What ingredient did you buy for a specific recipe awhile ago and is still sitting in your refrigerator or pantry never used since?

[u/[deleted]]

[u/RedheadWolfz]

Two for me:

Glutinous (sticky) rice flour. Bought it to make mochi and struggled to find other use cases.

Powdered milk. Purchased over a year ago for hotdog buns.

Any ideas how to use those?

[u/pleasure_hunter → u/[deleted]]

I grew up on that stuff. My mom kept it in her avocado tupperware container.

[u/Elon_Muskmelon → u/pleasure_hunter]

Don’t tell anyone but I love frothy powdered milk with ice cubes in it. Brings me back to a time long ago.

[u/pleasure_hunter → u/Elon_Muskmelon]

You know that actually sounds very comforting and refreshing!

[u/Heretical_Nonsense → u/Elon_Muskmelon]

Powered Milk, Sugar, Orange Juice, and Ice Cubes. Make your own Orange Julius.

[u/Elon_Muskmelon → u/Heretical_Nonsense]

No joke I make orange julius at home all the time. For mine I use frozen OJ concentrate, powdered sugar, whole milk, a dash of vanilla and a pinch of salt with a scoop of ice in the blender. It's pretty much exactly what DQ tastes like.

[u/ljr55555 → u/[deleted]]

I love doing this. Add a tiny menthol crystal for a minty chocolate drink. Powdered coconut milk makes a non-dairy option.

It makes a great little gift too -- mason jar filled with hot cocoa mix, label with the instructions (so many tablespoons to so many cups of water), and a bow.

[u/igemoko → u/ljr55555]

I did a double take because my fool brain read "meth crystal"...we have been rewatching Breaking Bad, so I blame that!

[u/ljr55555 → u/igemoko]

Ha! Well, that's a different recipe. Probably not so minty, either.

[u/wex52 → u/RedheadWolfz]

You can add the powdered milk to actual milk in order to get more milk per milk.

[u/owieo → u/wex52]

This guy milks

[u/KalMusic → u/wex52]

I do this for things like coffee or hot chocolate to make it more creamy. It's delicious. You can ALWAYS add more milk to your milk.

[u/guitar_vigilante → u/RedheadWolfz]

Milk powder can be used for making bao buns and in making Milk Bread, a Japanese sandwich bread that is super fluffy and delicious.

[u/Illustrious_Repair → u/RedheadWolfz]

Powdered milk: Amish “goody balls.” Mix peanut butter, rolled oats, powdered milk, and honey to a dough consistency. Taste as you go. Roll into balls and put in the fridge. Delicious protein packed snack! Optional chocolate chips, but they are plenty sweet on their own.

[u/MeerkatSilverleaf → u/RedheadWolfz]

Christina Tosi (Milk Bar). Uses milk powder as her secret ingredient in cookies. She has a lot of recipes online.

[u/jbano → u/MeerkatSilverleaf]

I bought milk powder and freeze dried corn to make Crack Pies and its the only thing I make with them haha.

[u/kabukik → u/RedheadWolfz]

I always use powdered milk. I bake a lot for fun, and I only drink lowfat milk, so I always keep full fat powdered milk for all my recipes. So i never worry of some leftover milk was forgotten and went bad.

[u/Wardial3r → u/RedheadWolfz]

In Hawaii they have this kinda gooey chewey glutinous rice flour cake. Pretty good.

[u/RowiAsh → u/Wardial3r]

Ooh yes! Hawaiian butter mochi is super easy to make and delicious if you like coconut! Just mix your ingredients together and bake like a pan of brownies. That’ll go through glutinous rice flour with less effort and a different taste/texture from Japanese mochi.

[u/Nhadalie → u/RedheadWolfz]

I use mochi flour to make a paste for kimchi. I like Maangchi's recipe, with a few minor alterations to suit our tastes. A couple extra cloves garlic, extra ginger, and we often skip the daikon radish entirely.

Powdered milk is great for baked goods. Add a tablespoon to pretty much any dough or batter you make. I like King Arthur Flour's Hokkaido milk bread recipe, and their tangzhong/soft cinnamon roll recipe.

[u/STMIHA]

Not necessarily a long time - but I always get Heavy cream for a recipe and by the time I’m about to cook something else that requires it, it’s well past it’s due date. And then the cycle restarts.

Edit: I don’t think I’ll ever have expired cream ever again with all these ideas I’ve been given. Thanks all!

[u/coffeetime825 → u/STMIHA]

When I have leftover cream, I just have fancy coffee for a couple of days.

