Pantry Guides

In this section, we offer practical guides, informative articles, and expert tips designed to help you build a versatile pantry foundation, discover new ingredients, and make the most of your pantry staples. From essential spices and condiments to versatile grains, canned goods, and long-lasting produce, our content aims to educate, inspire, and empower you to curate a pantry that supports your cooking goals, enhances your dishes, and simplifies your meal planning.

Does BBQ Sauce Go Bad?
By Johny
Pantry Guides

Does BBQ Sauce Go Bad?

BBQ sauce is made primarily from tomato sauce, vinegar, sugar, salt, and some other ingredients. It is used as a condiment to other dishes or to marinate meat. It is usually sweet, spicy, sometimes tangy, and has such a long shell life that many people wonder if BBQ sauce goes bad. Since some of its ingredients, like vinegar, sugar, and lemon juice are natural preservatives, it lasts for much longer than the printed ‘best before’ date suggests. It sometimes happens that after preparing a BBQ menu, on getting to where your remaining sauce is stored, you find it open, past…
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Can You Make Hamburger Helper Without Milk?
By Luong Tan
Pantry Guides,

Can You Make Hamburger Helper Without Milk?

If easy-to-make skillet meals are your thing, a Hamburger Helper might just be one of your go-to meals on those days you crave a portion of pasta or rice-based meal.  Hamburger Helper has become such a well-loved household meal, and it can be prepared in just 30 minutes.  The Hamburger Helper recipe requires that you add milk to give it that creamy texture and add a unique smack to the sauce.  If you have dairy concerns, it may bother you that milk is one of the active ingredients of this savory dish. If you’re preparing Hamburger Helper and you find…
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Does Honey Mustard Have Dairy?
By Johny
Pantry Guides,

Does Honey Mustard Have Dairy?

Although dairy is commonly marketed as food to aid stronger bones, it has been noted to contribute to some very familiar health issues, like digestive problems, heart issues, type 1 diabetes, and certain kinds of cancers. If you love to enjoy that sweet and spicy but sour taste of honey mustard but have health concerns, you’d have asked questions like: Does honey mustard have dairy? Should I take honey mustard as a person who is lactose intolerant? Is honey mustard good for my gluten-free diet? Come with me on this mind-opening journey as we unlock this fascinating condiment. Does honey…
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Does Teriyaki Sauce Need to Be Refrigerated?
By Johny
Pantry Guides

Does Teriyaki Sauce Need to Be Refrigerated?

There is no need for teriyaki sauce to be refrigerated. This is because the primary ingredients (soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, honey, and mirin) present in it are highly shelf-stable and also have antimicrobial properties which in turn help to keep the teriyaki sauce itself shelf-stable. While homemade teriyaki sauce may not contain any added preservatives, most store-bought teriyaki sauces contain additional preservatives which help to prolong its shelf life, prevent spoilage or staleness and keep it shelf-stable for a long time. Does Teriyaki Sauce Need to Be Refrigerated After Opening? No, Teriyaki sauce may not be refrigerated after…
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How Long is Peanut Butter Good for after Opening?
By Luong Tan
Pantry Guides

How Long is Peanut Butter Good for after Opening?

Peanut butter’s shelf life (the period during which it is at its finest) is largely determined by how you keep it. You should be able to eat or use it before it begins to lose flavor if you store it properly. Peanut butter, like most other foods, can deteriorate, but this happens infrequently. If it's been contaminated in any way, it could become worse. Even if it wasn't, keep in mind that it loses its flavor over time. We assume that peanut butter will have a long shelf life, and it does but how long is peanut butter good for…
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Does Jelly Need to be Refrigerated?
By Luong Tan
Pantry Guides,

Does Jelly Need to be Refrigerated?

If you keep a jar of jelly in the kitchen just in case someone at the breakfast table requests for some, you might want to learn more about how to properly store jelly. So, is it really necessary to cram your jelly into that limited refrigerator space, and does jelly need to be refrigerated for better preservation, or can you just leave it out on the counter? What happens if you don't refrigerate the jelly and leave it out overnight?  While this breakfast favorite is sometimes served at room temperature, some people just prefer to keep it chilled. Does Jelly…
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How Long is Cookie Dough Good for in the Fridge?
By Luong Tan
Pantry Guides

How Long is Cookie Dough Good for in the Fridge?

When it comes to baking cookies, everyone has their go-to method – some brown, while others use bread flour to make them chewier. But one method that keeps coming up is ripening the cookie dough, which involves putting it in the fridge for anywhere from 30 minutes to 72 hours before baking it. While this step may appear to be optional, it is a critical element that can make a huge impact on the appearance of your cookies. Plus, having cookie dough ready to go in the fridge is usually a smart idea but how long is cookie dough good…
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Does Maple Syrup Need to Be Refrigerated?
By Johny
Pantry Guides

Does Maple Syrup Need to Be Refrigerated?

Maple syrup, which gets its name from the maple tree, is a regular on breakfast tables around the world. It is a natural sweetener that is gotten from the maple tree. Pure maple syrups need to be refrigerated after it has been opened, but inorganic maple syrup does not need to be refrigerated. Maple syrup is used for baking, to drizzle on waffles and pancakes, and generally as a replacement for sugar, since the golden liquid is two-thirds sugar. As maple syrup is considered to be a healthier sugar option, though not proven, people who are hoping to reduce their…
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Is Muffin a Pastry? What About Bread and Cupcake?
By Luong Tan
Pantry Guides, , , ,

Is Muffin a Pastry? What About Bread and Cupcake?

As with many other people, I, too, once thought muffins were a type of pastry. So if muffin a pastry? Frankly, I understand why anyone would consider muffin a pastry. It is easy to think so when the pastry chef often bakes muffins. Muffins sit side by side with pastries on dessert platters, and people call all baked goods pastry. But is muffin a pastry? Muffins belong to a group of bread called quick bread; quick bread is leavened with baking powder or soda instead of yeast.   Here's more information on muffins you probably never thought you'd need. Is…
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10 Best Spices to Add to Alfredo Sauce
By Luong Tan
Pantry Guides, ,

10 Best Spices to Add to Alfredo Sauce

At times, that jar of Alfredo sauce you picked up from your quick run to the store might lack the zest you want. An absolute letdown if you ask us. If this is you, don't compromise on flavor or throw the Alfredo sauce out when you can give it a taste makeover by adding some spices you may already have in your pantry. There's no need to call us heroes, but we've dedicated this post to put you on the best spices to add to Alfredo sauce for that extra zing. You should be saying hello to an upgraded sauce…
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Can You Eat Packing Peanuts: Introducing Packing Peanuts
By Luong Tan
Pantry Guides

Can You Eat Packing Peanuts: Introducing Packing Peanuts

There are many people wondering can you eat packing peanuts? Recently a new trend is going around the world on Tik Tok where many people are eating these packing peanuts. So if you are willing to try this trend, you are good to go as long you know which types of packing peanuts are edible. If you regularly buy off things on the internet and receive your packaged orders, you must be aware of packing peanuts. These are stuffing used to fit products inside a box and prevent them from jiggling around. As the name suggests, these are peanut-shaped packing…
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