what to make with the stuff in my fridge
Just 23 (Very Good) Dishes That Use Upward Usually Forgotten Ingredients In Your Refrigerator, Freezer, And Pantry
If y'all've never had to throw out expired spices y'all've kept for five-plus years, congratulations — y'all're the 1%.
I haven't cleaned out my pantry in ages. Anyone else? 👀
Ross Yoder
To be honest, I'thou not sure if I'd be totally jazzed to find the forgotten treasures once lost in the depths of my spice cabinet...or admittedlymortified at how I could maybe hoard and then many ingredients that some literally go MIA.
Recently, u/anythingkinder asked the Reddit community to share the "ane ingredient y'all bought specifically for a recipe that'southward been sitting unused in your pantry since so," and let me tell you lot — I am feeling very attacked! Even though I basically melt for a living, my kitchen is overflowing with ingredients I've used i fourth dimension (and 1 time only).
That said, this list of commonly forgotten-almost ingredients is packed with ideas and inspiration from redditors, forth with some of my own tips and advice mixed in. It's time to raid the deeeeeep dark corners of your pantries and fridges, folks — and then make some pretty darn delicious nutrient out of everything you observe.
1. OLD BAY: Sprinkle it on popcorn for an instant flavor boost.
abeautifulplate.com
There's a reason that One-time Bay has become totally synonymous with seafood — that brilliant-just-smoky hit of celery seed and paprika is truly the ultimate for just about anything that comes from the sea — but it's besides a sensational seasoning on just nearly annihilation. Example in indicate: this recipe. Dusting a freshly popped batch of steamy, bootleg popcorn with this succulent spice alloy (and plenty of butter) is an 11/10 feel, folks...and then go to popping.
Recipe: Former Bay Popcorn
2. CORNMEAL: Quickly run it through a blender, and then simmer it on the stove to brand goes-with-anything polenta.
loveandlemons.com
I'm guilty of making polenta once a week, and I truly can't end. It'southward as versatile as it is delectable — load information technology up with fresh herbs and top with a perfectly runny egg, or keep things classic and use information technology as the base of operations for a tender roast. It'due south also an incredibly upkeep-friendly side dish, and then I'd highly advise y'all to proceed some cornmeal on hand for a quick polenta set every once in a while. (Bonus: Leftover polenta fries upwards in a mode that's adjacent-level delish.)
Recipe: Creamy Polenta
three. BALSAMIC VINEGAR: Toss it with strawberries and a bit of sugar — then use it to elevation everything from granola to ice cream.
darngoodveggies.com
Yep, weall know balsamic vinegar is scrumptious drizzled over some fresh mozzarella and ripe, juicy tomatoes (with a big sprig of basil, please), but the subtle sweetness and bite you get from this versatile acrid makes it worthy of a generous drizzle over both the usual suspects and non-then-usual ones.
Turns out balsamic vinegar and strawberries are an absolute match in heaven... Who knew?! The syrupy acidity of the balsamic vinegar brings out the natural sweetness of the strawberries for the quickest, easiest dessert always. This pull a fast one on is specially useful when strawberries aren't in flavour, since the vinegar gives the strawberries a little bit of something special. The only matter better than devouring these balsamic strawberries direct out of the mixing bowl? Serving them atop a big bowl of vanilla water ice cream. Absolute bliss.
Recipe: Easy Balsamic Strawberries
4. SHORTENING: Combine it with flour and buttermilk to make the earth's easiest (and flakiest) three-ingredient biscuits.
addapinch.com
I feel like I've had the same tub of vegetable shortening hanging out in my pantry for the past half dozen years, and though information technology's awesome for things like seasoning my handy-slap-up bandage fe skillet, I'll acknowledge that I could certainly be putting it to use more. To reiterate... Half-dozen. Years.
When a recipe calls for but three ingredients, you can go alee and presume that each one is totally invaluable. This recipe is bona fide proof of that, and honestly, the shortening might be the most important ingredient of all. Many folks swear that making biscuits with vegetable shortening yields a moist effect that's far flakier than what you'd get when using butter...so, consider that incentive for making a tray of these biscuits for yourself (and let me know what you lot think).
