New Year's food resolutions

December 31, 2022·Darcie

Another year has flown by and here we are standing on the precipice of 2023 (our Australia and New Zealand Members are already there!). That means it's again time to consider resolutions for the new year. The Washington Post's Aaron Hutcherson is here to help us with ten simple ways we can start fresh in the kitchen (this is a gift link so there should be no paywall).

The first item on Aaron's list is one I've been meaning to do for a while - go through my spices and replace the old ones with a fresh supply. For a few of these, it's probably time to consider if I really need to keep the spice in stock. I have a few that I haven't used in over a year, so do I really need to keep them "just in case"? Probably not, and paring down the number of jars in the spice drawer will free up precious space.

Being more organized usually tops the list of goals people set for the new year, and for me it is the most difficult thing to achieve. Even when I completely reorganize my pantry, in a few weeks' time it devolves into a jumbled mess. Recently I purchased wire baskets to help corral some of the hardest to store items like pouches and small bags. So far these baskets are working great, so I'm hopeful I have turned a corner on keeping the pantry tidy. Next I need to work on overbuying so I don't have too many items to fit in the small storage space in the first place...but that's an ever bigger challenge. Do you have a food resolution for 2023?

13 comments

tmjellicoeDecember 31, 2022

This year the resolution is to use stuff up the specialty products in the pantry. I’ve done it with bath and beauty products in the past (took 9 months), so it will take some time and creativity.

skp24December 31, 2022

I'm doing something similar. Happy new year!

mllamasDecember 31, 2022

My one resolution is to whittle down my overstocked pantry. Eat Your Books will come in very handy for that!

mjesJanuary 1, 2023

So glad I'm not the only one with an over-stocked pantry problem. Yes, for the New Year, I resolve to deliberately use them to at least get the pantry to fit in a reasonable space (which includes an embarrassing percentage of the garage).

averythingcooksJanuary 1, 2023

We are also so fortunate to have a "really well stocked" pantry as well as a freezer full of ingredients I prep in various ways (ie LOTS of garden bounty!) So shopping from the pantry/freezer 1st is a major commitment.
I have also designated the last week of December and 1st part of January for "clearing the fridge of open jars"....so many jams, jellies, sauces, specialty condiments etc to finish off BEFORE I open anything new. EYB is such a treasure for using your food wisely and reducing food waste...and I am currently embracing the books on my shelves that really encourage you to make recipes your own to suit what you have in stock (Cook What You Have, Cook More Waste Less & Shelf Love are a few good examples.

My other resolution is to continue to cook more variety of vegetables....cauliflower (which I never really liked) is my current obsession. Kale (sigh) might be next on the list :)

elizaJanuary 1, 2023

Sadly, 2022 was the year that the Fine Cooking website finally shut down for ever. I'm a member of the FB fine cooking community so I'm resolving to dig into some of those issues and make some Fine Cooking recipes that I haven't tried yet.
Also, I grow a huge variety of veg every year, so I resolve to use most of it over the winter, or at least before next fall when the preserving and dehydrating etc starts over again. EYB helps so much with this!

angrygreycatJanuary 1, 2023

I will jump on the overstocked pantry train here. I cleaned out my pantry before the winter holidays to make room for food stuffs I needed to buy for holiday menus and was embarassed at the amount of waste, in food that had gotten outdated. I have quite a few things that will be expiring in 2023 that I need to move to the top of the list to use up . I am having some health issues and so a secondary resolution is to track every thing I am eating to try to gauge the impact food has/doesn't have on my symptoms.

Indio32January 2, 2023

A New Year's resolution of sorts. I'm looking to take lunch into work mainly salads with beans, pulses and vegetables. Rather liking the idea of 30 vegetables etc a week as per Tim Spector's book Food For Life.

JaneJanuary 2, 2023

I just heard that "30 different plant foods per week" idea today on NPR and it sounds fascinating. Getting to 30 different fruits/vegetables per week isn't quite as hard as it seems when you hear that spices, herbs, nuts, grains etc all count. I'm intrigued - it's meant to really help gut (and overall) health.

My other resolution is to catalog what I have in my freezers (I have three of them!) and try to clear them in the next couple of months.

FJTJanuary 3, 2023

I don't have an overstocked pantry as we've just done another international move, but I am resolved not to buy so many herbs and spices this time round. My new year's challenge/resolution is rather different: getting used to sharing the kitchen. My husband has just retired and is going to be doing a lot more of the cooking (which is great) ... but we have very different styles and it's going to be a real adjustment!! I'm having to let him have a say in where things go in the kitchen (at least it's a new kitchen, so it all needs to be sorted out from scratch) and what food to buy and cook. Wish me luck!

robinswoodJanuary 5, 2023

Add me to the overstocked pantry group. We laid in a lot of items early in covid when it was really unclear what was going to happen. A lot of those items are coming up on their "best by" dates and so we have been working on either eating them up or tossing them if it's warranted.

Secondly, I am trying to downsize in general as we will sell our home in a few years and move into a smaller place. So I am looking at all my kitchen supplies and dishes, etc with fresh eyes and "moving along" what we don't really use. My kids are college aged so in the process I am putting together starter kitchen boxes for them with some cookware and a few place settings of dishes/flatware for their first apartments.

annmartinaJanuary 5, 2023

Learning that The Spice House's spices and herbs in flatpacks always ship free has upped my spice freshness game. Also the Occo spices that come in little 1/2 tsp. portion pods. They're pricey, but when it's a spice you want to try or won't use very often, it's very handy. You can even get asafoetida in pods. No more stink.

RellaJanuary 6, 2023

My resolution is to have home-made bread on-hand at all times. So far I have failed, but I will try harder.