Fed up of wasting leftovers

[onlychildinreality]

Anyone else have this problem? I hate wasting food and try to meal plan but always manage to forget about leftovers until they're no longer safe to eat. Just put leftovers from a small chicken cooked on Tuesday into the food waste. Could I have frozen them? How do you avoid food waste?

I'm trying to do this too. Currently making a chicken soup from roast carcass. One thing I've realised is if I put things in the fridge in opaque Tupperware I forget about it until it's too late. So I'm going to try to put things in glass or see through pots so when I go in the fridge I actually see them and use them. Don't know if this would help you?

Try and use leftovers immediately, instead of thinking I'll use that in a few days. Make your chicken into a meal straight away you're more likely to eat it the next day than if it doesn't look like a meal iyswim.

Get better at planning. Cooking a chicken on Tuesday? Chicken curry on wednesday. Stew with the carcass on Thursday.

I plan on a whiteboard in the kitchen. Make sure that you plan your meals and include the left overs in the planning.

I find that I have to strip the whole chicken as soon as it is carved, or lunch is over.

I always make extra veg and potatoes, stuffing etc on Sunday, if I'm making a lunch. Then I plate up another dinner each to reheat on a Monday evening.

I put the carcass straight into a stock pot after lunch and leave it simmer for the rest of the afternoon, with onion, carrot, celery etc, then strain it in the evening, throw the bones and leave the stock to cool before freezing it in the morning. Or if I have time to make a soup on Monday I use it then for lunch on Tues or Weds.

If (and a big if) there is any chicken left over I make coronation chicken sandwiches for lunch, or chicken, apple, grape, walnuts, celery and mayo salad and take it for lunch.

We do eat a lot of chicken though.

Oh and my stuffing is always left overs. I freeze the crusts of fresh loaves before they go hard. Then I blitz them in the food processor with onion, eggs, herbs and lemon rind. Ciabatta makes a really love stuffing texture.

Yes, freezing may help store left overs for a longer period. And yes, the same situation happened to me in the past until I got the habit of looking into the fridge for left overs first before I cook meal the next day so I can include left overs onto the next recipe.

I eat the leftovers for lunch. Putting them straight in the freezer helps too. Figure put your weakness and plug it!

Strip straight away and use for lunch

So here roast chicken will have a little left but not huge amount. Will use next day for lunch with rice/ veg ( like quick risotto), or with some salad or just for kids to snack on

Another thing to do with leftovers is to make a dip , e.g. Yesterday we had french beans and fennel steamed for lunch and today I've blitzed them with some fresh onion and garlic, lemon juice, tahini, a bit of avocado and olive oil and water to make a dip for today ,oh also some fresh herbs and salt ( whatever you got really) you could freeze it or eat it of course!

i don't eat alot of red meat but mainly have chicken and fish.

Try stripping the whole chicken before you store it in the fridge- that way it's free to bung into some sandwiches or mix with sauce and pasta.

i rarely cook another meal with leftovers, but i always make up salad/ sandwiches with it and have those for lunch.

Freezing is better than in the fridge coz if you forget bout it in the fridge it's wasted but in the freezer can b forgotten then used a little later on
I always freeze things eg when we have homemade curry leftover goes in freezer
The other week I had leftover carribian pork chop n DP had left over curry both heated up in the oven and served with rice

I just eat leftovers for breakfast and lunch. Usually cold, but sometimes I heat them up. One of my (adult) DC does the same. DH and other DC not interested but with two of us eating them they all go.

I definitely think a plan of some description is the way to go. We plan for specific meals Sunday-Wednesday usually with the other days being a mixture of freezer leftover meals, the odd take away, meal out, dinner with family/friends etc.

What kinds of things do you usually end up chucking? Soups are all well and good but sometimes they're not suitable in summer. There's nothing worse than a freezer full of random soups when you're not in the mood for it!

Research a series of stand by dishes which can be made out of the stuff you often have leftover. E.g....

tomatoes: ciabatta bruschetta rubbed with garlic, topped with basil, diced tomatoes and parmesan / tomato sauce for pasta, pizza topping / turned into a salsa to have with crisps or crudites

bread: stuffings and breadcrumbs as suggested

cooked meat: freeze straight away to turn into another dish at a later date... chicken or beef for fahjitas / lamb for a biryani or curry / diced pork for spicy tacos with guacamole etc etc

leftover veg could be turned into bubble and squeak, colcannon, layered veggie cheesey bake (gorgeous with sausages)

And packed lunches, if anyone needs them - most of our leftovers end up in someone's packed lunch. Sometimes you get some wacky combinations, but at least you get the satisfaction of not wasting leftovers (and save money on buying lunch if you otherwise would - I can't face making packed lunches in the morning but sorting it out as I clear up tea is fine).