To think everyone uses leftovers

[moogy1a]

Certain smug, lispy, fat tongued chefs make a living at the moment by telling people not to throw perfectly good food away if you've cooked too much.
Surely no one does anyway?
Would anyone really cook say a roast chicken, not eat it all, so bin it rather than keep for sarnies / stir fry/ nibbling at secretly in the kitchen?
Do you bin leftover food or use it later?

We rarely have leftovers to use up. I usually just cook the amount we need for a meal. I wouldn't cook extra spuds, veg etc as it seems pointless - I'd rather eat fresher food daily.

The only things I tend to reheat are spag bol sauce and meat from a joint, but as there's only me and 3 kids to feed I don't often buy a whole chicken or a large joint.

We rarely throw away anything in this house. If we have a roast chicken one day, I'll use the leftovers for a risotto a couple of days later with stock made from the bones. Why on earth would I chuck all those ingredients away when they'll make a fantastic meal for the whole family?

And it leaves more money for gin.

We always menu plan here and portion control so never really have left overs as such but I would make a chilli say on a Sunday for eating on the Monday and Tuesday, some things taste better with age! Never bin anything unless it is really off, hate wasting food!

to my and you might as well throw cash in the bin as leftovers. Its wasted money, and energy and time....

pah mind not and

I usually remove the leftovers before I serve the meal

YABU to think that "everyone" does anything. Don't you know by now that people are different?

Jesusinacabbagevan the most hated religion in the world right now ;)

I use leftovers, my parents bin it. They grew up in and lived a fair bit of adult life, utter utter poverty. They see keeping leftovers as something very poor people have to do.

I throw away leftovers on plates if there are any, which is quite rare. I'd feel a bit weird storing and serving up something that's been on a plate and pushed around with forks someone's had in their mouth.

Everything else gets used - if it's only a tiny bit of rice/pasta/veg that's not really worth storing, the pets are in luck (rats - so they can eat just about anything we can, within reason as long as it's not too fattening or salty), anything else goes in the fridge or freezer. I often cook double anyway, so that's not really a leftover. I also often cook a whole chicken for the express purpose of stripping it for the meat and freezing it in portions I can easily throw in a sauce or casserole, so I guess that's an intentionally created 'leftover'! I freeze leftover rice, the thing about rice is that you have to cool it quickly and not let it sit out, then it's fine.

The best are leftover boiled potatoes. Doesn't happen often because we don't often eat boiled potatoes, but when we do and there's two or three left, they go in the fridge and the next day I slice them and pan fry them in butter, then eat them with mayonnaise. I don't even want to think about how bad they are for me but that's just about the best unhealthy lunch in the world.

That's funny, Grennie, my mum too but she is a horrific hoarder...her fridge...nothing gets chucked out...I go in and subtly ditch her mouldy cheese etc.

I don't bin anything!

Fergus - I think both extremes are understandable reactions to that kind of situation.

Mind you I've always thought the English scots Irish have got it worse in that they have to cook lunch and dinner everyday with correct portions. That must be really tough, I'd go insane if I had to cook everyday never mind twice. Seriously after cooking 3 curries in a trot I'm ready for bed, then cleaning and seeing to kids after they return from school my legs are in such pain.

Anyways those of you who cook twice a day everyday or everyday fresh deserve medals!

I know in Indopak countries they cook everyday only because a) they have no cool place to store food due to poverty or b) they're just fussy eaters and want fresh stuff. But even the poor can afford a cook and cleaner so it takes the hard work out of the equation. Only the extremely poor folks have to cook for themselves. It's ironic they think we are wealthy over here only when they come over they see we cook and clean for ourselves. No chauffeur either :(

leftovers are yummy ! My ideal boxing day breakfast = cold sausage wrapped in bacon and stuffing balls!

I will often cook more than I need of a main meal eg chilli, lasagne & freeze it, what's the difference?

I agree with the poster who said that some folk view using leftovers as being poor, as I guess it goes back to the days of rationing and even earlier when people had to plan more carefully and did not have the luxuries of ready meals and take-aways.

MIL & FIL would always use the left over veg and roasties from sunday as the basis of bubble and squeak and it is delicious.

too much food is thrown away and we all have a part to play in doing our bit to prevent this - by meal planning, not impulse buying, not buying too much just cos its on BOGOF etc etc

DH bought more eggs yesterday because the four left in the fridge were a few days past the sell-by date.

He refuses to believe me that they can be tested in a bowl of water and it is impossible to eat a rotten egg without knowing

We eat eggs way out of date. It is very easy to test them.

It's so easy to turn them into something else.

My dad grew up quite poor and before WWII as well, but wouldn't dream of wasting food. His mother grew up in a place where you had to grow it all yourself or trade something for it, no way people wasted it!

My mother is very resourceful.

I've eaten eggs weeks over their date and only ever seen one off one and boy did I know about it - cracked it open and the stench was foul like a rotten fish and the contents were blue-green and made me gag.

yes you can test them in water or you can just crack them one at a time into a glass to see if they are OK before adding to cake mix etc

phantomnamechanger, exactly. I am between a rock and a hard place with DH and my Dad who will eat several-times lukewarmed chinese takeaway

'my Dad who will eat several-times lukewarmed chinese takeaway grin'

I do this all the time. Have never had a problem as long as it's heated to piping hot and has been stored in the fridge.

you're not from Scotland, are you

Sunday - roast chicken
Monday - stir fry chicken
Tuesday - risotto - using the stock
Wednesday - rissoles
Thursday - chicken soup

how big are these vats of chinese take-away that merit reheating several times?? never any leftovers of that here!

Quite big. His lodger is a delivery driver and brings home the leftovers. He warms them for a few seconds most nights. But he seems fine on it...