How to Make Your Pantry Items Go Further
You can make your pantry items go further for amazing food and mix it up a little by doing things you wouldn’t usually do. Here are some tips to get you started in the kitchen.
Learn to Bake Cakes
Even seasoned home cooks often shy away from baking. This is because baking requires new skills and precision. But it’s nothing that you cannot learn to do. The great news is that it’s more than likely you have all the ingredients you need in your pantry already. Flour, baking soda, and flavoring extracts are examples. In no time at all, you will be making this recipe for honey cake from your store cupboard staples. And you can use those ten-year-old beans for blind baking.
Take a Long Sunday Afternoon
There’s almost no end to the ingredients some people have sitting in their pantries. Yet you probably don’t even know you have the makings of some seriously delicious food right there. You may not even have to spend anything. For example, some of the most common pantry items like beans and peas, stock and dried herbs, and canned tomatoes can be combined to make a hearty stew or casserole. All you need to do is mix, sit back and enjoy your day off.
Make Your Pantry Items Go Further with Variations
A recent survey has found that 60% of us eat the same recipes each week. No wonder we are bored. But this is where your pantry can be your best friend. If you are looking to mix it up, try raiding the pantry for inspiration. You don’t need to veer off-course too much. So if you are scared, just replace one ingredient. For example, swap out ground beef for cannellini beans in your next chill con Carne for a healthy variant you can use to reduce meat consumption.
Take Inventory to Cut Your Food Bill
If you have a large pantry, it’s possible you have some great ingredients you have bought and paid for. So why let them go to waste? With food prices rocketing, you might be looking for ways to save money. And if you look in your pantry, you could have entire meals just sitting there. For example, there’s bound to be some canned tuna, tomatoes, and pasta, among the herbs and spices. Right there, you have almost all you need for a classic Italian Puttanesca to feed many.
Donate What You Will Never Use
Of course, your pantry stuff is doing no good just sitting there. So it’s a good idea to take the time to take stock of what you will use and what you won’t. With so many people depending on food banks these days, you can help out by donating the food you definitely won’t use. Just Google “food banks near me” to find ways you can donate your unwanted items. And it goes without saying, please ensure that anything you donate has not reached or is near expiration.
Summary
How to Make Your Pantry Items Go Further?
You can easily make these changes your pantry items go further and work for you. You can use staple ingredients for baking, try putting a twist on the classics and donate what you won’t use up.
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