Ideas for Using My Expired Pantry Items

 

Earlier this year, I took six weeks to eat my way through all of the things in the freezer that had been there for a bit longer than they ought to have been.  It was rather a fun period to be honest because we ate really well.  I have seldom been as creative a cook as I was during that period, and I especially enjoyed it from that aspect. I am learning to date meats and entrees, broths and such when I put them in the freezer these days and that's helped me stay on top of using those items.

But I knew the pantry held secrets.  Things I'd passed over last time I was doing a pantry inventory.  And probably four or five times prior to that.  

Now you do what you are most comfortable with.  If an item is past the best buy date and you feel it needs to be tossed, then go ahead.   I choose to keep those items and try to use them.  I won't tell you how far out some of these things are, because that's my pantry secret but I will tell you how I ensure we are eating safely.  

And just FYI, these tips are good things to pay attention to even when an item is still within the best by dates.  

Does the can bulge?  Is it leaking?  Rusty? If it's a packaged item, is the integrity of the packaging still good?  Do I see evidence of pests or insects?

When I go to use the item, I pay close attention.  Does the can 'hiss' at me as I open it?  I'm not talking about the obvious popping noise a can makes when you're using a can opener, but a distinct 'hissing' sound.  Recently I had some tomato paste that were barely past their best be dates and appeared safe in every way, but the cans distinctly hissed, as though the contents had been under a lot of pressure rather than the more usual popping sound.  I felt it was safer to skip using that item than to proceed with my recipe.   If it's a jar, did you hear the tell-tale 'pop' when you opened the lid?  

Once the can is open, if there's been no hissing sound, then I use my nose and my eyes.  Does the product smell as it should?  

Does it look as it should?  If the colors are off, how are they off?  Milk products can turn a yellow color, both liquid and dry milk products.  That color does not indicate spoilage, simply that it's gone beyond its best buy date.  It is a chemical reaction of casein that is used as a preservative.  But if the contents look too far off, I'm done.  I won't risk using them.

Keep this in mind: most canned goods will last years beyond the best by date.  The quality of the food product may not be as fresh.  And while botulism is a serious thing, there have only been about 110 cases per year on average, in the United States.  It's serious folks, make no mistake about that.  But I assure you that I am careful.  I have no desire to be a stastic of that sort!

All that said, I have failed to use these items in a timely manner.  Mostly because I'm at a loss as to how I might make use of them.  Either they are things I don't commonly use, was given, or I thought they'd be a good addition to the pantry.  

Armed with this knowledge, I sat down after I'd done my inventory work and looked up recipes and ideas to use these items up.  

And yes, I'll list all of the items I have on hand to use.

1.  Puddings and gelatins.   I think these are fairly obvious.  The packages are not compromised.  I will use them up in the month ahead.  I'd planned to do that anyway, since they are all fully sweetened and I will replace with sugar-free.  Note to future self:  buy fewer boxes and be more aware of expiration dates.  

2.  UHT milk and dry powder milk.  I'll see how the UHT milk looks when I open the carton. If all appears well, I'll just use it for cooking and mixing purposes.  The dry milk powder is of less concern.  I know that it may darken but it mixes and tastes just fine.  

3.  Cannellini Beans.  I have only one can of these to use.  I found a recipe for a Cannellini Bean salad.  it was both low in carbs and has a nice protein count.

4.  Black Beans.  I was given these sometime ago and I've worked my way through a whole case of them, but there's another case to go.  These are not in cans but packaged in a cardboard carton.  All of the cartons are intact, not leaking or bulging.  How many ways can you use black beans?  LOTS!

Southwest Chicken Salad was my first idea.  I can also use the others in these ways: Chili, Refried Beans, Black Bean Salsa Fresca, Cuban Black Beans and Rice, Brandy's Black Bean Burgers, Tacos, Mexican Lasagna.  

5.  Canned Coconut Milk.  I have three 15-ounce cans.  One can and a package of vanilla pudding would make coconut Cream Pie which sounds mighty good to me.  

I can also add to chicken curry or make a coconut milk slaw (uses red cabbage, green onions).  Coconut rice would be nice with black beans one night.  And Pina Colada Smoothies using some of my canned pineapple sounds good, too.

