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Monday, January 12, 2009
Is your pantry as scary as mine?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After the holidays, between needing more space to shove in groceries and concerns about economizing, I took a long hard look at my pantry. Even though it was stuffed to the brim, I had no idea what was in there and suspected I was probably purchasing things I already had.
In my defense, I test so many recipes I end up buying things I only need a little of at a time, so the rest is saved for “future use.” But the reality is, those half opened boxes sit on my shelf for way too long (we’re talking years). When it comes down to it, it’s always about time isn’t it? Finding that precious uninterrupted hour to weed through the cans and bottles is near impossible and not high on my list of priorities.
Yet, when it reached the point where I could barely fit anything and I realized I probably had hundreds of dollars of food buried there, I decided to take the plunge and start using or giving away what I have before buying anything new.
Partial bags of beans are being boiled for soups or to add to salads. Those buy one, get one free, containers of oats will soon be granola. I’m spreading the many “gift” condiments on sandwiches or meats to spice them up. Pasta will be future side dishes with a strict “no buy” rule for starches until they are used up. (Can you believe i found four opened boxes of no-boil lasagna noodles? How does that happen)?
What about you? How often do you clean your pantry? What’s your best way to use up what you have?
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