Thursday, July 27, 2006

Matt's Culinary Tip of the Day: Soy Sauce Packets


Yesterday, I was starting to jones for my brother-in-law Bill's "Peanut Butter Pasta". It's spicy pseudo-Thai peanut butter sauce served with, you guessed it, pasta. It's very tasty, and extremely easy to make. I'd love to share the recipe, but Bill retains the rights for a possible future cookbook.

Anywho, so last night I did my ingredient recon, just to make sure we had enough natural chunky peanut butter. Check. Then I realized that I used the last of the soy sauce in my marinade recipe the night before. THAT recipe will be shared at a later date. Sorry for the tease.

The grocery shopping for the week has already been done, so we scrounged to find any Chinese take-out soy sauce packets. Schweet! We found three! But was it enough to fulfill our need for two tablespoons of brewed bean squeezin' goodness?

Now the science (you knew this was coming): Your typical take-out soy sauce packet contains approximately .25 ounces of soy sauce, which is equal to 1/2 tablespoon. Store that little bit of information for future use.

Okay, so we're one packet short. I couldn't find any at work, which is bizarre because there is ALWAYS someone eating Chinese food here. Good thing, my Sweetie works at a local college (RIT). Can you say "dining hall?" I'm sure she'll be able to score the needed packet.

Why, you ask? Well, it'll come in handy when planning your menu for that upcoming camping trip. Need a tablespoon of soy sauce for your fish stew? Grab a coupla packets, and leave the messy bottles at home.

Just remember to carry out your empties.