Varieties of STUFF in your Fridge or how many vinagers do you have???

[shroomgirl]

This is unreal....I started cleaning my cabinents and fridges out last week.....weird timing I know anyway
16 vinegars
10 mustards
12 oils
25 varieties/shapes of pasta....
you know I normally don't count my condiments but as I was going through there were just so darn many I started counting....
AM I ALONE in having huge assortments of food products? Anyone else care to comment on whats in their drawers.......

[cape chef]

I have a partridge in a pear tree. I have every hot sauce known to man/women kind

cc

[momoreg]

Chocolate! Yesterday, I bought even more. We passed a Lindt store, and I couldn't help it. Given how I love chocolate, I should be as big as a house!

[m brown]

all the lovely different things in my kitchen!
Asian sauces 11
mustards 5
peanutbutters 4
jellys 5
mayo 4
sugars 8
flours 6
tea 13

is it any wonder i have bins overflowing all over the place?
spring cleaning in DEC!

M brown - 4 mayos? What different kinds?

It is kind of funny, isn't it? A dozen different kinds of dried peppers in the freezer, 10 different vinegars, 6 oils, at least a dozen jams, jellies, preserves or fruit butters, herbs or spices in different forms (leaves, ground, whole), 7 or 8 pastas. In the freezer - at least 8 or 9 chicken carcasses (time to make stock), duck carcasses, parmesan rinds, home-grown herbs, perishable store-bought spices and herbs, breads, andouile sausage, linguica . . .

I don't think that we have "regular" kitchens!

[This message has been edited by MaryeO (edited 12-04-2000).]

[shroomgirl]

I know I don't I've taught in other peoples homes and they just don't have 4 kinds of salt or 5 kinds of pepper or stock or demi glaze or I hate to even bring it up but I have 1/2 a piggie in my freezer now from 2 past buys and I just bought another 1/2 to be picked up this week....Boudin Blanc to make leaf lard to render, bacon and ham to cold smoke....I asked for all 5 piggie livers
Gosh it's not the middle of Dec and I'm REALLY not doing this am I?????

Sounds like you really are, shroomgirl.

I dated a musician years ago who suddenly had an epiphany - he said that cooking in someone else's kitchen was like playing someone else's instrument. What a great analogy! After two years, I'm still trying to get used to my husband's electric stove - I can't wait until it croaks and I can get a gas range. I'll probably go for a gas cooktop and an electric oven . . . I like seeing that little flame flickering under the pan; I can control that a lot more accurately than some sort of mysterious and vaguelly red-glowing coil.

[Isa]

Let's see there's balsamic vinegar, red wine, white wine, rice and common vinegar. I'd like to add champagne and sherry vinegar. If I was rich would add truffle flavoured vinegar. There's a array, four, of little French sauce in small jars for fondue. But only one jar of mayo, never use it much. Ah and tomato paste in a tube. As for oil, sesame, olive and canola. I'm trying to figure what kind Shroomgirl has in her fridge to come to 16.

Sisi, I'm betting shroomgirl has the following oils in addition to olive, canola and sesame:

chili
grapeseed
walnut
peanut
corn
something truffled
different kinds of olive oil

[Isa]

Marye,

You're right. You must be more awake then I am... I'd love some truffle oil. You only need a few drops at a time it taste so good.

I don't really care for walnut oil. Tasted it once and not really liked it.

You know what I'd love to have, pistachio flour. I saw it once and now I'm kicking myself for not buying it.

Pistachio flour? Wow . . . I've never heard of that. I wonder if you can make it by processing the pistachios long enough to powder them, but before they become oily? Kind of like you would for almonds in some torte recipes? If that would be the case, maybe hazelnut flour would be a possibility as well.

Let me know if you find see the pistachio flour; mmmm . . . I love those little guys. There's a local candy maker that makes sort of a pistachio fondant, dipped in bittersweet chocolate. I'm definitely a chocolate-lover, but they were so deadly rich, I couldn't manage more than one. Well, maybe two

[Isa]

Marye,


I know the pistachio flour comes from California. I am sure there must be a association of pistachio grower they could probably tell you where to get some.

Should I find it, I want to make pistachio shortbread. Mind you a pistachio tart would be great. Wonder if it wouldn't be better made with pistachio reduced into a powder instead of the flour. Just like the almonds. Hmmm. Could use a chocolate crust. That would a great dessert.

The one thing I hate about pistachio is removing the skin. Always have trouble with that. I've try to do it the hazelnut and the almond way. Neither way was very successful.

I can understand why you would love pistachio & chocolate. What a great mix. Cote d'or a French chocolate co. Makes a chocolate pistachio bar. Pretty good. You should be able to find it. Or you could make some, have you ever tempered chocolate?


A bit of research and I found that pistachio flour is made by The California Press.

I never have tempered chocolate - that's primarily a candy-making thing, isn't it? I've never had the patience to make candy, other than fudge a couple of times.

I wish I had the time to experiment a little more than I do; I love to cook and bake, but have little opportunity to do the latter except around the holidays. My husband isn't a dessert-eater, and in all honesty, I can make baked goodies disappear a little too easily all by myself!

I'm going to check into the pistachio flour, though. I did pick up some pistachios from a middle-eastern market in Boston, and they were almost completely free of skin. If the hazelnut method doesn't work, I can't imagine how else they do it!

Things are a little tight right now in terms of space and money so I don't have the usual nonsense that I might otherwise have but at the monent there's:
5 vinegars, mustard (brown) Mayo(hellmans) canola and olive oils. Duck sauce, Hoisin,szechuan chili,brown paste,oyster sauce, black beans, dried shrimp, seaweed, wasabi, pickled ginger, inari, tiger lily buds, 2 kinds of bar-b-que sauce, tabasco, thai chilis, pickled jalapenos, saurkraut, truffles in arborio rice, fresh chestnuts, fresh parmesan, semi-swt chocolate, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, almonds, nougatine, hazelnuts, butter, cream,
all manner of herbs and spices, pastries, cake 4 types of flour, 6 types of pasta, 4 types of rice. If I get snowed in I'm ready!

[Isa]

Chrose,

I'd hate to see your fridge when things are not tight. Are you sure one fridge is enough?? Just kidding. I have to ask what is duck sauce? I never heard of it. Do I detect a duck fixation here?


Marye,

Tempering chocolate isn't that difficult to do. I rather enjoy making candies. I just don't like to eat it. I am not a big dessert eater either. At one point this summer I had four or five pies and tarts in the freezer. I solve my problem by giving them away, sure makes people happy.