Has it ever occurred to you that instead of habitually buying pantry/fridge ‘basic’ items at the grocery store – things like ketchup, mayonnaise, chicken/beef broth, salad dressings, BBQ sauce, pasta sauce, chocolate syrup, bread, salsa, relish, etc…
…that you can make your own?
Basic kitchen preparedness includes skills of how-to make things from ‘scratch’. It’s a skill set of getting back to basics in the kitchen. Things that our grandparents did automatically.
Not only can some of these skills save you money, but you can control the ingredients (potentially healthier), control the taste to your liking, avoid those ‘hard-to-pronounce’ and questionable? ingredients that you’ll read on the label, and be better prepared for a future where you might not have the same conveniences of buying whatever you want at the grocery store…
The next time you’re reaching for, say… ketchup, why not make it yourself…
Honey Ketchup Recipe (no preservatives)
12 oz. tomato paste 1/2 c. honey 1 c. vinegar 1/2 c. water (or more, for a thinner consistency) 2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. onion powder 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
Combine until smooth in a saucepan.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes (you’ll need to partially cover because it will spit hot tomato out at even the lowest simmer).
Keep refrigerated. If it thickens too much in the fridge, just add some water (a couple teaspoons at a time) to reach pouring consistency.
Makes 2-1/2 to 3 cups.
Check the internet – there are many more…
The next time you’re reaching for, say… chicken broth, why not make it yourself…
Chicken Broth Recipe
Utilize your freezer to keep the leftover ‘parts’ of any chicken that you haven’t eaten. Example: Neck and wing pieces from cutting up a whole chicken and/or bones from a roasted chicken… Keep adding them in a container (freezer).
Keep the trimmings from carrot, celery, and onion in the freezer (baggie/Ziploc) that you’ve cut off as you used these vegetables for salads and other meals (things like the ends that would otherwise throw away).
When you have enough of both, make broth!
Add frozen contents of both containers in a big pot and fill the pot with water enough to cover the chicken and pieces. Add other ingredients as you wish (garlic, etc.?)
Bring to a boil and then low simmer for a few hours with the lid slightly ajar.
When done, strain into a container (not down the drain – from habit!) and let cool a bit before storing in freezer containers.
Throwaway items + water + cooking time = free stock!
Check the internet – there are many more…
The next time you’re reaching for, say… chocolate syrup, why not make it yourself…
Chocolate Syrup Recipe
Add sugar (3/4-cup), cocoa (3/4-cup), a pinch of salt in a pan.
Measure one cup of boiling water and pour half into the cocoa mixture.
Whisk until a paste forms, getting out as many lumps as you can.
Add the remainder of the water, stirring until smooth.
Then bring to a very low simmer (bubbles barely breaking the surface) over medium heat, while stirring often. Then simmer for 3 minutes. Stir occasionally. Don’t burn it…
Remove from heat and add vanilla (1 tsp.), stir it in.
Let cool for an hour or so… find a jar to keep it in, and store in the fridge for up to 4-weeks.
Check the internet – there are many more…
The point is that it’s a good thing to know and practice making some of these basic food pantry/fridge items if you’re a prepper. It’s so easy to just buy this stuff at the store, but is a good experience to make it yourself for the benefit of using natural and potentially healthier ingredients, no ‘bad’ preservatives (and other unknowns), and to simply know how to do it with basic ingredients which you could potentially stock up on.
It’s getting back to basics…
Source:http://modernsurvivalblog.com/survival-kitchen/make-your-own-pantry-fridge-basics/