New Year's food resolutions

December 30, 2021·Darcie

Looking back at the post I wrote in 2019 about New Year's food-related resolutions, I am amazed at how positive it sounded. Just a few months later the world would be turned upside down by the coronavirus and lockdowns. Because 2020 was such a messed up year, I didn't even bother with resolutions for 2021. That's a good thing, because this year didn't pan out much better than the previous one.

However, I have my fingers crossed that 2022 will not be a repeat of either 2020 or this year, so I will venture into the realm of resolutions once again. Since I am in the midst of a DIY kitchen renovation, I have not been cooking or baking much at all and I am eager to get back into the swing of things by next spring, assuming we don't find any other surprises (remodeling a 100-year-old house is not for the faint-hearted). My number one goal is to organize the newly-created pantry that I stole from a room we used as an office. I have been to every home organization site I can find, looking for the best ways to utilize the space. There are so many different ideas and products that it is difficult to settle on any one system, but I have a plan that I will follow as soon as the shelves are in place. First, we need to do drywall and a floor (the photo above is not from my pantry), so I have not pressed the order button quite yet.

My secondary resolution is to make better use of the filters in the EYB Library for recipes I want to try. This year I started sitting down with new cookbooks and flagging all of the recipes as either "I want to cook this" or "Recipes to try". I am using the former for savory items and the latter for sweets to give it a further breakdown. What are you food or cooking related resolutions for 2022?

14 comments

tuiDecember 31, 2021

My resolution is to actually try more of the recipes I have bookmarked as "I want to try this".

RinshinDecember 31, 2021

My kitchen, pantry, two closets are packed full of shelf stable food items and I think I need help and it is getting out of hand since pandemic. My husband says I can open a Japanese and international market with all the food I have on hand. My plan is to go through what I have on hand before getting enticed with “wow, what’s that?”and ordering at least 4-5 pieces.

valbeDecember 31, 2021

I plan to follow Darcie's goal to make better use of FYB's amazing filters - to keep track not only of the recipes that I would like to try but also the ones I have! And also to search for recipes to make, often last minute, by ingredients, course and recipe type!

GenieBDecember 31, 2021

Wish i had a kitchen big enough to have a pantry! I live in a smallish apartment with hardly any storage space. I bought metal shelving which resides in my dining alcove. It is my “pantry” for small appliances, flours and other dry goods, extra spices, and things I buy ahead online.

I have one deep cabinet that I use for canned and bottled things. Unfortunately I have to get down on my hands and knees to get to the back of it, which is not so easy when you are 76. In another cabinet, I have packages of dried fruit, chocolate chips, pancake mix, seeds. I’d really love to have a pantry again, but most apartments just don’t feature them.

sayeaterDecember 31, 2021

I'm with Rinshin. I have enough pantry items to open up my own Asian, Mediterranean, and baking stores. It's a bit out of hand so I need to buckle down and use the ingredients I already have. Thank goodness for EYB filters!! My goal for this year is to regularly meal plan to make best use of my pantry, time, money and energy.

lkgroverDecember 31, 2021

One of my resolutions is to be less wasteful of fresh vegetables. (For example, I use half of the 2 carrots for a recipe, and forget about the rest. Unfortunately, the grocery stores near me only sell carrots in bunches, not singly. This is the case for many vegetables.)

I am also hoping to buy new appliances in 2022 -- more energy efficient, and a better use of refrigerator space.

FJTJanuary 1, 2022

I usually challenge myself to cook more new recipes from my cookbooks, but I reached a total of 175 new recipes in 2021 and it might be hard to top that. I should probably resolve to buy fewer cookbooks and just stick to the ones I have, but making resolutions you know you're not going to keep to seems a bit silly! As we're looking ahead to another international move early next year I think my challenge for 2022 will be to go through all my cookbooks and determine if I really want all of them and get rid of any that no longer excites me - that's going to be tough!

Indio32January 1, 2022

For me, COP26 was a bit of an eye-opener generally. Going forward am looking at a more planned approach to meals to reduce waste. Why buy veg etc only to have to throw it out after a week un-used. Definitely looking to add more variety especially in animal products ie less primal cuts and more offal/wild game. Being more aware of oven usage. Cooking more than 1 item at a time and stopping turning it on just to warm some croissants/pitta or re-fresh a baguette. Seen current UK gas/electricity prices! =8O
I think to sum up 2022 it's going to be more about mindfulness.

pitterpat4January 1, 2022

I was just posting on Facebook that I can't with any type of resolution this year. Over the past few months I have been trying to cook more at home and eat a more healthy, balanced diet.

PamsyJanuary 1, 2022

FJT - 175 new recipes in 1 year is impressive!

I know I could make better use of EYB searches and filters, so that's my resolution for 2022.

mrsbloomsdaleJanuary 1, 2022

My resolution is to keep better records of what I have cooked, and on recipes that I have developed so I don't have to start all over again the next time those seasonal ingredients come around.

elizaJanuary 1, 2022

Happy new year to all at EYB. I don't usually make any resolutions, but one thing I want to do this year is sous vide cooking. I bought a SV circulator in 2021, and I'm just starting to discover it's many uses. I must say that so far I love it! I've done some desserts, confit garlic, and some meats so far, and I can't wait to delve into the possibilities with vegetables, infusions, and more desserts to name just a few.

mjesJanuary 1, 2022

My resolution is to clean out my overflowing pantry by concentrating on recipes that use ingredients that are already open ... for some reason things like birch extract or pine tip syrup or barley malt or hop buds . . . just seem to have taken over the space. In the pandemic I didn't get to spend my time browsing ethnic grocery stores but rather browsed online speciality stores ... which led to many ingredients being used once or twice before I moved on.

darcie_bJanuary 5, 2022

These are all fantastic resolutions, and I can totally feel your pain, mjes. I am working my way through opened containers of ingredients and successfully used four types of beans in a soup yesterday - it was liberating to get rid of four jars!