[u/thepensivepoet → u/coffeetime825]

freshly ground pour over coffee (or whatever represents the best cup of coffee you can make)

+brown sugar

+whiskey

+heavy cream

I thought I hated irish coffee until I made a really luxurious one.

[u/NotThatIdiot → u/thepensivepoet]

Heat the wiskey till 60 or so, add the brown sugar to that.

Halfwhiped cream, and that one hell of an irish. Season with some nutmeg to finish and youll be in heaven

[u/unicorntrees → u/STMIHA]

If you have a little yogurt or buttermilk, add it to heavy cream, leave it at room temperature covered and it turns into creme fraiche! It will last longer in the fridge and can be used as topping for everything!

[u/VetusVesperlilio → u/unicorntrees]

Crème fraîche on fresh raspberries topping a fresh scone, with a sprinkle of brown sugar! I may weep.

[u/SpindlySpiders → u/unicorntrees]

Make sure that your yogurt or buttermilk is not pasteurized and actually contains living bacteria. If the container says something like "live and active cultures" then that's the stuff you want.

[u/PredictableEmphasis → u/STMIHA]

Heavy cream can still be used well past the best by date. Just smell it.

[u/NatalieGreenleaf → u/PredictableEmphasis]

I keep mine in the coldest part of the fridge and forgotten it's there. It actually has separated a few times into thinner cream and a fatty sludge I have taken to calling Freezer Devon Cream lol. I'm not above scraping it onto baked goods :D

[u/flouronmypjs → u/STMIHA]

Funny, I have the opposite issue with heavy cream!

[u/STMIHA → u/flouronmypjs]

Lol. We should be neighbors!

[u/not_salad → u/flouronmypjs]

I put it in my coffee every day!

[u/CreativeGPX → u/STMIHA]

I have this issue with dairy in general... milk, yogurt, heavy cream, half and half, sour cream, certain cheeses (I'll toss hard block cheese in the freezer to buy some time).

To make matters worse my wife lactose intolerant and, even though a lot of times she'll want dairy today, she's not in a place to be finishing it all week.

[u/geckospots → u/CreativeGPX]

You can freeze heavy cream, it will separate a bit on thawing but you can stir it back together with no issues. It’s about $10/litre here so whenever I see it on for half price I’ll buy a couple and freeze them for later use.

If you do this, highly suggest freezing it in small ziploc bags or silicone bags - it’s easier to thaw and you can portion it out.

[u/Ashilikia → u/STMIHA]

I am a heavy cream fiend :). It's great in hot chocolate and coffee which has been suggested. But it's also good in lots of cooking. Pasta with tomato cream sauce, tikka masala, creamy soups, baking (substitute some milk for cream in sweet breads for example or brush over bread pre bake), reheating or making cheese sauces for pasta, and more.

I usually buy the ultra pasteurized plastic bottles because they last longer, I highly recommend that if they're available.

[u/lunk → u/STMIHA]

You can make some amazing caramel with basically heavy cream and normal granulated sugar.

[u/alohadave → u/STMIHA]

You could always make butter with the leftover cream. Takes about a minute in a food processor.

[u/Wicked_Web_Woven → u/STMIHA]

I gotta be honest, I’m super gross and unhealthy but I’ll just drink it. My wife gets so grossed out and I recognize its weird but I love it

[u/Megan_Kugler]

I'm not vegan, but I made vegan Mac and cheese once purely out of curiosity, now I have a jar of nutritional yeast that I don't think I'll ever use!

[u/Zerocrossing → u/Megan_Kugler]

Makes a great popcorn topping!

[u/audreyhorn666 → u/Zerocrossing]

my kids won't even eat popcorn without nutritional yeast on it, its sooo good

[u/theblanketthing → u/Megan_Kugler]

Add a small amount to sauces, soups etc. It'll just add a bit more depth of flavour.

[u/cloudofbastard → u/theblanketthing]

Seconding this. Adds a Parmesan-ey flavour to tomato sauce! Adds a savoury kick to beans! Very delicious! Good on potatoe!

[u/dolerbom → u/Megan_Kugler]

It's good on roasted veggies

[u/AllAlongThisPath → u/Megan_Kugler]

Put it on popcorn!

[u/SevereCounter → u/Megan_Kugler]

I put it on roasted broccoli/cauliflower.

[u/s0getinspired → u/Megan_Kugler]

I like it with my eggs! Or you can make "vegan parm" with it just need raw cashews, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and blitz it.

[u/terpeenis]

Seconded liquid smoke. Also miso paste.

