Post Punk Kitchen Forum

I have a full pantry that is overflowing with all kinds of things and it has really become somewhat of a disaster area. We cleaned it out twice completely in the past year and a half and put everything back in organized... but it still gets crazy after a short period of time. I don't remember what's in there sometimes. My boyfriend is even more stumped when he opens it and I think gets overwhelmed by the number of things and can't decide what to do.

Anyway I want to choose something in my pantry that has been sitting around or I bought and never did anything with and use it up and report back!

I challange everyone to go in their own pantries and do the same.

I bought a bag of Irish Moss that has been sittin in my pantry for quite some time and it will probably continue to sit there until I do something about it. So, I am determined to learn to use Irish Moss and make a raw dessert with it.

I will report my findings! And then move on to the next pantry item...

So, does anyone know any good recipes that use Irish Moss?

No idea about the Irish moss, but I really like this challenge! Sometimes I get overwhelmed by the amount of stuff in my pantry/freezer, and yet I feel compelled to buy more food anyway. It makes no sense.

Right now I'm working on the 15 (really) bags of peanut flour I've had stashed in the freezer for over a year. I bought out Trader Joe's supply when they discontinued it, and now I'm realizing I've barely made a dent since then. I feel like such a hoarder!

Oh my, are we pantry twins, dragonssister? I have a big bag of Irish moss, as well! ANd what's worse is, I know I bought it for *something*....(I do this to myself more than I would care to admit!) Anyways, I know it was a raw food dessert recipe, too, so if I can find it later, I'll share. Looking forward to other responses until then!

My pantry scares me. Pretty sure I could get sucked in and devoured by one of my 80 cans of garbanzos (they were on sale!).

i actually used up almost everything in anticipation of moving.... a month ago! and the bank is still forking around with the financing, so i had to go buy more stuff!!! *curses*

i did use someone's awesome whole grain bread recipe (supercarrot? maybe?) that uses 2c cooked grains. i made quinoa bread, amaranth bread, mochi rice bread....

irish moss, is that a gelling agent like agar??

I've been really contemplating my pantry lately. Well, by pantry I mean a cubby here, and a cubby there, and some shelves over there, and on top of the fridge, and under the microwave, and ... and...

I printed out some papers to inventory my supplies but everytime I look at them, they are daunting and I walk away. I really want to do this and get suggestions on ideas.

Also, haven't a frakking clue what irish moss is.

I've got a lot of canned tomato products in my pantry. As soon as I have time I want to make a huge batch of marinara to freeze for later use on spaghetti, in lasagna, and on pizzas. I also want to make and freeze a big batch of meatless balls with some of my TVP and VWG.

I wish I could do this, but I just recently cleaned out/rearranged my kitchen, so everything that's in it is fairly new. I'm good at coming up with ideas, though.

dragonssister, this is a dessert recipe, but it uses Irish Moss and is really yummy. Pumpkin Pudding and Chocolate Mousse Parfait

This topic is great!

My pantry is not quite out of control yet, but that's mostly due to lack of space. I know that if I buy more stuff I will need to start storing it under the couch and the bed, which will be the beginning of the end, so I don't allow myself to do that.

Now that I've seen that pudding, I want some Irish moss though. Good luck I don't know where I can buy it (please DON'T tell me if you know where to get the stuff in Holland)

My two major pitfalls:
1. If I finally get around to using up a certain item that has been gathering dust for way too long, chances are that I will find a new delicious recipe requiring that ingredient, making me want to buy more of that item once I've used up my supply.
2. If it's an exotic ingredient and I want to use it in an exotic recipe, I often end up buying more exotic ingredients to be able to make that recipe, thus increasing my stock of exotic ingredients that need to be used up.

Things that I need to use up but don't know how:
- Seaweed: I bought nori and kombu when I wanted to experiment with fishy flavors, but it turns out neither boyfriend nor myself like the taste of it. I need recipes where I won't notice the flavor too much.
- Rice paper wrappers: I bought two big packages of triangular rice paper wrappers when they were on sale, but I don't know how to fold the triangular shapes into packages, and I don't know what to fill them with, since many recipes I've found call for aforementioned seaweed or ingredients I would have to buy...
- Dried lion mane mushrooms. I thought the taste and texture were kind of weird and I couldn't find any good recipes to use them in.

Halp!

