I admire the IRL research! Another way to solve this problem (perhaps not with fish sauce specifically) is bulk stores, which manage to make a lot of sense in NYC and avoid some of the environmental issues. At least for the one I’m thinking of, they stock nicer version of goods ranging from dish soap to nuts to a limited produce section, so as a consumer you pay more per oz of each item - BUT you mostly have to bring your own reusable containers. That way the store doesn’t have to worry about restocking or packaging costs, except small brown paper bags for low volume purchases of dry goods, and you can choose precisely how much you buy. Case in point: I am still working through a $3 purchase of 1 oz of ground cardamom I bought a year ago and put in a random jar I had lying around, instead of forking out the $7 for the shaker.
I love the idea of bulk stores, but I've never had the combination of good reusable packaging and proximity to one. I imagine it's amazing to just run downstairs and refill the rice bag, but not if I have to walk 10 blocks to it.
Of course, it also depends what you're solving for. This is very specifically trying to solve for "I hate having extra sauces in my fridge" at the expense of literally anything else; if that's all you care about, having cardamom a year later is a nightmare. That said, a bulk store is probably the natural reaction to any successful "package individual cardamon seeds" business.
I admire the IRL research! Another way to solve this problem (perhaps not with fish sauce specifically) is bulk stores, which manage to make a lot of sense in NYC and avoid some of the environmental issues. At least for the one I’m thinking of, they stock nicer version of goods ranging from dish soap to nuts to a limited produce section, so as a consumer you pay more per oz of each item - BUT you mostly have to bring your own reusable containers. That way the store doesn’t have to worry about restocking or packaging costs, except small brown paper bags for low volume purchases of dry goods, and you can choose precisely how much you buy. Case in point: I am still working through a $3 purchase of 1 oz of ground cardamom I bought a year ago and put in a random jar I had lying around, instead of forking out the $7 for the shaker.
I love the idea of bulk stores, but I've never had the combination of good reusable packaging and proximity to one. I imagine it's amazing to just run downstairs and refill the rice bag, but not if I have to walk 10 blocks to it.
Of course, it also depends what you're solving for. This is very specifically trying to solve for "I hate having extra sauces in my fridge" at the expense of literally anything else; if that's all you care about, having cardamom a year later is a nightmare. That said, a bulk store is probably the natural reaction to any successful "package individual cardamon seeds" business.
You had me at “This is a fun idea”.
This was one of my favorite ideas so far. ALSO good for you going above and beyond to test out the repackaging.
https://www.seriouseats.com/how-to-instantly-improve-cooking-with-fish-sauce-8733293
You have completely revolutionized my cooking plans for the week, thank you
I put a little fish sauce in my Shepard's Pie. https://recipekeeperonline.com/recipe/2dC0oFsP6U63izY4JyGY7A
I love how hard you go!!
I would say dollar tree or convenience stores are sort of similar to your idea.