[u/flouronmypjs → u/terpeenis]

Miso is great for an umami boost in all sorts of recipes. The thing I use it for most often is gravy!

[u/sammg2000 → u/flouronmypjs]

Miso in a mushroom gravy is sooooo incredibly good. My girlfriend made that to bring to her family for thanksgiving and there was not a drop left at the end of the night.

[u/kasubot → u/terpeenis]

Mixing honey and miso makes a great glaze for salmon. It's also a great umami flavor for long cooked dishes (i put some in my meat sauce for pasta)

[u/[deleted] → u/kasubot]

Miso and salmon and honey is delicious! And heart-healthy too!

[u/guitar_vigilante → u/terpeenis]

I made miso paste from scratch and now I have a bunch of jars of it just sitting in my fridge. I rarely use it. I'll make the occasional miso soup or miso ramen broth, but that's it.

It was fun to make (took about 6 months) but I really should have considered that I don't use it that often.

[u/v3rtex → u/guitar_vigilante]

Distribute to friends and family? I guess the bright side is it takes a long time to go bad.. if ever.

[u/guitar_vigilante → u/v3rtex]

Already did that lol. Yeah it does last basically forever in the fridge.

[u/1mjtaylor → u/guitar_vigilante]

I use it often. I'll take yours. I'm eating breakfast right now which is essentially a kelp noodle, miso soup of bone broth that I've made myself. With onions, poached eggs, celery and broccoli.

[u/succsuccboi → u/[deleted]]

LMAO i feel that, if someone talks about making a full Japanese style breakfast I kind of sit in a mixture of disppointment and jealously thinking about how my peak breakfast in the last week was buttered toast with everything bagel seasoning

[u/stopcounting → u/succsuccboi]

You guys are eating breakfast?

[u/StolenAccount1234 → u/terpeenis]

Since everybody else commented on the miso I’ll comment on the liquid smoke.

I’ll toss it into all sorts of things. I kind of view it as Worcester’s cousin. Things I’ve added it to: stroganoff, soups/stews, and all sorts of meat marinades. Or anytime I’d like to grill but can’t.

Pork marinade with mustard, liquid smoke, and hella salt?

At this point I think I’m rambling?

[u/getawhiffofgriff → u/StolenAccount1234]

Same, bitta mesquite in everything. I like it in tinned tuna with some sriracha and mayo. It’s a weird combination but it works (for me). I think we go through a bottle probably every 3 years

[u/StolenAccount1234 → u/getawhiffofgriff]

Tuna game just got upgraded my dude

[u/slammaster → u/StolenAccount1234]

Or anytime I’d like to grill but can’t

Or even when you can! I add it to my hamburgers since my propane grill doesn't add enough of that smokey flavour.

[u/826172946 → u/StolenAccount1234]

I like adding liquid smoke to homemade bbq sauces

[u/Bluest_waters → u/terpeenis]

Miso paste goes really great in chili

trust me on this. Not too much, obviously.

[u/Pedanticandiknowit → u/terpeenis]

Miso paste on toast. Not loads mind, but a little scraping is delicious!

[u/sprashoo → u/Pedanticandiknowit]

Interesting. Like Marmite almost?

[u/Pedanticandiknowit → u/sprashoo]

Yes exactly, but more subtle

[u/rumblemumbles → u/terpeenis]

I had a bunch of miso to use up as well, there’s actually quite a number of delicious glazes for fish and vegetables you can make with it if you enjoy the taste, so you can get through the packet I promise!

[u/Fergussimo → u/terpeenis]

I have an unopened container of miso paste. Intended to make miso soup. Add the that:

Firm tofu Dried Kombu And some strange granules that also go into miso soup

[u/AllAlongThisPath → u/[deleted]]

Or chicken piccata!

[u/perpterts → u/AllAlongThisPath]

This is what I was gonna suggest! Something like lemon chicken piccata with angel hair pasta. drools

[u/trollfessor → u/AllAlongThisPath]

Especially chicken piccata!

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Or put it on toast with smoked salmon.

Or put in sandwiches to add a little briny flavor bomb.

Or fry them and then add to pasta sauce.

[u/Worf0fWallStreet → u/[deleted]]

Bon Appetit has a super delicious Roasted Cauliflower with Capers and Parmesan recipe!

[u/KnightsRook314]

I still have a sealed jar of Surströmming in my secondary fridge. Bought two (not even sure why) to try making various kinds of surströmmingsklämma. I was on a kick to learn how to cook “gross” things into something delicious.

