More adobo, less chilis

July 3, 2015 5:35 PM

I've been using a lot of chilis in adobo lately, but I really seem to use the sauce more than the chilis. Most of the time when using the actual chili, you only need 1 or even a half, while the adobo can be use to make Chipotle flavored, well, everything. Is there somewhere I should look to buy just the sauce? Or a way to make it stretch longer without wasting half a can a chilis?
posted by T.D. Strange to Food & Drink (11 answers total)

Best answer: I purée the whole can & put the mixture in a glass jar in the fridge. It's thick but tastes just like the adobo. You get more & don't waste the chili. It seems to last months without spoiling.
posted by peep at 5:49 PM on July 3, 2015 [9 favorites]

I do the exact same thing - puree it and use it as a sauce.
posted by showbiz_liz at 5:59 PM on July 3, 2015

I freeze the chilis in a tablespoon of sauce in ice cube trays. They last a long time.
posted by gaspode at 6:05 PM on July 3, 2015 [5 favorites]

(this also works for tomato paste btw)
posted by gaspode at 6:06 PM on July 3, 2015

Pretty sure you can just buy plain adobo sauce at my supermarket, usually right next to the chipotles in adobo cans. That might not be super helpful to you though, since if you haven't seen that already your supermarket is unlikely to stock it.
posted by dysh at 6:22 PM on July 3, 2015 [1 favorite]

Came here to suggest the pureeing trick, was not disappointed. I also do the freezing thing, but I like to lay it out on a sheet of plastic wrap and wrap it up like a chipotle puree hotdog. Then I can slice chunks off straight from the freezer.
posted by rossination at 6:22 PM on July 3, 2015 [1 favorite]

Pretty sure you can just buy plain adobo sauce at my supermarket, usually right next to the chipotles in adobo cans. That might not be super helpful to you though, since if you haven't seen that already your supermarket is unlikely to stock it.

It doesn't taste the same, though, because it hasn't had smoked chilies steeping in it!
posted by showbiz_liz at 6:26 PM on July 3, 2015 [3 favorites]

Came here to suggest the pureeing and the flat freezing. I put a cup of puree in a quart freezer bag, lay it out nice and flattened on a cutting board and freeze for a day, and then stash in a gallon bag full of my other frozen flat quart bags. It's thin enough to break off a chunk in the bag and shake it out.

This works for pretty much everything freezable. Pesto, grated ginger, coconut milk, tomato paste/sauce (I use half a little can and then put the rest in a "snack" size ziploc, then into the big gallon bag), herb butter, etc etc.
posted by Lyn Never at 6:45 PM on July 3, 2015 [1 favorite]

This chipotle paste in a tube is the answer I found to that problem.
posted by snaw at 7:06 PM on July 3, 2015 [2 favorites]

If you make your own chipotles in adobo, you can adjust the proportions of chiles to sauce.
posted by neushoorn at 3:35 AM on July 4, 2015

Best answer: Here in Austin, you can buy it in a can.
posted by doctor tough love at 10:10 PM on July 4, 2015