Re: I can't imagine a pantry without...

software · ‎06-08-2016

It's been a rough year for me medically speaking, I haven't done much cooking so I recently cleaned out a cabinet of year old spices and such and tossed my cornstarch.

It kind of panicked me that I have no cornstarch in the house!

It's on my shopping list. I always have flour and baking soda. I don't always have eggs or milk, since I live alone, I'm not always stocked up like I should be, don't want stuff to go bad before I use it.

I buy the big box of baking soda, I use it for so much, not just baking. I mean like the size of a laundry detergent box!

Any time I find vanilla extract at a good price, I'll buy a bottle. I have 3 now! My local health food store had vanilla at a good price recently.

And I always have sugar as well. I like a little sugar in my coffee and of course, for baking.

I also need a good supply of salt & pepper at all times. Bought some recently at Penzey's store.

Yahooey · ‎07-09-2010

I've used baking soda for baking and for cleaning drains. What else can you use it for?

I do have extra flour / sugar on hand for baking. I always buy a few pounds of butter when it is on sale that t store in the freezer. Butter is really expensive. When a recipe calls for a stick or 2, it can go fast. Funny I don't use a lot of butter otherwise. Not even for toast, I use peanut butter.

proudlyfromNJ · ‎05-01-2010

@house_cat. I'm going to tell my husband to hide the empties! Lol. We almost always have wine with dinner. That is if I cook a nice dinner, which I have been pretty lazy about doing lately.

Pooky1 · ‎12-23-2015

i had bought a big bag of arm and hammer baking soda in bjs . i use a cup of bs and 2 cups of white vinagar in dishwasher instead of buying dw cleaner. it does a better job.i allso use it like that to get slow drains moving again. in toilet allso a gallon of boilng water after bs and vinagar and let it sit over night. give it a plung and flush.

Lainey59 · ‎05-27-2010

@willdob3 wrote:
@house_cat

I don’t have any baking soda. But, then, I don’t have a pantry either! lol

I don’t bake so I never have baking supplies but I do sometimes brush my teeth with baking soda & use it for other things so I do usually have baking soda in the house.

That's what I was thinking - the only thing I use baking soda for is to put in the refrigerator for odors and I should have changed that weeks ago! I do have band aids and aspirin though. I don't bake so I have no baking supplies. I had to borrow flour from my sister to make a roux!

Poodlepet2 · ‎03-09-2010

@house_cat, my problem is that DD loves to bake and cook from scratch which is wonderful! This kid can make the best bread you have ever had-and uses NO recipes...if I were to do that, it would be inedible.

I encourage her because it's a fun hobby and her friends love her creations, but time and time again, I have seen a recipe I wanted to make and while assembling ingredients, I get to the baking soda, baking powder-and I find out I have none....

The baking soda? I understand: it has all kinds of uses....but how he manages to go through a can of baking powder in under three months is beyond me....

...and worse? She doesn't tell me when we're out! My solution? I hide a can....

Before anybody jumps on me, she is autistic-and we pick our battles...baking powder and baking soda usage is not an issue....

At any rate, that's my story!

Hugs,

Poodlepet2

software · ‎06-08-2016

I use baking soda to scrub my glass baking dishes sparkling clean, also plastic bowls. It's really cuts the grease and it's a light scrub.

Yahooey · ‎07-09-2010

@software

I thought it was vinegar that makes glass sparkle -I have used vinegar to clean my windows for the first time - did a good job.

I have a jug of vinegar to clean my drains and descale my keurig which lasts a long long time.

Funny how I remember stuff we had when I was a kid. There was iodine which I hated and tghe red stuff which didn't sting. I still don't know what the red stuff is. It came in a small bottle just like iodine. Also Vicks vapor rub. I don't have any of that stuff although I have neosporin and bandaids.

software · ‎06-08-2016

@Yahooey wrote:
@software

I thought it was vinegar that makes glass sparkle -I have used vinegar to clean my windows for the first time - did a good job.

I have a jug of vinegar to clean my drains and descale my keurig which lasts a long long time.

Funny how I remember stuff we had when I was a kid. There was iodine which I hated and tghe red stuff which didn't sting. I still don't know what the red stuff is. It came in a small bottle just like iodine. Also Vicks vapor rub. I don't have any of that stuff although I have neosporin and bandaids.

Merthiolate or murcrochrome is the red stuff

I can see where vinegar would be good for windows but I love using baking soda on my dishes. No smell.