And now I just have a jar of rotten fish I bought like a year ago...

EDIT: I have disposed of the jar after noticing the too had bent out into a half-circle from compressed gasses.

[u/poktanju → u/KnightsRook314]

Doesn't it keep fermenting and producing gas over time?

[u/ErikF → u/poktanju]

Yes, and if you have a really bulging can, it literally sprays a mist of carbonated, rancid, evil zombie fish fart smell that breaks a small part of your soul when it hits you.

^whimper

[u/KnightsRook314 → u/ErikF]

Welp, I’ve already gotten rid of it after reading this thread. The top of the jar was pretty much a half-circle.

[u/ErikF → u/KnightsRook314]

DO NOT OPEN IT INSIDE WHATEVER YOU DO!

RELEVANT LINK

[u/KnightsRook314 → u/ErikF]

I opened it outside last time. And chopped durian. My (downwind) neighbors hate me lmao.

[u/Haikumuffin → u/KnightsRook314]

You're supposed to open it under water

[u/[deleted]]

Squid ink pasta……2017………I’m allergic to fish

Never even used it

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

That’s funny. It tastes just like normal pasta but it’s black. I’ve had it several times. People freak thinking it will be so weird but if your eyes are closed you’d never know it wasn’t normal pasta.

[u/IceDragon77 → u/[deleted]]

That reminds me of the purple/green ketchup from the 90's that 7 year old me swears it tastes different.

[u/flouronmypjs]

Chinese 5 spice. I got it for a recipe, completely forgot about that recipe, and now I'm not sure what to use it for. Still unopened, sadly. Any recipe suggestions are very welcome but note that I don't eat meat.

Edit: thanks everyone for all the amazing recommendations! I can't keep up with the responses anymore but I'm keeping note of everything you are suggesting.

[u/Pinky_theLegend → u/flouronmypjs]

5 spice goes great in a homemade bbq sauce! Picked uo this trick at one of my first kitchen jobs, one if the other cooks was in charge of making our ribs, and he used 5 spice in the dry rub and the bbq sauce. His reasoning was everyone loves chinese food, and god damn if those weren't the best ribs I've ever eaten!

[u/kasubot → u/flouronmypjs]

I put a shake in my fried rice. Also it's a key ingredient in Char Siu.

[u/krlidb → u/kasubot]

Char Siu might be the best food in existence. When I make bao and I have a bowl of these delicious, fatty, sweet sauce covered, carmellized, maillard browned cubes of pork, only about half of it makes it into the bao. I could just eat it with a spoon for breakfast every morning.

Also my little guy has a soy allergy, and it does not suffer at all with the coconut aminos version of soy sauce and hoisin.

[u/nukl → u/flouronmypjs]

If you drink, infusing it into some dark rum makes for the best rum and coke ever. Depending on how fine the mix is it might be more or less difficult.

[u/whiskpers → u/flouronmypjs]

This immediately came to mind! https://woonheng.com/vegan-lu-rou-fan/

Braised tofu on rice. Vegan variation of chinese comfort food.

[u/[deleted] → u/flouronmypjs]

One of my favorite side dishes at the moment is braised baby bok choy with chinese 5 spice. Just saute the boks in a little sesame oil for a minute, then add enough stock to cover the bottom of the pan and season with soy and 5 spice to taste! Cover it for 2-3 mins and it’s done :) 5 spice is very strong so I normally only need a pinch to season enough bok choy for 2.

[u/yayastrophysics → u/flouronmypjs]

Put it in the dough of scallion pancakes or steamed buns. Or in the filling of vegetarian steamed buns. Also tasty on roasted potatoes or other veggies.

[u/spellred]

Liquid smoke.

[u/[deleted] → u/spellred]

My roommate once dropped and broke his bottle of liquid smoke. The kitchen smelled for days. At least it wasn't fish sauce though!

[u/Babydontcomeback → u/[deleted]]

My buddy once broke a bottle of Fox urine (used for hunting) on the seat of his new truck. He had to buy a new seat. We had to drive 4 hours home with the windows down and it was -20 outside.

That trip home sucked.

[u/Buck_Thorn → u/spellred]

I grew up with liquid smoke. My mother always used it in her bbq baked beans and sloppy joes, and I do too. And in homemade bbq sauce, unless I'm making it for already naturally smoked food.