I did this awhile back and I was shocked to see how long I went without buying anything from the market except for greens and onions. I think in 2 months, I spent about $20, and I finally used up all the stuff that had been sitting around.



I cook all of my beans with a strip of kombu. I also throw finely chopped seaweed in any sort of casserole I make, especially mac and "cheese" style dishes. I don't notice the flavor much at all. Also, it's a great add-in for salads

I just tried fresh lion mane for the first time this week. Can they be reconstituted? My sister makes soup with dried mushrooms all the time; maybe you can chop and mix them into a mushroom recipe that you already like along with the mushrooms that the recipe originally called for.

I was also thinking of trying them in place of lobster or crab in some recipe for those things. Maybe that would work for you?

'tis also known as carageenan. Interesting stuff! :)

I try not to buy stuff unless I need it... But I have a big problem with bulk bins, because I try to buy exactly as much as I need and then end up with 800 bags each containing 1 tbsp of random ingredient.

Um, one thing I do have a ton of right now: tapioca. I bought a big bag to make pudding, but of course you use like 2 tbsp for pudding and I don't make it very often. What the hell am I supposed to do with the rest of the quart of tapioca?

Great thread! I have so many nuts and beans! Also my pomegranate molasses hasn't ever been cracked.

I need to do this too, because my pantry consists of one cupboard and there's no room for 3 packages of nori. Solution: nori french fries.

Okay so the Irish Moss... I decided to use in Grassshopper Pie because we finally got some Creme de Menthe and wanted to make it. I soaked the irish moss for about 4 hours rinsing it repeatedly to get all the sand out until it was nice and plump and doubled in size. Then I blended it with some water until it blended easily and made "Irish Moss Gel" and then I made the recipe in the book but instead of agar I added like 2/3 cup and let it set. It turned out very jelly like and I think I added too much! We were not fond of the end result... but it was fun to try something new!

Can we make this thread a sticky?

My Pantry has currently moved to taking up two whole rooms. Lots of dry grains, dry beans, flours and excessive amounts of odds and ends, plus some scary old spices.

Anyone have some good grain filled recipes? Or some magical way to use lots of beans I'm thinking some chili, cassoulet and cutlets. Sadly the freezer is also overflowing or else I'd be able to just make multiple batches of beany seitan to save for future use.

If you have chickpeas, you could do roast them to make snacks: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/roasted-chickpeas/

Apparently, beans can also be cooked and roasted: http://askgeorgie.com/?p=1430

When I roast chickpeas, I like to keep them in the turned off oven for a few hours after they are done roasting. That way they get extra crispy and because they dry out really well, they keep for longer too. Just store them in a jar for up to a few weeks and you have a great nutritious snack on hand.

This is a good idea. My pantry is either much too small or I have way too much food in it. Since I've already done my shopping for the week, I will make next week a pantry challenge week.

I am all for this challenge, but first I need to find out what is in there... I definitely can't see to the back. My pantry organization is sorely lacking.

I need to find a decent collection of great bean recipes. But the pre-cooking then making the dish has lead to the stock piling of beans and the slow, slow progression through them.

I need to use up a lot of "soy balls" (big round version of soy curls from the Indian grocery) and dried yellow lentils (the kind that gets mushy) before I move. (And it's so hot I really don't feel like cooking...)

I just did a massive clean up of my pantry - tossed really old opened or expired things, things I knew for sure I'd never use again, candy from Halloween, etc. Now I'm kind of ready to use up all the things I've got in there that don't get used often, so it can open up space for things I really do/would use, were I to stock it more efficiently...

I have lots of grains and beans, but more than anything, I have SO MANY NOODLES. Somen, soba, anything. Looks like lots of noodle bowls to come.

(Also, a good way to use up beans/lentils - cook up a batch, make a chili or a bean-heavy soup with some, then use some to make a really nice bean/lentil salad (curried chickpea, VCON lentil salad, etc) and use half the salad on top of veggies and greens for the best salad ever and the rest in wraps. It won't feel like you're only eating beans, but that way you can use up a ton and get some variety via whichever veggies you add to the soup/chili/salad/etc. )

Oooh and I just remembered I have this 850g (I kid you not) can of pureed chickpeas with tahini (sort of semi-readymade hummus).
How will I ever use this up before it goes bad?!

850g! Eat hummus for every meal and freeze what you can't use within a few days?