No-grocery month pushes Estonian journalist to get creative in the kitchen
Amid rising food costs, Estonian journalist Evelin Kivimaa challenged herself to cook for a month using only what she already had at home — no shopping, just making do.
"There were no special preparations," Kivimaa told ETV's "Ringvaade." She said she loves trying new foods, which had left her fridge and cupboards full of half-used items and forgotten sauces.
A minimalist by nature, she added that the buildup of ingredients "in boxes at the bottom of my closet" started to bother her.
Her goal, she said, was simple: use up what she had and see how well she could manage. The experience showed her how little she actually needs.
"When you stop buying new things, you end up seeing how much you really use," Kivimaa said, noting she no longer keeps "four or five jars of flour" or multiple bottles of oil around.
With trips to the store off the table, the journalist had to get creative. "You start thinking, what star ingredient do I have?" she recalled. "Then you figure out how to replace the rest to get the meal you want."
Her creativity "kicked in" as she made cheese for the first time and swapped chickpea liquid, known as aquafaba, for eggs — a swap familiar to vegans — in meringues or bananas from the freezer in baked goods.
"Your brain really starts working to find replacements," she said.
Some attempts were more challenging than others. Lacking Aperol, Kivimaa mixed vodka, orange, maca powder and chokeberry syrup for a spritz alternative.
But when she tried to make her own butter from store-bought milk, it turned into a foul-smelling lump. Even baked into something else, she said, "it still wasn't good."
Still, she called the challenge worthwhile. "All in all, my no-food-shopping month didn't go that badly," Kivimaa said.
For her, the effort turned into a reminder of what many know from necessity — how far a little creativity can stretch what's already on hand.
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Editor: Karmen Rebane, Aili Vahtla
