To scrape leftover pasta bake back into the dish to eat later

[Therunecaster]

So DP and I are on a tight budget this month. To save money I cooked a massive pasta bake but was rather too generous with the portion sizes for DS and DDs lunch. To not waste good food I scraped their leftovers back into the pasta dish to freeze for later. Kids saw me doing this and have accused me of being a minger. Am I or are they BU...

I'm all for being economical but that is grim. How much money were you really saving in any case? A single serving of pasta is about 10-15 p (plus sauce/cheese etc).

Unless you all have some sort of hideous contagious disease I don’t see the problem.

So you have just mixed food from 4-5 different biological sources, that has already started pre-digesting in with fresh "safe" food. A big biological cauldron of bacteria. And you are going to eat it? That would likely hospitalise me and sorry but your kids are right. It is minging in every way.

The hysteria on this site sometimes has to be seen to be believed.

Every time you kiss your partner or child, or stroke a pet or touch a door handle that hasn't been sanitised you are creating a biological cauldron of bacteria. And those bacteria (unless you are frail or vulnerable in which case different rules apply) help build your immune system and keep you strong so that in the relatively rare event your body encounters a harmful bacteria, you are able to fight it off and recover quickly.

I am not fussed about germs within a family (unless as previously stated someone is frail or vulnerable). I won't pick up anything from a recycled bowl of pasta that I couldn't get from pinching a crisp from their bag or sneaking a spoonful of their dessert.

I am inrigued as to why some think there are fewer germs in saliva of family members. Why would there be? And surely the point is about germs multiplying, so even your own salvia has bred germs through the leftovet/scraping/re-cheesing (OMG)/re-heating/cooling/freezing/defrosting and re-heating process OP has gone through anyway.

Or to remove the whole re- heating issue. Let's say a sausage roll, half bitten and left out for an hour before finishing off (yuk...but anyway). Would the resulting germs be less likely to make you ill if they were a) your own, b) those of a 'family' member..(.and does it make a difference if blood relative or by marriage say), or c) a stranger. Any scientists out there with an answer?

Id feel like I was eating the equivalent of scrapes out of the bin if I was served that.

🤢

Erm.. I hate food waste but I must admit I’d struggle to keep leftovers that had been on someone’s plate. Just seems a bit grim. Sorry

I'm not sure I would of done it from the plates after finishing eating for hygiene reasons but each to their own

I am inrigued as to why some think there are fewer germs in saliva of family members

They don't. They simply, quite rationally, consider that living in the same house, kissing, having sex, cuddling, co sleeping, breast feeding etc with appropriate members of said family means that there is already a certain element of saliva exchange already going on, so any additional microscopic amounts that possibly could be on shared food makes not a jot of difference.

Depends which kid ate from it: if it was my middle one I would have chucked it straight in the bin. To be fair I would have not done what you did but rather boiled some extra pasta and topped it up with the untouched remainder of the pasta bake. Pasta alone is relatively cheap BUT I do think you are wise not to waste not and want not in times of need. I won’t lie and tell you I have often skipped meals so the kids had decent portions when times were tough which they still are but luckily skinny is the new thin 😉

If it’s from your own plate and you’re saving it for later that’s fine. Scrapings from several other people’s plates. That’s fucking grim.

B&S yuck still hate it unless I can put half a bottle of HP sauce on it. And preferably hot which mine never was. It was always cold 🤢

Problem is your kids saw you do this and now they probably won’t eat it again anyway. But needs must so I understand your reasoning but no I would rather go hungry.

Yuk, assume you would only serve this to your own immediate family?

I would totally do this within the family. I regularly eat leftovers off my kids' plates. Obviously with guests I wouldn't but I can't get worked up about family germs X

All the people quoting me as hysterical, I did specifically state THAT WOULD LIKELY HOSPITALISE ME. I am immuno-suppressed due to low dose chemo and biologic drugs.

I kiss my husband occasionally as he can carry bugs but not get ill, but those same bugs can mean that within a week I have pneumonia and am in hospital. My gorgeous little nephews kiss me and it kills me that I live in fear of getting a nursery bug that could wipe me out for 3 weeks. 5 years ago my daughter gave me me the pickle off her burger and then announced that she had licked the sauce off it for me. I had tonsillitis for 3 weeks. Just because you can't imagine it, does not mean some people do not live with this hanging over them. I have to carry my own straw, knife and fork and can only eat out at places with a 5 rating. But yeah, i'm being hysterical even though I stated it could land me in hospital.

Eat your repulsive, germ ridden, poverty pasta. Please.

In principle, no problem. Don't really think you can freeze pasta though. Best to just eat it for lunch next day

I think it is revolting too.

I am not even a germaphobe, but the one thing that does make me feel sick to my stomach is the thought of eating left over food from someone else's plate. I can't even put my finger on why.

Nah, sounds fair enough to me. I would do that with a pasta bake, risotto or similar. I would try to eat it all the next day cos pasta doesn't freeze very well.

*Oh my god, reusing food off a plate is totally boak worthy! You do know that when they take the fork out of their mouth, the fork has saliva on it? and then its very likely been poked about in the pasta while they look for the tasty bits. So you have just mixed food from 4-5 different biological sources, that has already started pre-digesting in with fresh "safe" food. A big biological cauldron of bacteria. And you are going to eat it?

That would likely hospitalise me and sorry but your kids are right. It is minging in every way.*

Jesus Christ almighty....

@DammitPatrice

you really are a special special that can't read the full thread or even pick up on the meanings of words aren't you? you should look a few posts up. as I said in my original post. Eating that saliva soup would likely hospitalise as I am immuno-supressed after long term low dose chemo.