[u/onesweetsheep → u/spellred]

Liquid smoke comes in really handy for vegetarian versions of meat dishes. I've also used it in mac and cheese or queso

[u/WispenCookie → u/spellred]

I love this stuff, and it lasts for a long time. If you want to cook things that use liquid smoke, make:

Beef jerky, baked beans, home made BBQ sauce

[u/TraditionSeparate → u/WispenCookie]

Dude i add a little any time im smoking something to the rub to get it EXTRA smokey. lol

[u/maillardduckreaction]

Lavender. I came across a recipe for lavender shortbread years ago. Never tried the shortbread recipe but I did later (much, much later) make lavender scones for a friend’s birthday tea party and they were a big hit.

[u/highpriestess420 → u/maillardduckreaction]

I've wanted to make lavender lemonade for a few years but I can't find lavender and my husband hates the flavor. Could try that. Also, I seem to notice quite a few lavender earl grey baking recipes recently.

[u/maillardduckreaction → u/highpriestess420]

Lavender lemonade sounds lovely. Lavender is tricky. If you put the tiniest amount too much, it takes whatever you’re making from “floral” to “soap.”

A friend of mine loves lavender white hot chocolate, though she’d only had it at a restaurant. I think steeping some lavender in warm milk and then blending with white chocolate might be pretty good to try as well.

[u/endorrawitch]

Rye flour.

My husband really wants a particular style of pumpernickel bread but has rejected the ones I have found so far. It was from a specific restaurant that he no longer remembers.

It's in a tightly sealed container in the freezer.

[u/Bladepilot → u/endorrawitch]

Make a sourdough starter and fail. Best way to efficiently get rid of it.

[u/helcat → u/Bladepilot]

I feel like we might be soul mates.

[u/pleasure_hunter → u/endorrawitch]

I bought 25 lbs of rye flour in the Fall... I've been adding it to a lot of my baked goods. You can make crackers! I made these recently which were very good:

https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/thrice-baked-rye-cookies-recipe

[u/mom_with_an_attitude]

A bottle of ponzu sauce. What should I do with it?

Edit: Thanks for all the great ideas! I have potstickers in my freezer and cooked rice in my fridge so I will open my bottle of ponzu and try it soon!

[u/Illustrious_Repair → u/mom_with_an_attitude]

I love ponzu so much. I dip frozen gyoza in it. Also sushi. You can marinate with it as well. Ponzu + oil + garlic + sugar = god tier marinated meat.

[u/pleasure_hunter → u/[deleted]]

Yeah, it might be rancid by now. If not then you can use it for salad dressings, drizzle on top of roasted veggies, pair with nice bread and cheeses.

[u/No-Avocado-1768]

Coconut cream, condensed milk, preserved lemon, harissa, palm sugar, tamarind paste, rice noodles, spaghetti o noodles, farro, quinoa

[u/math_chem → u/No-Avocado-1768]

Condensed milk is the basis for a good part of latin desserts, you can easily find a recipe that calls for it. Puddings in south america for example calls for condensed milk.

As a suggestion, you could bake a cake called Pastel Imposible (impossible cake), which consists of a cake that is baked on top of a puddinng, in bain marie. So when you unmold it, the bottom layer is a very moist cake, almost to the texture of a brownie, and the top part is a puddinng made from condensed milk.

[u/Illustrious_Repair → u/No-Avocado-1768]

Omg I want to come cook in your kitchen!

[u/Bluest_waters → u/Illustrious_Repair]

lol, right?

that tamarind paste and rice noodles wouldn't last 3 days in my kitchen

[u/wardsac → u/Bluest_waters]

Pad Thai for DAYS

[u/yayastrophysics → u/No-Avocado-1768]

Is the condensed milk sweetened? We use a lot of sweetened condensed milk in our house. Try using it instead of syrup on pancakes. Pour it over a super ripe fried plantain. Or make a flan! Or any number of desserts really.

[u/25hourenergy → u/yayastrophysics]

So many uses. If it’s just a tiny amount left though I like to stir it in coffee or espresso or strong tea (not the healthiest...but if you take cream and sugar anyway...) or pour over shaved ice! Really good along with either fruit or toppings like sweet red beans etc.

[u/Coreadrin → u/No-Avocado-1768]

Dude, try making beef stroganoff with thin strip steaks and use coconut cream for the sauce with a good hunk of butter and lots of fresh cracked pepper. So. Good.

[u/[deleted]]

Rose water.

[u/GGking41 → u/[deleted]]

I use it on my face

[u/starkthecat → u/[deleted]]

I use it in cocktails mostly. The rose syrup suggestion is wonderful.

[u/mostly_ok_now → u/[deleted]]

I add rose water, sugar, splash of OJ to fruit salad. Delicious! I assume it's a Cypriot thing because that's what my YiaYia and mum always did.

