Maximizing Cooking Food and Storage

[BoCook]

I'm a new cook and one of the dilemmas new cook face is going by recipes, having lots of leftovers, not using ingredients before their food storage expires.

I have been using the Internet frequently for advice on food storage life and was wondering the accuracy of these sources. For example, I have mayonnaise in the fridge for 6 months now..Although it has not grown moldy, I don't know if it's safe to use for cooking. All sites I've visited said 2 months, one had up to 4 months. So when in doubt, does it prove true to "throw it out"?

Now I've learned to cook with ingredients I have on hand before trying a new recipes that call for even more ingredients I may forget about or have no use for...

Thanks.

[KeeperOfTheGood]

Hey oh

I don't pay attention to closely of mass produced products. Recently Health Canada had a listing out that gave some general guidlines, but I'm not sure if it is still available. For myself, I usually throw out anything open for more than a week if its not a sugar or vineger type product. Things like Mayo make it to about 6 weeks, pickled eggs go for about 2 weeks. Summer condements last that, the summer. Opened in may, ditched in september. There is the truth that some products can be fine for months after opened, ye, however once you stick a knife covered in bread crumbs and butter into the jam jar, well, the jam might last, but there will be lots o little pools swirling llittle friends that want to party within ya.

As to food, its a matter or portion controle and planned leftovers. Leftover roast makes for great openfaced samychiz and boning a chicken gives you the bones for stock, the skin and fat can be rendered and used in a rissoto (imparts a nice chicken flavour), the wing tips ground are good for making a raft if you want consume, the liver and such have a multitude of uses as well.

Also, choose a country and stick with it. For example, Mexican food usually includes few herbs or spices but does have a selection of sauses. That way your not going to need a large selection of herbs and spices and flavours off the bat. Then tackle it one country at a time.

Learning to cook is only as huge as you want to make it. When I met my wife, she made cereal and she scrambled eggs. Now she can cook lots of things, and even if she doesn't know how to cook something, she can follow the instructions I leave and do fine.

The amazing member of my family is my 6 year old son, who stands in my hip pocket and activly learns how to cook everything I do. He made, with my help, bread a few days back. Turned out nice too. Then, with the stale left overs we made bread pudding. That was just awsome as well.