Store It Foods

Believe it or not, food storage tools, do not need to be limited to food storage.  Case in point: the food grinder.

Take that food grinder, and grind together oatmeal and almonds.  To this add grated orange peel and some fresh yogurt (which could also be made at home).  The end result is not a new dessert or some sort of breakfast cereal.  What you have is a beauty product.  The oatmeal and almonds are exfoliants for removing dry, dead skin.  The yogurt / orange part of the mixture is very effective in softening and nourishing.

It is rather messy, so it is suggested that this skin treatment take place in the shower, but the end results justify that little inconvenience.  It works well, and can be much less expensive than using commercial preparations.

A well balanced, well made, finely honed chef’s knife is not inexpensive.  Yet, if you want a good, reliable cutting and slicing tool on hand for when needed, then spending a little more is probably well worth it in the long run.  If, however, you want it to remain a good, reliable cutting and slicing tool, then you need to take care of it.

Part of that care includes proper storage.  A knife block is a good idea, but if you don’t have a knife block you do not want to simply throw it into a cutlery drawer where that finely honed blade can be nicked or marked by the spoons, forks, other knives, or whatever else it hits and rubs up against while in that drawer.

Should that be the scenario you are facing, then a simple solution is at hand.

Take an empty milk or juice carton.  Measure the blade size of you knife.  Then cut from the carton a strip of cardboard at least twice as wide as that blade at its widest, and just a little bit longer. Fold the cardboard lengthwise.  Tape it closed at the bottom, and along the one open side.  Voila!  You now have a knife sleeve. 

It may not look all that attractive, but it will do the job for you.  That job, of course, is protecting the knife blade.  It will still require sharpening from time to time, but now that will only be due to the normal wear and tear of kitchen use.  It will no longer be because you’ve inadvertantly damaged it in storage.

Does your dog really care how brightly colored its food might happen to be? When you take into consideration the fact that dogs are, for the most part, colorblind*, then it probably doesn’t really matter to your canine friend just what food colorings the manufactuer uses.  Does it matter if your pet’s kibble is in the shape of little bones, tiny doughnuts, or other odd shapes.  To be honest, the animal probably doesn’t even give that a thought as it gobbles it all down.

These things might, however, be deciding factors when the animal’s human is making the initial purchase.  At least that is what the manufacturer is counting upon.

In these tough economic times, though, it is probably worth giving a thought or two to the value of paying extra for those things when they don’t really matter.  Now, if that kibble is also especially tasty and more nutritionally sound, then those are the features that might warrant the spending of a little more.

Don’t limit such thinking only to our pets’ needs. 

Baby carrots look awfully good, but in most cases they aren’t really “babies”.  They’re full sized carrots whittled down into the pleasing, carrot shape of babies.  So if they cost more than the nearby package of full sized carrots, are they really worth the extra cost?

They are easier to snack upon, and if you plan on a pot of freshly cooked carrots for dinner, then there is not much slicing involved, thus making them a labor saver.  Perhaps those features warrant spending just a little more.

The list of examples could go on and on.  The point being made is simply that we shouldn’t be misled by size, shape or attractive packaging.  The best value is to be found in those things that really do best serve our needs, and sometimes a little investigating is in order.

Remember, too, that even where there is definitely value to be had,  it needs to be value that is of worth to you.  Changing the topic from food to a food related product, consider a wheat grass juicer.  A well designed, rugged, and dependable wheat grass juicer, no matter how good it is, nor how good the price might be, would probably not be a very good choice for someone who does not like wheat grass juice.

• Dogs do see some colors, but they certainly don’t see them nearly as well as their human masters.  Bight blues, and bright reds, for instance, would mean very little to them.

Is that your standard operating procedure?  If it is, then it may be time to give that a second thought.  Is that seal replaceable?  Is there anything else wrong with your pressure cooker?  Is it too large, too small, or lacking in some other respect?

If it is only a part that is causing your problems, why not save some money and replace only the part?  Yes, parts for older appliances may be unavailable, but don’t assume they are unavailable.  Check to see if there is a source of parts for older pressure cookers.  The same advice applies for blenders, apple peelers, sauce makers, grain mills, etc., etc.  Online searches are easy to undertake, and may provide you with positive results.

On the other hand, don’t bother with parts when it is cheaper to buy new.  Unfortunately, that is sometimes the case, and you also need to be aware of that possibility.

There goes another package of freezer burned meat into the garbage.  That’s just like throwing away money.  That’s sad because if you’re like most people, the objective is to save money rather than throw it away.

To help meet that objective you might want to consider a food storage method that is still far too often ignored.  Using it may not entirely eliminate the freezer buring of meat, but it can certainly do a great deal to lessen the likelihood.  Try vacuum packaging.  A vacuum seal can make a world of difference when it comes to the storage of frozen foods. 

That is only one of the advantages of using a vacuum sealer, but it is a big one

It’s always worth your while to keep your eyes open for money saving devices.

Another one has appeared on the market in the form of the Mix ‘N Pour Dressing Mixer by XHP.  This little bottle is designed to hold the ingredients needed to make your own, homemade salad dressing.  You’ll even find four popular dressing recipes imprinted upon the bottle itself so that you never have to go looking for a “who know’s where I put it” recipe book to refresh your memory about ingredients.

A button controlled manual mixer does the mixing right in the bottle, which, when completed, becomes a salad dressing container suitable for storing right in the refrigerator.  It is so simple and so easy.

Hand held appliances such as the popular salad shooter are great labor savers as far as preparing those veggies for your salad is concerned.  The Mix ‘N Pour is a labor saver too, if you are making those homemade dressings, but there’s another advantage. Because your are making those dressings at home it is saving you dollars as well.

Salad dressings from the store are convenient, and they’re not really all that expensive. If you love salads, however, you’re likely a dressing lover as well, and it probably doesn’t take you too long to go through a bottle of dressing. That means the savings involved in doing it yourself can soon add up.  As an added bonus, you get to control the ingredients.  Just think of the chemical preservatives that you can eliminate from your diet.

Many people might have second thoughts about making dressings at home due to the time and inconvenience involved, but when something as easy to use as the Mix ‘N Pour comes along, it might be time to have second thoughts about those second thoughts.

Use a little imagination when it comes to your food storage tools.  They can be used to save you money as well as save your food.

Consider the overripe banana.  It’s not much good on cereal, as an addition to your fruit salad, as a tasty addition to a dish of ice-cream, or simply to be peeled and eaten.  It has outlived its period of usefulness.  It might be okay for making banana bread or banana muffins, or something similar, but you might not always want to make banana bread or banana muffins. It looks like the garbage or compost bin might be the only realistic option.

But wait!

Bring out your steam juicer.  Bananas make for an unusual fruit juice.  Instead of discarding them, peel those overripe bananas and steam them.  You’ll soon have a rich banana concentrate that is perfect for milk shakes and exotic drinks.  Even the leftover pulp need not be wasted.  Turn now to your food dehydrator, and use it to produce a tasty, nutritious fruit leather.

Use your imagination and do some research, and you might just find a great many other money saving ideas that can pertain to your food storage equipment.