A condiment ponderment

[Looby]

We’re clearing the fridge out and I’ve just thrown away a huge amount of sauces and condiments that are well out of date.
Some of this is clearly shit planning as there were 5 fucking tomato purée tubes open and no way of knowing which were still ok (this is Mr Looby’s doing).

But a lot of it was stuff I only use occasionally. I only use mustard in cooking really so unless I use the whole jar, the rest will possibly end up binned in the next cull.

I bought some Branston pickle, ate loads of cheese and pickle for a while then forgot about it and I’ve had to bin the rest of the jar.

I know a lot of waste could be saved with better meal planning and I will do this but there’s still stuff I rarely use like mayo that will always get thrown away every few months and I hate it.

Mini sachets are really handy and i do buy extra mayo sachets when I go to the chippy but it’s a lot of plastic.

So, is it better to buy mini sachets/pots/jars and reduce food waste? I’m thinking environment but also cost.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Probably better for the environment buying glass jars as they're easily recyclable.

 

[danny la rouge]

I think the trick is organisation, so you can easily see and access what you have. This is a trick I have not mastered. Tips welcomed.

 

[Leafster]

I have this problem. If possible, I've been trying to make things from scratch as the individual ingredients often keep longer than when they're combined. This has only really worked for me with stuff like salad dressings and pasta sauces. I have made apple sauce but I'm lazy and tend to buy the smallest jar possible now.

I avoid using tomato puree. If it's to thicken something then I add cornflour along with some chopped tomatoes.

I don't like tomato ketchup so don't normally buy it. The only time I do is for BBQs and then the remnants get thrown away (eventually).

Looking in the fridge now, it looks like it could do with a clear out. There's mint, cranberry and cumberland sauce which all need ditching.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Tips welcomed.

I rarely buy this sort of stuff because I know it'll end up being binned.

 

[Kevbad the Bad]

Most pickles and sauces will last way beyond their date. If someone gave you a jar of homemade chutney, and you liked it, you'd only get rid of it if it started going mouldy. Even then I'd just scrape the mould off and see what the rest tasted like.

 

[wtfftw]

I'm sure mustard doesn't go off.

About to do a fridge reckoning here as the jars and bottles are taking over. There's probably a shame post humble brag thread in that.

 

[gentlegreen]

I'm sure mustard doesn't go off.

in the fridge maybe ... sadly I often waste half jars of Dijon because my taste for it is intermittent ...

 

[pogofish]

I would imagine the resources/energy needed to pack condiments into lots of little packages of whatever type would far exceed those needed for standard sizes?

I'd also bet that the price mark up on the mini items could be considerably higher than an equivalent amount in standard packaging.

I also have vague memory of reading some work a good few years back that pointed the finger at sauce/mayo sachets as being amongst the main sources of food poisoning outbreaks on the oil rigs/boats here. Simply because operators tended to stock them in quantity and leave them lying a lot longer than was safe before using them.

 

[baldrick]

Most condiments last forever or at least I'd carry on eating them until they are mouldy. The problem I have is once you get past a critical mass of jars on the top shelf of the fridge you forget what's already lurking at the back and buy new ones.

Did a clear out not so long ago and now have condiments in 3 sections - pickles, savoury stuff and sweet stuff. Hopefully now I won't keep buying pesto when we don't need it.

 

[gentlegreen]

I'm guessing there might be mileage in decanting into smaller containers so the bulk of it doesn't get so contaminated ...

 

[Looby]

I think the trick is organisation, so you can easily see and access what you have. This is a trick I have not mastered. Tips welcomed.

I am generally pretty organised but it doesn’t stop the problem of stuff that isn’t used much.

My fridge doesn’t look quite like this but not far off. I use baskets and boxes to keep it tidy. It makes me really happy.
If you can stand how Californian and perky they are, watch the home edit on Netflix or Marie Kondo for a calm, mindful tidy up.

 

[Looby]

I would imagine the resources/energy needed to pack condiments into lots of little packages of whatever type would far exceed those needed for standard sizes?

I'd also bet that the price mark up on the mini items could be considerably higher than an equivalent amount in standard packaging.

