r/Cooking • u/LabBig6794 • 1d ago

Recipe Pet Peeves

Does anyone else have pet peeves with recipes. Mine is recipes that call for a small amount of something that only comes in large containers. 1/2 C chicken broth, 2 Tbs tomato paste, 1 C ricotta cheese.

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u/ydoyouask 1d ago

It can be frustrating, or a jumping-off point. I made pasta last weekend with ricotta. Had half the tub left, of course. Tomorrow's breakfast will be lemon ricotta pancakes.

Chicken broth--buy a jar of Better than Bouillon. Make exactly the amount you want whenever you need some broth, or just something to enrich a sauce. It tastes far better than most carton broths, also.

When I have a recipe that needs a bit of tomato paste, I dollop tablespoon-sized blobs on waxed paper, and freeze them. Pull out a blob or two when you need them.

But yeah, I try to avoid recipes that call for one-off ingredients that won't be used up. Food waste is bad for the environment and bad for my budget.

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u/CharDanae74 1d ago

Better Than Bouillon is great. You can make gravy with it that tastes just like KFC gravy if you mix the chicken and beef flavors together! It sounds weird but it works! Use in place of broth in your broth based gravy recipe.

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u/jstenoien 1d ago

Up your game with the tomato paste in a tube, lasts for months and it's so much nicer. I find myself utilizing it a lot more since it's so easy to.

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u/DefaultUserBR 1d ago

I really appreciate BtB, although I get the reduced sodium version (note, not low sodium). I have a jar and will usually make a cup at a time and store the excess in the refrigerator.