Making do

I've finally gotten back to update some more food related posts.  This post is going to be about making do with what you have in the kitchen in terms of kitchen gadgets.  Living abroad in Spain and Peru allowed me to exercise my problem solving ability when it came to preparing food and it is something that I continue to do even if I have all the tools readily available to me here in the US.  I've brined a turkey in a tub and a wet towel, made banana bread in an 8x8, baked cookies in pie pans and glass casserole dishes, and mashed potatoes with a large spoon.  Of course, you could also take another lesson from my unintentional kitchen creativity : thoroughly think through recipes before you try them. Especially in a foreign land.  But being creative is fun.

The key when you come across a situation like this is not to panic.  Or, not to panic too much or too long.

Living in a kitchen that you have to stock yourself is both fun and frustrating.  You tend to forget little necessities that you take for granted in a well stocked kitchen.  This has happened a few times in the past couple of weeks as we slowly but surely stock up our kitchen with all sorts of handy items.  If you find yourself in a pinch, think about what items you have in your kitchen that are close in shape or function to what you need.  Also, we put a great deal of emphasis on the shape of food, especially baked goods, but ask yourself if your bread REALLY needs to be in a loaf pan, or your pie REALLY needs to be in a pie pan.  Yes, it helps identify what you are making/serving, but your food will taste the same anyway.

Recently I made soup and realized that I didn't have a ladle.  I didn't really want to aim hot soup from the pot directly to the bowl so I thought for a second and pulled out our one cup measuring spoon.  The one cup measuring spoon, especially if it has a longer handle like many do, works great.  It also works for stew or sauce or anything else you need a spoon or ladle for.

Another substitution that I came across was for grinding spices.  Instead of buying poultry seasoning, I decided to make some.  Of course, I didn't read the recipe through otherwise I would have known it wanted me to grind up the rosemary and tarragon.  I didn't want to throw out the spices I already had in the bowl, so I grabbed a jar and proceeded to grind away at my spices.  Of course, I didn't end up with the fine powder I would have gotten with a mortar and pestle, spice grinder or small Cuisinart, but it did pretty well.

As I come across more ways to to be creative in the kitchen, I will share them here.