Common leftover ingredients. How to keep them fresh & creative ideas for using them up.

The easiest way to use up leftover ingredients is to remember to get them out of the pantry or fridge and just include them in your cooking.

You’ll find as you move to creating your own dishes based on template recipes, you’ll be more likely to reach for what you have rather than the ingredients that the recipe demands.

That shift in itself will make a massive difference to the amount of annoying leftover dribs and drabs that end up accumulating in your fridge.

Salad Leaves / Mesculun

Tends to be the most perishable of all veg. When it’s packed in sealed bags, they often use different gasses flushed into the bag to remove oxygen and prolong the life.

That’s why salad in bags had a longer use by date. But then when you open the bag (and let oxygen in) it deteriorates quite quickly.

I’ve found the best way to maximise the life of salad leaves is to wash and spin dry (leaving them slightly damp) then lay the leaves out on paper towel and wrap up into a bundle. Then put the bundle in a plastic bag and suck to remove most of the air before sealing. It’s a bit of a hassle up front but they last longer and they’re already washed when you need them.

Great ways to use salad leaves, apart from making a side salad is to sprinkle a handful over protein based dishes to freshen up the plate. Or serving things like stews or curries on a bed of salad leaves as a lighter alternative to the usual carb-heavy accompaniments of rice, pasta or mashed spuds.

Spices

Oxygen is the enemy of spices so it’s important to store them in an air tight bag or container. Temperature and light can also make a difference so keep in a cool dry place.

Spices are an easy way to change the overall flavour profile of a dish. It may seem a little daunting at first, but the more you use spices, the easier it will be for you to predict a favourable outcome.

A great way to get started is to put a little of your dish in a cup and add tiny amounts of spice to it so you can have a preview of whether that spice will work in your dish. If you like it add the spice to the whole dish, if you don’t try another option.

We’ll cover classic flavour combinations for spices next week. But for now, the following are the most versatile spices that can be used pretty much anywhere:
:: black pepper
:: smoked paprika & other paprikas
:: cayenne pepper
:: chilli powder, dried chilli flakes, whole dried chillies
:: cumin seeds or powder – adds a mild earthy ‘curry’ flavour to dishes
:: coriander seeds or powder – add a fresh lemony falvour
:: vanilla – with most things sweet

Lemons

I just keep at room temp.. but they last for ages in the fridge.

Use excess lemons in salad dressings or as a side to squeeze over rich protein-based dishes.

The juice of half a lemon in a small glass of cold water makes a super invigorating start to the day.

Celery

Also make sure it’s wrapped up in either foil or plastic to minimise loss of moisture and wilting. I’ve had celery last for over a month in my fridge. My Mum used to have a tupperware ‘celery’ container which did a similar job.

The key to celery is to stop just thinking of it as an aromatic veg to use as a supporting ingredient and started using it as an ingredient in its own right.

My favourite is in a raw veg salad. Suddenly it won’t seem to be such a problem. There’s a recipe for my favourite Celery Heart Salad in the cooking on a budget class.

A little finely sliced celery is brilliant for adding crunch in all sorts of dishes.

Basil

Basil gets a mention on it’s own because I find commercial basil notorious for going brown and wilted after just one night in the fridge.

I try and grow my own basil but when I do buy it, I make sure I turn it into pesto either on the day or the next.

OR if I’m short on time, I make a basil oil by packing the washed & dried leaves into a jar and covering with a good peppery extra virgin olive oil. This way it will keep in the fridge for weeks and you can fish out the leaves or use the oil as you go.

Leafy Herbs

Washing and wrapping in paper towel and a plastic bag as per salad can help. But I find it best to try and use them as quickly as possible.

Mint, parsley and coriander (cilantro) can be used as a salad leaf so they’re pretty easy to find a home for. Or consider trying alternative pestos or herb oils.

Woody Herbs

Woody herbs like thyme, sage and rosemary are fine in the freezer. Then you can just use them as needed.

This also works for bay leaves, curry leaves, kaffir lime leaves. Fresh horseradish, ginger & turmeric.

Sauces

Sauces can be divided into two categories. Ones that need refrigerating after opening and those that don’t. Read the label if in doubt.

For sauces that can be served as a condiment, it’s a matter of getting them out and serving them on the table for everyone to experiment with. Although best to only have 1-2 options out at a time so it’s not overwhelming.

For sauces that are more ingredients, first think about the style of sauce and where those styles can be used. For example if it’s an Asian sauce like hoisin, it can probably be used anywhere that you’d use a thicker Asian sauce like oyster sauce or sweet soy sauce. Say stir fries or on steamed veg.

Likewise curry pastes can often be used interchangeably to give a different slant on an old favourite dish.

‘Exotic’ ingredients

Two options for figuring out how to use up your ‘orange blossom water’ or pomegranate molasses. 1. Just google it with the word recipe and see what comes up.

2. Have a taste on its own and think about which common ingredients it is most like. Then try using it instead of the common ingredient. Or do a 50:50 replacement.

For example, tasting pomegranate molasses, it’s sweet but also has quite a bit of acidity. So my first place to try it would be somewhere that I’d normally use balsamic vinegar which is also sweet and acidic.

Cheese

Odd ends of cheese are easy to get rid of. Save them up for a pot luck mac & cheese extravaganza. Just grate or crumble and mix them together.

Rinds of had cheeses like parmesan can be added to soups or stews to give extra richness and umami flavours. Just remember to fish them out before serving.

Salads and soups are another great repository for odd scraps of cheese, as a tiny bit sprinkled or grated over just before serving can add interest without requiring a large amount of cheese.

Vegetables

We’ve covered ideal storage conditions, The obvious homes for odd veg are soups, stews and slow cooked dishes.

But don’t forget to add little bits and pieces to salads, especially ‘slaw or raw veg salads. Vegetables can also be added to add textural variety to a pot of cooked legumes either in with the cooking water, or as a fresh ingredient later on.

Cucumbers & Capsicum (Bell Peppers)

You should be able to get 2 weeks out of these in the fridge. The thing that makes them go bad is dehydration. So keeping them in containers or as I do, in plastic bags is the solution.

Avocado

I only put them in the fridge once they’re cut. Avocados are warm weather creatures who don’t like the cold. Refrigeration actually cases ‘chilling injury’ and speeds up browning. So keep them at room temp.

When cut, leaving the stone in the half you’re not going to eat helps protect a large part of the surface area from browning.

I find they don’t last for long. I tend to buy the firmest ones I can (unless I feel like eating avocado straight away) but they’re always something I’m thinking about ‘eating up’ before they go bad.

Back to: Master Your Meal Plan Overview.