Ingredients sold in large quantities, but used in small quantities

Sometimes food companies have got you where they want you. Take tomato paste, for example. Most recipes only call for a little dab of tomato paste- 1 or 2 tablespoons. And yet you have to open the whole freaking can to get that itsy bit out, and then you leave it open in the fridge for 3 months before you need tomato paste again, at which point it has become a brick with an odd white fluffy blanket of microbes over it. I've tried the tomato paste in a tube, which is an improvement in terms of use of use, but I still end up wasting most of it.  My friend Andrea gave me a great tip on how to make the most of it. She says, to open both ends of the can and pop it in freezer for about 30 mins. When it solidifies a bit, push out paste and cut into 1 tablespoon servings. Wrap it up and place in freezer for future use. I like this tip because it also makes the paste a little easier to deal with. I hate it when the paste sticks to the spoon, and then half the paste is on the spoon and half is on the knife you used to scrape it off with, so then you need another knife to scrape that part off, and then you are still unsure if enough paste actually made it into the pot. Same thing goes with fresh ginger, according to my cousin Elizabeth. Peel the whole root, and pop it in the freezer. Then you can use a small grater the next time you need some ginger. Awesome!