The good news for even occasional bakers is that many ingredients have a long shelf life and are fine to use even after the best before date – flours, sugars, raising agents, flavourings, syrup, and all sorts of fruit, nuts and spices will last for ages in your cupboards.
- If honey, syrup, or molasses have crystallised, gently reheat by putting the container in hot water, which will soften them enough to spoon out.
- Sugar goes hard if it gets damp so gentle reheating in the microwave in a bowl covered with kitchen paper to absorb the moisture can help it dry out. (try to put rice in it to keep it from going hard)
- Spices and herbs often last for years in the spice rack and are OK to use, but you may want to increase the amount used as the intensity of the flavours can reduce with time.
- Butter or shortening can get pushed to the back of the fridge and forgotten – try freezing to stop them going off.
- Other buttery baking essentials freeze well including buttercream icing, so if that’s a regular cake topping in your home, you can make batches by beating fat into twice the amount of icing sugar, add some vanilla essence and freeze until you need it, changing the basic flavour by adding other ingredients to suit.
- Dry ingredients will last as long as they are kept in airtight containers, or sealed in a bag with a clip.
- Eggs – If they’re nearing their best before date, yolks and whites can be separated and frozen. Yes really – you can freeze eggs! Yolks can enrich omelettes, be brushed on as a glaze or be used to make lemon curd, with whites used for meringues.
- Unopened packs of baked goods often have a very long best before date (after which they can still be eaten), so if they are not used – don’t green bin them – save them for next time.
- Homemade cakes and opened packs of bakery goods often freeze well – for example cakes (except ones with fresh cream), pies and tarts freeze well in wrapped slices and defrost quickly.
- Biscuits that have softened can be refreshed in a low oven to become crunchy once more!