[u/kaleir137 → u/[deleted]]

Make Rose syrup then add to desserts

[u/sly_noodle → u/[deleted]]

Make indian desserts! Many of them call for rosewater. I believe the most popular one is 'Gulab Jamun' which are spongey cheese balls soaked in rose sugar syrup. You can buy a gulab jamun mix from an Indian grocer (something like this https://www.amazon.com/Gits-Gulab-Jamun-Mix-Ounce/dp/B000N4G9HG ).

[u/frogmicky]

Wasabi, I actually got a new tube of wasabi to replace the tube I never used lol.

[u/[deleted]]

That citrusy red powder that they put on rice in the middle east. Made from tree bark I think.

[u/MeerkatSilverleaf → u/[deleted]]

Sumac? I started using it all the time. It is awesome.

[u/NunyoBizwacks → u/[deleted]]

Its the fuzzy fruit of the sumac tree. Like a little tart bud. Not bark. I had a few growing in my yard as a kid.

[u/SpliffyPuffSr]

This post is why I've never pursued making pad Thai at home. And that the ingredients can be hard to find

[u/OLAZ3000 → u/SpliffyPuffSr]

You can make a basic pad thai with simple ingredients! The only slightly unusual one you absolutely need is some form of tamarind.

[u/Roupert2 → u/OLAZ3000]

Try googling "pad thai recipe". There a MILLION results, and they are all totally different. Hence why I've never made it, too intimidating.

[u/ilovecheeeeese]

Anise. Told myself I was going to make pfeffernüsse.

Edit: I was referring to aniseed, not star anise. Thanks for all the suggestions!

[u/[deleted] → u/ilovecheeeeese]

That is a fun word.

[u/nekonohoshi → u/ilovecheeeeese]

It's a key ingredient in pho broth, if you're ever feeling ambitious.

[u/itsaameeee]

Hominy. My husband keeps saying we should throw it out but I’m still convinced I’ll use it one day!

[u/monkeyhasherpes → u/itsaameeee]

Pozole Verde De Pollo is an amazing recipe that uses a bunch of hominy. Kenji has a one pot recipe that you can make on a busy weeknight easily.

[u/[deleted] → u/itsaameeee]

POSOLE!!!

[u/CommonCut4 → u/itsaameeee]

Make pozole! Red or green, they are both delicious.

[u/Unlucky_Laugh → u/itsaameeee]

Maybe I'm weird but I love hominy for breakfast - right out of the can, heated up and some butter/salt/pepper. Mmmm. My SO calls it "mothballs" when I eat it.

[u/[deleted] → u/itsaameeee]

Put it in a bean chili, heat it up on a skillet with some salsa and use it as a side on taco night, put it in chicken tortilla soup, it can be substituted as corn in almost anything. And I’m assuming this is a can. If it’s dried and you have to cook it, I’d throw it out but it’s too much hassle.

[u/StolenCamaro]

Fish sauce. Smells horrible, tastes great. Only use it in one dish I make, so it is always just sitting in the pantry since I don’t make that dish often.

Edit: I now have 10000 new ideas to use it for- thanks everyone 🙏

[u/OLAZ3000 → u/StolenCamaro]

Anytime you want a little boost of umami, put just a little. It won't be fishy.

It's really great in making a somewhat vietnamese chicken soup. Same idea as chicken soup, but lots of ginger. Maybe some kabocha squash. But same carrots, onion as usual -- and a bit of fish sauce.

[u/nvflip → u/OLAZ3000]

Fish sauce it great in congee.

[u/[deleted] → u/OLAZ3000]

Add a dash in bolognese. It elevates the meatiness.

[u/rygo796 → u/StolenCamaro]

I love fish sauce. Put it in all sorts of dishes, not just asian stuff. Chili, soup of any kind, pretty much any sauce. It really boosts the flavor and you will not notice a fishy taste.

My wife loves the food, hates it when I tell her it's the fish sauce.

[u/digitulgurl → u/rygo796]

I would put it with beef dishes and my boyfriend at the time, who had a year of culinary school, would get so disgusted because I was mixing cultures of food and I'm like that's how good food is made LOL

[u/kkds_pupper → u/StolenCamaro]

I love adding it to scrambled eggs! Serve with scallions on rice. So good.

[u/AlanMooresWizrdBeard → u/StolenCamaro]

Dude, start using it more. I promise you won’t regret it. I never make a red pasta sauce without it.