Recipe: Three-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits
five. TAHINI: Drizzle some in this simple pumpkin bread for an someday-snack block that's perfectly nutty and ridiculously moist.
acozykitchen.com
I'm guilty of using my jar of tahini for hummus, and hummus simply. That said, there's only so much bootleg hummus y'all can make before it starts to become...well, blitzed chickpeas. Don't get me wrong — homemade hummus isunbelievable — simply that jar of tahini can exist used for so much more than than that ever-popular chickpea spread.
The double-hit of sesame from both tahini and sesame seeds pairs perfectly with the sweetness of this pumpkin bread, and it turns this normally sweetness care for into a perfectly balanced snack that you can munch on morning, apex, or night. If you're a pumpkin bread lover, y'all'll be an accented pumpkin tahini loaf fanatic.
Recipe: Pumpkin Tahini Loaf
half dozen. NUTRITIONAL YEAST: Blitz with apple tree cider vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic for a super-flossy dressing (that only so happens to be 100% plant-based).
eatingbirdfood.com
Here'southward a fact for ya: Nutritional yeast actually comes from the same mucus used to make bakery'due south or brewer'southward yeast... Only theactual yeast cells are killed when nutritional yeast is formed. So, don't employ it in your next batch of staff of life. (It's also a consummate protein — meaning information technology contains all ix essential amino acids that humans demand to obtain from the foods they eat.)
If you lot take a loving cup of nutritional yeast hanging around in the dorsum of your pantry — which, if you're reading this post, you probably practice — this recipe is unproblematic to whip up and cascade all over anything (and everything) you eat. This creamy, umami-forrard dressing is *chef'southward osculation* drizzled over a crisp salad, merely it might exist even better used as a luscious sauce for roasted veggies or whatsoever protein you lot're making for dinner tonight.
Recipe: Flossy Nutritional Yeast Dressing
7. MISO: Spoon some into regular instant ramen for an like shooting fish in a barrel weeknight meal that's bursting with umami.
coupleeatsfood.com
I promise you lot: Miso is the ultimate flavor enhancer for so many non-miso soup foods. This fermented, refrigerator-friendly paste (available in many varieties) is a sure-burn way to add a punch of umami to whatever you lot're cooking — from proteins, to veggies...and even instant ramen.
Ultra-savory and just-a-little-funky miso paste is pretty much all you need to turn a apprehensive parcel of instant ramen into something shockingly impressive. When stored in your fridge, miso will keep for at least a year, so grab a scoop and combine information technology with some instant ramen for a quick and like shooting fish in a barrel (and upkeep-friendly) meal that you lot'll want to slurp up on repeat.
Recipe: Flossy Spicy Miso Ramen
viii. HARISSA: Combine with mayonnaise to brand harissa mayo, and use every bit a two-ingredient dip for pretty much annihilation your heart desires.
aseasonedgreeting.com
This North African hot pepper paste (traditionally fabricated from red chiles and a diverseness of herbs and spices) deserves a dedicated spot in the front of your fridge, so you'll recall to utilise it frequently. It'south particularly delicious in dishes like shakshuka or hummus...but this two-ingredient harissa mayo gets made on repeat in my household. I mean...information technology'due south mayo and harissa, folks! Crisp up some chips in your air fryer and dip away, drizzle all over a juicy burger, or lick information technology straight off the darn spoon.
Recipe: Harissa Mayo
ix. POWDERED MILK: Add to your side by side batch of chocolate chip cookies for an actress punch of flossy richness.
foodiecrush.com
Don't become this confused with malted milk powder — powdered milk is...well, basically milk condensed down to its nigh concentrated, dry form. It adds richness to anything you cook with information technology, without requiring excess liquid, and then it'south the ideal method for adding some actress creaminess to any you're cooking without messing up your proportions. Christina Tosi (of Milk Bar fame) really swears by milk pulverization, so yeah, I'm gonna get ahead and trust her opinions here.
Too being ridiculously delicious (from the brilliant addition of powdered milk), these salted chocolate chip cookies are even more ridiculously easy to make — everything comes together in i mixing bowl, which means y'all can bite into an ooey-gooey chocolate fleck cookie without dirtying up every piece of equipment in your kitchen. In my book, that'due south a major win.
