Your refrigerator and pantry may be like mine. The standard items — ketchup, mayonnaise and hot sauce — sit side-by-side with things purchased when I needed just a tablespoon or half cup for a recipe. There’s that jar of pickles with a few slices floating in a jar full of brine. And the jar half-filled with olives.
There they sit. Taking up space. In my case, lots of space. All waiting to be called into service.
It’s time to use them up
ANCHOVIES AND ANCHOVY PASTE
The most commonly found anchovies are packed in small, flat tins or glass jars and preserved with vegetable or olive oil. Or you may have purchased anchovies packed in salt or a tube of anchovy paste. In either case, anchovies are an important ingredient in a classic Caesar salad dressing, but that dressing may only need a half dozen little fishies.
If the anchovies came in a tin, remove the fillets, drain off the oil and transfer the fillets to a small jar. Label the jar and store it in the refrigerator. Anchovies from a jar can be stored in their oil. Anchovy paste should be refrigerated in its tube. One teaspoon anchovy paste is equal to 1 minced fillet. Refrigerated, the anchovies will be fine for up to a year.
Ways to use up anchovies: Anchovies are packed with umami. Add a minced anchovy or two to onions when sauteing them for tomato-based pasta or pizza sauce. Add a bit of minced anchovy to your next vinaigrette, beef stew, seafood chowder, tuna salad or add up to three minced anchovies to your next batch of a dozen deviled eggs. Mix 1 tablespoon of minced anchovies or anchovy paste to a stick of softened unsalted butter and season with a little cayenne and fresh lemon juice. Now you have anchovy butter, which is delicious on grilled steaks, salmon or tuna, or, do as the British do, and serve your anchovy butter on toast.
Credit: CHRIS HUNT
Credit: CHRIS HUNT
APPLESAUCE
Many people use applesauce as a fat substitute in their baking, but when a recipe only needs 1/2 cup that leaves plenty of applesauce still in the jar. Applesauce can be stored in its original container. Once open, it should be refrigerated and used within a week.
Ways to use up applesauce: Stir some applesauce into yogurt in place of the usual fruit or honey. Make an easy applesauce sorbet by whisking together 2 cups of cold applesauce, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and the zest of one lemon. Whisk until the sugar dissolves, then pour into the canister of an ice cream machine and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Or freeze the mixture in a metal loaf pan covered with foil, and once frozen, use a fork to scrape the solids into a slushy consistency.
Credit: CHRIS HUNT
Credit: CHRIS HUNT
BUTTERMILK
Buttermilk is a key ingredient for tender cakes and quick breads like cornbread or biscuits. Using it as a presoak for dishes like fried chicken also takes advantage of its tenderizing qualities.
Keep buttermilk in the refrigerator in its original carton or jug and take note of the best-by date on the container. I have safely used buttermilk for a week longer than that.
Ways to use up buttermilk: You can find recipes for old-fashioned buttermilk-ham loaf, a frugal dinner that uses up a lot of leftover ingredients like stale breadcrumbs and ham. Or make ranch dressing by stirring together buttermilk, mayonnaise and sour cream in proportions that achieve the consistency you prefer — starting with equal quantities — then adding 1/2 cup chopped herbs and the juice of 1 lemon. Season with Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce and salt to taste. Store finished dressing in a covered jar in the refrigerator and use within 2 days.
CHIPOTLES
Chipotles are dried smoked jalapeno peppers. At the grocery store, they’re most commonly found packed in adobo sauce. Or you may find dried chipotle peppers. They add both smoky flavor and heat and are a common ingredient in chili.
Transfer the chipotles and sauce to a small jar. Label the jar and store it in the refrigerator where they will keep for up to a year. Dried chipotle peppers can be stored in a food-safe plastic bag and stored in your pantry. Dried peppers will keep indefinitely.
Ways to use up chipotles: Add chipotles to your barbecue sauce, mix them into ground meat for meatballs, burgers or taco filling, or use to make chipotle-honey or maple syrup vinaigrette. In the jar of a blender, combine 3/4 cup vegetable oil, 6 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup, 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and 2 garlic cloves. Process until smooth and taste for seasoning adding salt and pepper as needed. Store finished dressing in a covered container for up to 3 days. No need to refrigerate.
HONEY AND PURE MAPLE SYRUP
Honey is often called for in baked goods, where it helps the finished product stay moist longer than if made with sugar. Pure maple syrup is the go-to for pancakes.
Honey should be kept tightly covered in its original container at room temperature. Do not refrigerate. Be sure to wipe off the threads of the jar before putting on the lid to make it easier to reopen. Maple syrup should be kept in its original container and refrigerated after the bottle is opened. It can also be frozen, as long as there is enough room in the container to accommodate expansion. If frozen, let it stand at room temperature until it’s warmed enough to pour. For freshness and quality, use opened honey and pure maple syrup within 18 months.
Ways to use up honey and maple syrup: Either makes an excellent glaze for broiled or grilled proteins, or for roasted vegetables by mixing 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup with 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup dry sherry and a tablespoon each of minced garlic and ginger. Or try the chipotle-honey or maple syrup vinaigrette above.
Credit: CHRIS HUNT
Credit: CHRIS HUNT
MISO
Once a niche ingredient, miso now adds a boost of umami in recipes from pasta to pesto. If you don’t cook with this Japanese fermented soybean paste frequently, you may have a container looking for another use.
Once the container is opened it should be refrigerated in its original container, well sealed, where it will keep for at least a year.
Ways to use up miso: Stir a tablespoon or two into a bowl of ramen or add some to a jar of purchased pasta sauce. Make a glaze for a sheet pan salmon dinner by mixing 3 tablespoons miso with 2 tablespoons mirin, 1 teaspoon soy sauce and 1 teaspoon vegetable oil. Or make a miso variation on macaroni and cheese. Cook 1 pound of pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta into a colander, reserving 2 cups of the cooking water. In the cooking pot, heat 1/2 cup of miso and 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat, stirring until miso dissolves. Stir in 8 ounces low-fat cream cheese and when it’s incorporated into the miso, return the pasta to the pot. Stir until pasta is coated with sauce and season with black pepper. Serve garnished with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.
OLIVE BRINE AND PICKLE JUICE
Olive brine and pickle juice are ingredients we throw away without thinking. Olive brine is full of salty umami and pickle brine provides a vinegary pop and can be spicy or sweet.
Refrigerate these ingredients in their original containers or decant into well-labeled glass jars. Both can be kept for up to a year.
Ways to use up olive brine and pickle juice: Olive brine is a great secret ingredient for adding flavor to potato salad. Toss warm cooked potatoes with 1/4 to 1/2 cup olive brine and let the potatoes cool, then make your dressing, taking into account the salt from the brine.
Or make an olive brine vinaigrette by mixing 1 1/2 cups pure olive oil with 1/4 cup olive brine, 1/4 cup sherry vinegar, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard and 1 minced clove garlic in a jar that seals tightly. Shake to emulsify the dressing, then taste for salt and pepper. Store covered on the counter for up to 3 days.
Make pickleback slaw by combining chopped red and green cabbage, carrots and apples. Mix 1/2 cup mayonnaise with 3 tablespoons pickle juice and 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard. Taste and add apple cider vinegar if more tartness is needed. Season with hot sauce, salt and pepper as desired. Make this with the juice of pickled jalapenos for a spicy variation.
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