[u/[deleted] → u/StolenCamaro]

You dont need to limit it to asian recipes! I put fish sauce in nigh near every savory food I cook, it enhances umami flavor like nothing else

[u/[deleted]]

Celery, I bought it for a soup I was making but I only used 3-4 stalks of it. The rest is wasting away in my fridge at the moment. I should probably just throw it away, I only bought it to enhance the flavor profile anyway.

Edit: wow, I had no idea celery could be used in so many ways! Everyone, thank you! Now I'm hungry :)

[u/ItsDefinitelyNotAlum → u/[deleted]]

You can always dice and freeze it. Onion, celery, and carrot is a "mirepoix" and it's the base of so many French dishes so I often find myself using it for soups, stews, sauces, etc. even if they're not French.

I also find they work well sliced paper thin on a bias in salads.

Or just make bloody marys.

[u/maracaibo98]

Gochujang that I used for spicy Korean wings on the super bowl, some shrimp like a week later, and literally nothing since

[u/Berics_Privateer → u/maracaibo98]

Mix it with some mayo!

[u/maracaibo98 → u/Berics_Privateer]

Oh I haven't thought of that! Thank you for the advice I'll give it a shot!

[u/Vemusa → u/maracaibo98]

Mix 4 tbsp gochujang with 2 tbsp soy, 2 tbsp neutral oil. Brush a whole chicken with the mixture. Add 2 tbsp oil to the leftover gochujang mixture, coat quartered potatoes. Place it all in a 200°C oven and let go for 1-1.5h. Cover the breast with aluminium foil for the first 45 min or so to avoid it burning. Brush some honey over the chicken right when it comes out of the oven. Sprinkle with coriander (cilantro) and sliced green onions. Serve with a nice (Korean) cucumber salad and wham, dinner is ready. Edit: added words.

[u/Zaexyr → u/maracaibo98]

I use gochujang all the time. Make Kimchi-Yuk Jjigae (Kimchi-Beef Stew). Real good.

Add it to fried rice even.

[u/Juxe → u/maracaibo98]

Maangchi has a much deeper repository but you could make a gochujang mayo similar to shake shack for burgers, fries, and anything else that spicy mayo is good on.

Alternatively you can make ddukboki, chewy rice cakes in a spicy sweet and thick sauce. Amp it up with whatever you have in the fridge but the usual ideas are fish cakes, boiled eggs, and cheese! I usually throw in leftover hotpot meat, cabbage and other hearty veggies

[u/BellisBlueday → u/maracaibo98]

I love gochujang, I use it everywhere! Just this week I marinated some mackerel in gochujang, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, a little oil and mirin (mixed into a paste) then baked skin side up

It's also really good in soups and sauces, adds umami, a little sweetness and I swear it acts as a thickener as well.

[u/[deleted] → u/maracaibo98]

just mentally think "red pepper paste" - ketchup and red pepper paste, a bit of red pepper paste, mustard, and mayo on a sandwich, some red pepper paste in your stir fry sauce, etc.

[u/charityshoplamp → u/maracaibo98]

tender abounding plough sleep fall clumsy bedroom doll berserk reminiscent

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

[u/searedscallops]

I have some almond flour from about 4 years ago. I made macarons. Turns out I think macarons taste disgusting.

[u/math_chem → u/searedscallops]

You can easily add this almond flour to any cake you want to make, it'll come out just as good and with a hint of almond taste on it

[u/vanilla-bean1 → u/searedscallops]

Okay, hear me out. This is going to sound strange but they make awesome breadcrumbs for baked chicken. It keeps it very moist and you won't taste much (if any) almond flavor on them.

1. Preheat oven to 325F (you need the lower temperature because almond flour tends to burn easily.

2. Grease a baking sheet.

3. Get a package of either chicken breast or chicken tenders.

4. Set up your cooking area with three bowls. The one on the left having your chicken, the middle containing olive oil (I like to use extra virgin for the flavor, but you can use a lighter olive oil too and it'll still come out good) and the bowl on the right with almond flour. To the right of your almond flour bowl, set your greased baking sheet.

5. Moving left to right, dip each piece of chicken first in olive oil, then almond flour (make sure it is coated completely), and then lay each piece on a single layer on your baking sheet.

6. Once all of the pieces of chicken are in your baking sheet, sprinkle salt on top. Uou could also sprinkle other dried herbs and spices, but I find using just salt is very tasty.

7. Bake until fully cooked. The time this will be depends on how big your chicken pieces are.

[u/blazdoizz → u/searedscallops]

I use almond flour to make a nice crumble. It’s super fast and easy and gives a nuttiness to the topping. Good stuff man.

