrapak. I'm not sure how much tomato paste - enough to make the mixture turn a good reddish colour. Maybe wildly guessing four tablespoons. 

I add one of those frozen ginger/garlic cubes, and two stock cubes. And, enough water to make it all fairly moist. Then, I cook that moderately slowly, stirred occasionally and more water added if it dries a bit. To make sure that it doesn't burn on the bottom too much. It should taste moderately strong or more tomato paste/coconut, and perhaps another stock cube are added. 

Once the potato is cooked, then I add about two tablespoons of curry powder. At the moment I'm using either the Dal Makani or Chana Masalah spices from the company Shaan. I typically add a teaspoon or so of additional coriander powder. The Shaan spices foam up a bit, and that makes it more 'curry' looking. Though, I have made this with fairly standard curry powder e.g. from Sainsbury's. Once the spice is added, I cook it for ... a bit more. Until it looks finished. 

Note that this recipe has a relatively small amount of fat in it. Mostly that which is in the coconut. It will become more 'authentic' looking but also more calorific if more oil is added. Or vegetable (or not) ghee or similar. But, I've gotten used to it without large amounts of added oil/fat. 


This morning I had to make a decision about what to do with the remaining contents of my fridge(s), and decided that while it would be good for the future to reduce waste further, that I would dispose of everything. So, I have two completely empty fridges.