I also have vague memory of reading some work a good few years back that pointed the finger at sauce/mayo sachets as being amongst the main sources of food poisoning outbreaks on the oil rigs/boats here. Simply because operators tended to stock them in quantity and leave them lying a lot longer than was safe before using them.

Yeah definitely more energy and packaging and more expensive but far less food waste.

I keep any sachets we have in the fridge and they’re all date marked.

 

[killer b]

do those tubes of tomato puree go off? I don't even bother refrigerating them and there's often months between squeezes. cf. Mustard, ketchup, most pickles - you aren't supposed to use it all at once, it keeps for ages

 

[Looby]

I'm sure mustard doesn't go off.

About to do a fridge reckoning here as the jars and bottles are taking over. There's probably a shame post humble brag thread in that.

Maybe I am being too cautious but the Dijon I’ve just chucked said keep for 6 weeks once opened and I can’t remember the last time I used it, maybe 3 months.

 

[danny la rouge]

Maybe I am being too cautious but the Dijon I’ve just chucked said keep for 6 weeks once opened and I can’t remember the last time I used it, maybe 3 months.

Oh, that’s definitely too cautious.

 

[mrsfran]

Maybe I am being too cautious but the Dijon I’ve just chucked said keep for 6 weeks once opened and I can’t remember the last time I used it, maybe 3 months.

Oh yeah no, that's overcautious. It's mustard, it keeps ages.

 

[Epona]

A lot of this stuff doesn't go off very easily.

The way to deal with opened jars in the fridge is open it, have a look - can you see any mould? Or does it smell musty/mouldy?

If not, it is fine to use.

One thing is to make sure not to contaminate jars with a buttery knife - butter does go rancid and if you get it in your condiments it could make the condiment go off too, so always use a clean utensil.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Maybe I am being too cautious but the Dijon I’ve just chucked said keep for 6 weeks once opened and I can’t remember the last time I used it, maybe 3 months.

Probably better to buy mustard powder, and make your own when you want some. That should last longer than an opened jar of pre-made stuff.

 

[gentlegreen]

There is no substituted for Dijon and if I could get it locally, Grey Poupon

 

[Epona]

There is no substituted for Dijon and if I could get it locally, Grey Poupon

Dijon mustard is easy to make though, no need to buy a jar and waste any, just make a small quantity at a time in a mortar and pestle.

 

[moose]

I'd keep buying jars and eat it all faster - condiments are the best At least half our fridge space is condimentalised. Having said that, most of it doesn't really need to be refrigerated - if it's preserved or pickled, it's fine in a cupboard.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

can i take this opportunity to wish you the condiments of the season?

 

[Kevbad the Bad]

can i take this opportunity to wish you the condiments of the season?

Condiments of the seasoning, surely?

 

[xenon]

Condiments go off now? Apart from mayonnaise, I keep things in there for months. Pretty sure there’s a jar of kimchi I opened about three months ago. And the anchovies, well they physically can’t go off can they. Hmm

 

[xenon]

Ketchup, brown sauce, get binned when they go acidic.

 

[thismoment]

Maybe I am being too cautious but the Dijon I’ve just chucked said keep for 6 weeks once opened and I can’t remember the last time I used it, maybe 3 months.

I have a six weeks rule for condiments especially mayo. Although funnily enough don’t have that problem anymore. I actually used to sometimes write the month on the jar of stuff like mint jelly

 

[thismoment]

I am generally pretty organised but it doesn’t stop the problem of stuff that isn’t used much.

My fridge doesn’t look quite like this but not far off. I use baskets and boxes to keep it tidy. It makes me really happy.
If you can stand how Californian and perky they are, watch the home edit on Netflix or Marie Kondo for a calm, mindful tidy up.

View attachment 301541

Oh I just love this. I don’t have the energy or patience to do it myself but I still love it.

 

[Epona]

I think mayonnaise or anything else that contains raw egg is definitely worth taking more care with. Same for dairy products ofc.

But that jar of sweet pickle that has lasted a year so far? Probably absolutely nothing wrong with it.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

I actually used to sometimes write the month on the jar of stuff like mint jelly

I do that too - otherwise I'd have no idea when I should bin the contents months later.