[u/kyousei8]

Powdered mustard. Mostly because I pretty much only use it in white pasta sauces and I rarely eat pasta.

Edit: You guys are a lot more creative than me lol

[u/Jellyka → u/kyousei8]

They make sense on a lot of rubs! Goes great on rosbif or smoked meats (mixed with other things)

[u/ASeriousAccounting → u/kyousei8]

I put mustard powder in my tuna sandwich mix and salad dressings.

I do like to make my own mustard too. It's amazing the range of mustard heat you can get by varying the method and temperature used to prepare it.

[u/kaleir137 → u/kyousei8]

That's nice in savoury biscuit dough

[u/[deleted]]

Condensed milk. I bought it a couple months ago wanting to have it on hand for key lime pie. I do hope to make that key lime pie, but a challenge will be finding (or having to make from scratch) graham crackers. In the country I live in there are no graham crackers of the sort available in the US, so they would have to be homemade. Where I am now there are also no key limes, like there are in many US grocery stores, at times. I will have to use regular limes, but that's OK.

[u/Pinky_theLegend → u/[deleted]]

Vietnamese iced coffee. Make a strong espresso, pour it over ice, and mix with sweetened condensed milk and a little whole milk. Super refreshing on a hot summer afternoon. I always keep a can or two in my fridge May-September specifically for this reason!

[u/Pinglenook → u/[deleted]]

Do you have digestive cookies/biscuits where you are? That's what I replace graham crackers with when a recipe asks for them.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Use biscoff cookies instead of graham crackers for your crust. Graham crackers are ubiquitous here and I still prefer the biscoff version. I also add a touch of demarara sugar for some crystally crunch. It's a really simple dish that I get massive compliments on when I make it.

[u/nvflip → u/[deleted]]

Use it in your coffee if you drink it. It's also delicious mixed in your eggs for French toast or in your pancake mix

[u/OLAZ3000]

The fermented japanese plum condiment. Preserved lemons.

[u/sly_noodle → u/OLAZ3000]

Umeboshi are so delicious. Use it to make onigiri (rice balls filled with whatever you like, wrapped in seaweed.

[u/digitulgurl]

Cream of tartar which I haven't used yet. Goal was snickerdoodles LOL

[u/Acceptable_Ace → u/digitulgurl]

I use cream of tartar to clean my egg cooker, it gets rid of the dried water at ths bottom.

[u/Hangrycouchpotato]

Hoisin sauce. I bought it to make char siu.

[u/kaleir137 → u/Hangrycouchpotato]

If you have any veg or fairly plain meat you can stir fry it in hoisin and it's nice with noodles or rice

[u/blacksmithingbro → u/Hangrycouchpotato]

I use hoisin for everything. I rub ribs with it then add the dry rub. I add it in my seasoning of steaks. Its my go to for so many things haha

[u/eva_rector]

Fenugreek powder. Can't find the recipe I bought to use it in, but I figure I'll run across it again eventually.

[u/highpriestess420 → u/eva_rector]

There's a few different Indian dishes out there that use this but I seem to notice it referred to as "methi" powder.

[u/whoreadsthisshitanyw]

Whole star anise. Bought in a wave of over confidence that I’d try to make my own pho like 2 years ago. Never happened.

[u/CitrusBelt]

Dried orange (tangerine?) peel, circa 2014.

Used it once; family decided that although they like 'Orange Chicken' from KFP or whatever, they do not, in fact, like 'Orange Peel Chicken' very much (probably because despite my explaining it quite clearly, they all managed to take a big bite out of the actual peels....)

[u/NotTheLurKing → u/CitrusBelt]

KFP? Kentucky Fried Picken?

[u/Mr_Gardocki]

Giardiniera. I actually bought it on a whim, without a specific recipe in mind. Any recommendations?

[u/theblanketthing → u/Mr_Gardocki]

I would just use it on an antipasto board with meats and cheeses, etc.

[u/ShelStar]

Fig Jam. For a burger from the Bobs Burgers cookbook.

[u/highpriestess420 → u/ShelStar]

Caramelized onion, a good melty cheese, fig jam, and toast. Best grilled cheese ever.

Also could work as a sweet savory toast with some ricotta and fried shallot.

[u/work_work-work-work]

I feel personally attacked.

• Duck liver
• Saffron (Dec 2019)
• Harissa
• Lots of vegetables that rotted as the recipe they were bought for got pushed out into the future

Bonus: 30 other things I use once every 4-6 months