[Sca-cooks] Getting the most use out of a particular food

[Sharon Gordon]

One of the ways to stretch feast food money is to get multiple uses out of a
food when possible.  One that a lot of people use is to save the broth from
boiling chicken and use that instead of purchasing broth separately.  A
modern one that a number of restaurants use is to scoop out the insides of
potatoes and use them for potato soup or mashed potatoes.  Then they
sprinkle some spices and cheese on the skins, heat them and sell them as an
expensive appetizer.


Here are some that I know of.  What other things do you like to do or have
you seen done at feasts or modernly that would work in a feast setting?


***For food-eating***
Saving the water from boiled chicken for broth.
Cooking batches of carrots in  the same water to get a carrot flavored
broth--makes a great carrot soup.
Using the washed onion peelings to make an onion broth.
Dicing up mushroom stems to go in a different dish when only the caps are
needed in a presentation.
Veggie broth from washed peelings
Edible decorations which are eaten in a later course

***For food presentation***
Using the shell of a food item as a serving container.  Would enjoy hearing
your favorites with this.


***Nonfood***
Cutting out the bad places in fruits and vegetables and using the throw away
scraps to make compost.
Using egg shells to make crackle picture frames ( I have no idea if this is
period :-). ).
Saving walnut shells for dye.


What else?

Sharon
gordonse at one.net