Recipe: Milk Bar'due south Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies
10. STAR ANISE: Simmer in a warm bath of red wine, citrus, and warm spices for a cozy mulled vino that practically makes itself.
themodernproper.com
Star anise and other warm spices — like cloves, and cinnamon sticks — turn an ordinary bottle of wine into a comforting, fragrant pot o' goodness. Permit it simmer on your stove all day long for an unbeatable aroma that'll stick around until the terminal drop is happily sipped. Just put: Your favorite candle could never.
Recipe: Mulled Vino
11. GOCHUJANG: Apply this fermented pepper paste every bit a succulent glaze for this weeknight stir-fry that's every bit like shooting fish in a barrel to make as it is wildly delicious.
familystylefood.com
Gochujang — a fermented, spicy chile paste that'southward pop in Korean cooking — pairs perfectly with chicken. It lends a gentle impact of sweetness and funk that's guaranteed to turn an occasionally slow poly peptide into ane that you'll want to cook for your family on a weekly basis.
Recipe: Sweet and Spicy Gochujang Chicken
12. MOLASSES: Round out the savory, meaty flavors in your side by side pot of chili with the perfect amount of sweetness for a common cold-weather favorite that'due south totally competition-worthy.
browneyedbaker.com
To be totally honest, I don't think I've ever successfully finished a jar of molasses in my life...which, permit me tell ya, is a shame! That sharp, slightly bitter notation of sweetness yous become from adding molasses to whatsoever you're cooking is undeniably unique. Redditors are adamant almost making your own dark-brown sugar (information technology'south like shooting fish in a barrel and keeps really well!), but my favorite way to use up molasses is in this cozy, vibrant chili.
Nothing says comfort like a hot bowl of compact chili, especially when all those savory flavors are balanced with only a hint of sweet molasses. Everyone has their own "secret" chili hacks, and believe me, I've tried most of them...but I recall the addition of molasses might just take the #1 spot for me.
Recipe: Chili Con Carne
13. FISH SAUCE: Use in this perfectly balanced Larb Gai for a low-cal repast that'south super quick (and just requires ane skillet).
recipetineats.com
Once y'all larn how to apply this like shooting fish in a barrel umami-booster, you'll want to sprinkle a few drops overso many different dishes. Fish sauce is just a mixture of oily fish (similar anchovies or krill) and common salt, that's been allowed to ferment for a number of years. Many restaurants in Thailand actually keep bottles on the tabular array — in the aforementioned way that Americans display salt and pepper shakers. (TBH, maybe we should all start keeping fish sauce on our tables.)
If you lot're not a lettuce wrap fan (truth be told, they're non my favorite), this traditional Thai dish might very well change that. In addition to packing in some perfectly counterbalanced flavors — you've got umami from the fish sauce, spice from the chile, and effulgence from the lime — Larb Gai is nearly effortless to make. Any meal that comes together in i wok or skillet is a definite keeper, and I have a funny feeling that you but might agree with me.
Recipe: Larb Gai
14. CARDAMOM: Combine with cinnamon to enhance this expertly spiced coffee cake that's 1) packed with apples and two) finished with a delightfully crumbly streusel topping.
wildwildwhisk.com
A close relative of ginger, cardamom is deliciously fragrant and pairs well with a variety of flavors. Side by side time you lot're steaming a pot of rice, popular in a pod or two of whole cardamom for a tantalizingly perfumed side dish (that'll make your whole house odor admittedly magical). Personally, I beloved the way cardamom pairs with apples. You lot know how coffee makes chocolate desserts taste evenmore chocolatey? Well, I feel STRONGLY that cardamom makes anything with cinnamon taste more...cinnamon-y. (IDK. Just trust me, OK?)
Coffee cake is already the MVP of all breakfast cakes, IMHO, but the addition of apples and a cardamom-spiced streusel topping take this coffee cake straight into a league entirely of its own. If you need me, I'll be eating this cake direct off the serving platter. No plates necessary for something this tasty.
Recipe: Cardamom Apple Coffee Cake
15. ZA'ATAR: Sprinkle over freshly grilled flatbread (brushed with olive oil) for an herby, handheld appetizer that'll disappear fast.
