Tipping the Jug

You know that you're in a frugal household when the sight of upside down, empty containers, propped over bowl and pots is a normal thing.

Of course, the amount of liquid that can be drained out of an "empty" jug is in direct proportion to the size of the container to be emptied and the viscosity of the liquid. A larger container holding a thick liquid will yield a greater volume of resulting liquid than a smaller container of a thin liquid. The photos, above, are from a 7.5 gallon container of vegetable oil that was presumably empty. I left the jug propped, upside-down, over a bowl for 6 hours and it yielded about 2 tablespoons of oil, enough for salad dressing for a marinated lentil salad.

Above the mixing bowl, I propped a gallon-size jug of molasses, again, presumably empty. After draining for about 4 hours, it yielded about 3/4 tablespoon of molasses, enough to make 1/4 cup of light-brown sugar, out of white sugar, for a batch of bread.

Of course, you do have to be creative in how you prop your jugs. Sometimes, I can just leave them resting against something else on the counter, like the crockpot. Other times, I have to wedge the jug partially inside a cupboard, as with the molasses jug, if I don't want the jug, itself, sitting in the ingredients, like this bread dough.

Will 2 tablespoons of oil make or break us financially? No, probably not. But it's the principle of it all. I paid for all of the molasses in the jug, not 1 gallon less 1 tablespoon of molasses. I want to use every last bit that I've paid for. And sometimes, tipping the jug gets that last bit out, that I need for a recipe, meaning I can still make what I had planned, without a last minute dash out to the store.

What do you think? Do you prop jugs upside down to get every last drop? Do you think it's worth the effort?

Winter Salad and My Little Tool for Julienned Carrots

I'm hungry for fresh foods, like salads. Something with texture to contrast the soft squashes, potatoes, and yams. Something with crunch in contrast with canned green beans and canned peas. Tender leafy greens, like fresh spinach and lettuce are expensive this time of year So, I'm turning to slaws.

Last night, we had a delicious and crunchy fresh salad of red cabbage, green cabbage and julienned carrots. For a dressing, I used some bleu cheese salad dressing that I bought on markdown for 79 cents per 16-oz bottle, mixed with a little mayo and vinegar.

I have this handy-dandy tool, my step-mom gave to me last year, that juliennes carrots as easily as peeling them.

You peel your carrot, and then run this tool down the length of the carrot to produce a multitude of shreds in seconds. I didn't think I would like this tool as much as I do. But it makes such quick work of julienning carrots that I've become a big fan. The initial shreds are as long as the carrot. For salads, I chop the shreds into 2-inch pieces.

It's called a julienne peeler, and places like Amazon and Bed, Bath and Beyond sell them. It's good for making veggie "pasta" out of zucchini and eggplant, as well as julienned carrots. For veggie "noodles", leave the shreds long.

Anyway, I'm not trying to sell anything, but just wanted to share how delighted I am with this tool.