Money Saving Tip With Reusable Jars- Teriyaki Sauce

As I look for more ways to save money I started looking at what I was putting in my recycle bin.  While not all containers are reusable I started thinking about the very nice glass jars that I was throwing away.  I am sad to say I have bought mason jars before and never even thought about all of the ones that I had been throwing away all of these years.  Glass jars are perfect for certain leftovers, especially tomato based ones that will stain your plastic containers.  I spent a little extra money on some nice plastic wear last year and one has already been stained really badly from tomato sauce.  So instead of ruining my plastic containers I am now using my reused glass jars.  You have already spent the money on them so why not get the most out of them.

The first important thing to do before you decide to reuse a container is to make sure it goes through a sterilizing process, just to be safe.  You never know how the outside of the container was treated before you bought it.  To do this clean the jars so there is no more residue on them and them submit them into a boiling pot.  This process will also help you remove the label.  Leave them in the boiling water for 30 minutes, then carefully remove them from the water.  Allow them to cool and remove the label.

I have used my jars for many things, homemade custards, curds and sauces.  Recently I decided that I wanted to make some Teriyaki sauce.  So I turned yet again to Allrecipes.com to find the perfect recipe.  One of the best things about Allrecipes is not just the recipes themselves it is the comments and reviews.  I have been able to sift through the hundreds of recipes to find the right one for me just by the reviews and comments, and so far I have never tried a recipe I didn't love.  And this recipe was no exception, to be honest after trying it I am not sure I could go back to store bought.

Teriyaki Sauce and Marinade

2/3 cup mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
1 cup soy sauce
4 1/2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/3 cup white sugar
7 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 dash red pepper flakes
black pepper to taste

2 tsp cornstarch

Bring mirin to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour in soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar. Season with garlic, ginger, pepper flakes, and black pepper. Combine 2 tsp of cornstarch with a splash of water and add to the mixture and allow to simmer an additional 5-10 minutes until sauce has thickened some what.  This sauce will thicken more when it cools so don't feel like you need to add more cornstarch.  If you are going to use it right away allow to cool slightly so that it thickens properly.  But if not add the hot liquid to your jar and seal.  Adding it while it is hot will create a vacuum seal in your jar.