6.  Bean Sprouts. 2 cans.  I found a recipe for a sauteed Asian bean sprout dish.  I can also use in fried rice, eggs fu young.

7.  Water Chestnuts. 2 cans.  The first thing that comes to mind is Chicken and Wild Rice casserole, which is why I have these on hand in the first place.  Katie will appreciate one of these casseroles as a freezer meal when she has her baby.  

I also had the idea of making my own Stir Fry Vegetable mix using broccoli, red peppers, onion, carrots and the water chestnuts.  

8.  Bamboo shoots. 1 can. I'll use in  the stir fry dish.

9.  Red Enchilada Sauce.  3 cans.  Mexican Chicken dish with sweet potatoes and black bean skillet.

Chicken Enchilada Soup.  Enchilada stuffed Bell Peppers.

10.  Green Chilies.  3 cans.   Low carb-Green Chili Chicken Casserole.  Mexican cornbread (I also have packets of expired corn muffin mixes that are stored in the freezer).   Green Chili Chicken Tostados.

11.  Chipotle Peppers. 3 cans.  The problem with Chipotle Peppers isn't that the cans are big, but that the product can only be used in a moderate amount.  In a small can there are anywhere from 5 to 6 peppers.  Most recipes call for one at the most.  And there's good reason for it...these little dudes are spicy!  The good thing about them is that I read a tip long ago that after you open a can you should lay the peppers out with a little of the sauce on each, freeze, then bag them up.  This works beautifully.  If you're like me though, once in the freezer you forget about them and buy another can or three.

Ideas to use them: Smoky Chipotle Meatloaf, Chipotle Barbecue sauce, Birria Tacos, Taco Burgers, Chipotle Mayonnaise, Creamy Chipotle Tomato Bisque (Here you can use up expired milk, tomatoes and chipotles), Crispy Chipotle Smashed Potatoes, Chipotle Pineapple glaze for a Ham, Pumpkin Chipotle Sauce for Pasta (wanna guess who has expired pumpkin?), Spicy Lettuce Wraps, Smoky Black Bean Soup (another winner on my list).

12. Pumpkin.  2 cans.  Unless you're making pumpkin pie, most recipes call for 1 cup.  Most cans contain just shy of two cups.  So multiple recipes are also required here.  I did mention the Pumpkin Chipotle Sauce for Pasta.  I have a recipe in my notebook for a lovely creamy Pumpkin and Chicken Enchilada dish, too.  Pumpkin Banana bread, Pumpkin muffins, pumpkin biscuits, and Creamy Pumpkin Lasagna all sounded really good to me.

13.  Canned whole Potatoes.  2 cans.  At times I've sliced these and tossed them into soup when I'm making a big batch because canned potatoes hold their integrity when frozen, unlike fresh cooked potatoes.  This also makes diced canned potatoes ideal for Chicken pot pie that you plan to freeze.  I think they'd also do well in a Potato Soup.

14. Cranberry sauce.  1 can.  My first thought is to make the Catalina Chicken in the slow cooker.  That's an easy recipe that uses a whole can of the sauce, a packet of onion soup mix and a portion of a bottle of Catalina or French dressing.  It makes a sauce that is reminiscent of Barbecue.  So much so that the other night when I was making Barbecued pork chops, I mixed some leftover sauce from the fridge into barbecue sauce.  Yum!  And by the way, Cranberry jelly can be frozen and it holds up well when thawed.  

15.  Canned mandarin oranges. 1 can.  There are all sorts of ways to use these.  Then why haven't I?  I bought them (and the UHT milk) for Caleb ages ago and this can got lost in the shuffling of pantry shelves.   You can mix the oranges into a cake mix with the juice used in place of the water called for on the box.   You can use them in orange gelatin, Orange Sherbert 'salad', or mix with Vanilla Pudding and Whipped topping to make a lovely dessert.

I also have on hand: 1 can of whole kernel corn, 2 cans of sliced carrots, a large can of Yams, 1 box Scalloped potatoes and a can of mixed vegetables.  I have 3 cans of chicken noodle soups that have expired.  I don't feel like any of these will be difficult to use up since they are more typical items.

Did you glean any good ideas for items you might have in your pantry?

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