So, introducing the third part of my kitchen shortcut series. If you didn't catch parts one and two, be sure to check them out, they may save you a few minutes or pennies somewhere!
This time I'm talking pastes - these are a little shortcut I've only discovered recently. When making a curry from scratch a few months back I discovered what a bloody faff it is grating/peeling/preparing ginger, and was forced to find a simpler alternative. To Sainsbury's I went and found these guys by the fresh herbs - ginger paste and coriander paste. They cost just over a pound each, and claim to have 13 uses per bottle. One teaspoon of the coriander paste equates to a whole handful of coriander, which is great if you don't have any fresh or if you have run out of frozen cubes. I used it when making my coriander chicken recipe over the weekend and it worked really well! The ginger paste doesn't go quite as far, with a teaspoon of paste matching a teaspoon of grated ginger, but for me the saving is the ease!
I also have seen lemongrass paste, chilli paste, garlic paste among others!