J. Kenji López-Alt / Via seriouseats.com
Here'south the scoop on za'atar: What nosotroscolloquially refer to as za'atar is a Center Eastern spice alloy that varies in its exact contents, depending on geographic location. That said, blends usually contain sumac, marjoram, thyme, sesame seeds, and oregano. Za'atar isalso an herb (also referred to every bithyssop), and, surprise, that herb often makes an appearance in many za'atar blends.
If you're feeling similar a weekend project, you should totally give this from-scratch flatbread recipe a go. That said, if you're in a hurry and demand to get something tasty on the table stat, experience free to grill some store-bought flatbreads instead. The crucial step here is slathering the grilled flatbread with olive oil and za'atar, so at that place are indeed multiple pathways to dinnertime success.
Recipe: Grilled Flatbread With Olive Oil and Za'atar
16. SESAME OIL: Elevate your stir-fry game forever with 3-Cup Chicken — a Taiwanese dish that should have a prime spot in your weekly rotation.
jocooks.com
I'd suggest anyone to starting time keeping sesame oil right on your countertop (next to your olive oil or other cooking oil), and for good reason. When we talk about sesame oil, nosotros're really talking about toasted sesame oil, and whew, this stuff is incredible. No shade to regular sesame oil, either — the toasted variety simply intensifies that sesame flavour and makes it the perfect finish for rice bowls of whatsoever kind, or adding some silkiness and depth of flavor to ramen. You can even make a low-endeavor batch of quick pickles for an piece of cake way to add some brightness and zing to anything you're cooking.
Three-Cup Chicken — a classic Taiwanese dish — practically explodes with rich and punchy flavors, and it couldn't be easier to brand. The "iii-cup" scrap refers to the equal amounts of sesame oil, rice wine, and soy sauce that are traditionally used to make this unproblematic weeknight meal, but virtually recipes, including this one, maintain that ratio while lowering the overall book of ingredients. That said, if you lot want to make a total batch of three-loving cup chicken and consume it nonstop, I won't cease (or arraign) y'all.
Recipe: Three-Cup Chicken
17. POWDERED Carbohydrate: Mix with peanut butter for a satisfying four-ingredient dessert that'll please any crowd.
rosebakes.com
I don't even want to knowhow long I've had a bag of powdered carbohydrate sitting in my pantry. Years? Decades? Either way, it's legitimately impossible to go through a handbag of anything when it'due south merely used equally an aesthetically pleasingdusting over the occasional baked proficient. Enter: this recipe, which uses a WHOLE lot of powdered sugar and is endlessly oversupply-pleasing.
Permit me quickly sell ya on this easy dessert: no baking necessary, four ingredients, and a guaranteed favorite of kids and adults alike. When I say these Peanut Butter Snowballs requirea lot of powdered sugar, I really, truly hateful it. A full batch uses an entire pound (!!!) of the sweet stuff, but it also makes ~72 snowballs...so, experience free to halve the recipe every bit needed. Or, for the ultimate life hack, store the extras in your freezer for a sweet treat whenever that peanut butter peckish hits.
Recipe: Peanut Butter Snowballs
18. NORI: Wrap around rice and pan-fried Spam to brand this Hawaiian snack that's effortlessly portable and oh-so-delicious.
Allison Ruby-red / Getty Images/iStockphoto, Richard Ernest Yap / Getty Images/iStockphoto
Emily Mariko may accept revolutionized the TikTok universe with her mega-viral salmon bowl, where she uses sheets of nori to scoop upwardly a quick tiffin fabricated of leftover salmon and rice, but I'd like to inform y'all that the uses for nori are practically limitless — even if you're hesitant to coil your own homemade maki sushi.
IDK why Spam gets a bad rap — fried up in a skillet, it'due south cipher short of magic — and the popular Hawaiian snack of Spam musubi might only exist the greatest vehicle for Spam ever. It's also surprisingly directly-forrad to make; many recipes will propose you lot buy a defended Spam musubi mold, but honestly, using the can of Spam itself (lined with plastic wrap for easy removal of the compacted rice) is just as easy, and since y'all need the Spam anyway, virtually free! Wrap it all up in a crispy sheet of nori, and you've got a 10/10 easy handheld snack.
