When you open a can of beans or corn or mandarin oranges, you pour out the liquids down the drain. Is this true for you? If your answer is yes, let this article help your reconsider. The liquids from canned goods are actually “goods,” too. These can be used as an ingredient or a substitute for other kinds of food items, so you can minimize food waste and add more flavor to your dishes. These are some ways you can use liquids from canned goods:
Canned white beans
If you find yourself without eggs, you can use the liquid from these canned beans as a substitute for eggs in any baking recipe, like bread, pies, cookies, cakes, and even meringue. For meringue, many people recommend using white bean juice because the flavor is milder, plus it blends better with sugar substitutes.
Canned tomatoes
The leftover juice that usually gets drained from canned tomatoes can improve the flavor of many dishes. You can add it to pasta sauce, use it as a base for gazpacho, pour it over couscous and rice, or use it as a sauce for a vegetable salad. You also can use it to make homemade soups. All you need to do is to replace the amount of water written in the recipe with the same amount of canned tomato liquid.
Canned pineapple
The liquid in canned pineapple is pretty versatile. It’s the one thing you may not always throw away because you know how tasty it is to drink as a juice. You can turn it up a notch by adding it to your fruit shakes, smoothies, juices, and cocktails to make them tastier. However, it can also be used in other ways, not just for drinking. It can be added to your marinades, salad dressings, teriyaki sauces, oats, muffins, fruit salads, and ice cream. Basically, almost any sweet dessert that needs water can be improved by the flavor of canned pineapple liquid. It adds an excellent level of acidity and sweetness to everything.
Canned corn
Don’t throw away your corn liquids, especially if you like warm and easy-to-make soups. Use it with the corn kernels as you cook and use it as a substitute for water for some savory soups.
Canned chickpeas
Instead of spilling out the liquid from canned chickpeas, you can use it in some sauces and desserts you enjoy. You can use it to make homemade mayonnaise when mixed with vinegar, minced mustard, salt, and oil. You can also use this to make chocolate mousse – all you need is to add some salt, sugar, and chocolate. It makes the recipe light and airy without using any eggs, soy, nuts, or gelatin.
Canned tuna
Tuna is usually canned in two types of liquid: oil and water. When the liquid is oil, you can use it to improve the flavor of several dishes like tuna cannelloni, pasta, or wraps. While if the tuna is canned in water, the liquid can be added to your pet’s foods. The oil in tuna is usually made of soybean oil, which can be harmful to pets, so use only tuna water for them.
Canned olives
Olive juice is usually tossed into the trash, but it doesn’t deserve to be treated that way. This liquid can be useful when you need a substitute for a dominant seasoning or vinegar. Recipes that will best benefit from olive juice are salads and Mediterranean dishes. Another genius application of the liquid from canned olives is forming ice cubes out of it for your martinis and gin cocktails. Fill an ice tray with olive liquid and freeze it. Add it to your next martini to improve your cocktail’s taste right away.
Canned pumpkin
Who bothers using the liquid from canned pumpkins and squashes? Actually, the liquid can be strained through cheesecloth. This finer liquid can be frozen in ice cube trays until needed, as it can be used for making soups, hot cereals, or for cooking grains such as whole grains, rice, Kamut, quinoa, or wheat bulgur. This liquid can enrich your dishes with added vitamins.
Canned mandarin oranges
The juice from canned mandarin oranges can be used creatively for adding orange flavor to your recipes. It’s perfect for adding to smoothies, citrus vinaigrette salad dressing, and fruity cocktails. It can also be used to make freezer pops for your kids.
Canned artichokes
The briny liquid from canned artichokes can be blended in your pesto, whisked into vinaigrettes, used in a tapenade, or tossed in pasta to add flavor.