Josh Elledge - Chief Executive Angel
8 ways to use up extra pantry food items
A friend of mine just purchased some grapes, and after getting them home, a taste revealed they were more on the tart, rather than sweet, side. She decided the best thing to do would be to use them in a recipe, rather than eating them just plain like she normally would. After paying for them, she certainly wasn't about to just throw them away. So that got me thinking…
What can you do with ingredients or goods that you've had hanging around, because you weren't sure what to do with them, or you never got around to using them? I'm thinking in particular about pantry foods. Every item represents money you've spent, and you don't want to just toss things that are perfectly fine. But what do you do with all those extra pantry goods that need a purpose, and could even be close-dated?
8 ways to make use of extra pantry food items:
1. Donate them. There are practically countless places that can use non-perishable goods of all kinds. Some organizations sort and redistribute items, some use goods themselves to make meals for their clients or the community. All can use donations, especially this time of the year, when fewer people think about donating. If your pantry items are unopened and have a reasonable amount of shelf life left, consider donating them. You never know if that item you can easily do without might be exactly what someone else really needs right now.
2. Volunteer to make a dish or dessert for a community or church event. Picnics, fundraisers, funerals, and more are happening all the time. Volunteering to make a dish or dessert is an ideal way to use up ingredients or packages that are close-dated or already open. Not only will you get them out of your overfull pantry, you'll be helping meet a need. Win-win.
3. Make your own pet food. If you have a pet that isn't sensitive to eating different foods, and the items you have won't be harmful, consider making your furry friend a special treat. Hit the internet for ideas and recipes for pet treats and meals. You're sure to get some extra love from your special buddy for it!
4. Host a family cook-off contest. Gather the family, divide up the goods, and bring on the competition! Remember the TV show Iron Chef? Have the same competition that features a secret ingredient to be incorporated. Working independently or in teams, make dishes with pantry ingredients, and compete to see who makes the tastiest or most creative dish. Before you begin, decide how you'll determine the winner, whether by having one person as the judge, or by having everyone vote based on characteristics such as taste, presentation, and creativity. A simple contest or a serious competitive event, it's fun either way.
5. Try a new recipe or create your own. After you have your goods set aside, don that part mad scientist, part chef hat. Inputting the pantry items you want to use up as search terms, hunt for a new recipe online; or, if you're more adventurous, whip up your own delicious creations. Spaghetti with maple syrup worked on the movie Elf, didn't it?
6. Have an eclectic buffet. Why are buffets so popular? Because there is something for everyone, and you can mix and match items you wouldn't normally. Craft your own eclectic buffet for dinner by making a little of this, and a little of that, and calling it done.
7. Give items to family or friends. To some, it might feel a bit awkward giving unwanted items to family or friends. How you feel about it probably depends a lot on how close you are to the receiver. But something you have no use for could prove very useful to another, so if you can, share and share alike.
8. Make a freezer meal. If you need to use ingredients that are close-dated, but don't think you'll be able to eat everything right away, make freezer meals. Not only will you be able to make good use of the items right away, you'll have a meal you can just pop in the oven on an upcoming busy night. And you know you'll have one sometime soon.