Recipe: Spam Musubi
19. CANNED ARTICHOKE HEARTS: Combine with frozen spinach and cream cheese to make this oversupply-pleasing dip that'due south lightyears better than the shop-bought version.
cookingclassy.com
If y'all've e'er tried that store-bought, mayonnaise-based spinach artichoke dip and thought — "meh" — y'all're not alone. This dip, notwithstanding, will exist the life of any political party you throw, and it's practically as simple as dumping a bunch of upkeep-friendly ingredients into a dish and baking until it's melty and piping hot. Truth exist told, you might start keeping cans of artichoke hearts effectually just then you can make this dip with a moment'south notice.
Recipe: Spinach Artichoke Dip
twenty. CLOVES: Use in tandem with molasses to create these snappy, spiced cookies that are destined to be dunked into a tall glass of milk.
James Ransom / Via food52.com
Cloves might be one of the most puzzling spices when it comes to figuring out just how to employ 'em up. You could ever make a pomander (which actually became a thing during the era of The Plague to comprehend upward whatever "bad smells," if y'all grab my drift), but I can't exactly recommend eating one of those. You could e'er brand a cup of easy clove-infused coffee — 1 of my faves — simply IMO, dessert is the way to become when it comes to the small-but-mighty clove.
These snappy Molasses Clove Cookies were practically fabricated to be dunked into a tall glass of milk. They're loaded with spice thanks to cloves and cinnamon, and sweet enough to know that you lot're definitely eating a cookie, without being overwhelmed with the sugar-of-it-all. Recollect: the best gingerbread cookie you've e'er made, merely far more complex (without a lot of effort).
Recipe: Molasses Clove Cookies
21. CAPERS: Make this ultimate pantry-staple pasta dish using ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen, like capers, olives, and canned tomatoes.
recipetineats.com
Did you know that capers are actually the young, unripe flower buds of the antic bush-league? The buds are harvested and and so pickled in a salty brine, which is responsible for that pop of tang and saltiness. They're too an easy mode to add a touch of effulgence to any y'all're cooking — in my case, I made craven piccata a thousand years ago and...the leftover capers are still sitting in a jar in my fridge today. I'thousand sure I'm not alone here, either.
Spaghetti alla Puttanesca packs in many pantry staples in add-on to capers — like olives, anchovies, and canned tomatoes — which make this an easy dorsum-pocket pasta recipe you can throw together even when your fridge is essentially empty. Information technology's briny, savory, offers just a touch of sweet, and let me tell you: The leftovers are even better.
Recipe: Spaghetti Alla Puttanesca
22. SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK: Lend creaminess and sweetness to Thai iced tea for a luxurious only simple afternoon pick-me-up.
Kelli Foster / Via thekitchn.com
I, personally, would never find unused sweetened condensed milk in the back of my pantry...but that's simply considering I would happily drink that stuff out of the can.
If y'all like baking, I'd highly recommend using up that sweet, milky goodness in my favorite key lime pie, just if the idea of exerting that much energy on a broiled good deters you lot, there's a much quicker sweet treat you should make.
Thai iced tea is the all-time iced tea — and it'due south all thanks to the magic of sweetened condensed milk. Information technology'due south worth tracking downwardly the authentic Thai tea mix for this refreshing potable, and trust me, it'll last a long time in your pantry...only if you lot can't go your hands on any, black tea bags volition exercise just fine. Making Thai iced tea couldn't be simpler, either. Only steep, pour over water ice, and elevation with alllllll the sweetened condensed milk your heart desires.
Recipe: Thai Iced Tea
23. ANCHOVIES: Let 'em dissolve into the best-e'er tomato plant sauce, and you might only ditch buying shop-bought tomato sauce one time and for all.
tasty.co
I swear this anchovy sauce is the greatest tomato-based sauce y'all could ever make for a bowl of pasta, and information technology's all thank you to the total umami bomb that is the humble anchovy. No, the final dish won't sense of taste similar fish; information technology'll merely accept incredible depth of season. Trust me: Whenever I have leftover anchovies in my fridge (commonly from making Caesar salad on repeat), I'll use 'em up with this brilliant recipe. It might only become your new get-to sauce — it certainly became mine.
Recipe: Spaghetti With Anchovy Sauce
Source: https://www.buzzfeed.com/rossyoder/recipes-for-pantry-staples
0 Response to "what to make with the stuff in my fridge"
Post a Comment