The lost art of leftovers

[Warden]

The UK Government along with recycling group WRAP has launched a campaign to reduce food waste.

See BBC news report here

Using 'leftovers' was something which was common place in the UK until the late 1970s, but just does not seem to happen these days.

WRAP would be proud of Mrs. Warden D and I, we are still eating left over baked potatoes from this weekend’s bonfire night.

Indeed for lunch it is beef chili with potato skins!

Harry

 

[Smithy]

I love a curry made with left over roast lamb or beef, awesome stuff!

And my Mum used to make bubble and squeak as well which I love

 

[Miss Sis]

Sauted potatoes from cold left over boiled spuds, cooked with onions. Yum!

 

[Flivver]

Leftover macaroni and cheese...often even *better* the second day!

I was taught as a kid not to waste food. So leftovers are a common thing in my house.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Ditto on the leftover Mac and Cheese. Fry it up in a skillet, get it good and crusty, and it's good eating any time of day.

I tend to make up a big pot of whatever and eat it all week, until every bit is gone. And then I scrape out the inside of the pot to get the last crumb. I can't afford to do otherwise.

 

[Feraud]

I love leftovers.

Flavors blend after a day of sitting in the fridge. Chili, pasta sauces, meatloaf, key lime pies, etc. are all improved with some sitting time.

 

[Valhson]

This art has not been lost on me. In college I found it was WAY too expensive to pay and eat for one. So I would make two or three big meals a week, invite a friend or two and use the leftovers for the other days. Costs worked out better than the friends that ate Mac&Cheese and Ramen all week. Also, it became a popular weekly social at the Valhson abode. (Helped that my place was the sail team house also)

To boot, when I found out that the asia markets have fresher veggies for half the cost. I was in!

Still work that angle now. I still only eat leftovers at lunch. Today is Corn chowder with pulled crab (wasn't enough crab to call it crab chowder ) homemade bread and whipped honey butter....

Yes I am male, yes I can cook. My momma taught me well!

 

[Starius]

In my home, any food leftovers that doesn't get eaten by us goes out to the farm kitties.
This also includes a couple cases of canned Nutren 1.5 high calorie liquid nutrition, which my mother lived on through a feeding tube when she was getting treatment from cancer. They love having some dry catfood soaked in that stuff, which has 1.5 calories per mL. They all need to be fattened up a bit to get through the cold winter anyways.

These are more "food scrap" like leftovers though. Most of what we make for meals doesn't last past that first meal to get to the leftover stage.

 

[Absinthe_1900]

Never have any, with my usual dinner companion.

 

[Miss Neecerie]

See and I cant -stand- most leftovers.

I have just learned not to make so much food when its just for me.

If its something like cooked chicken that I can make -into- something else, fine...but eating a completed dish a second time..uggg...

I just attempt not to be too wasteful by not cooking for 4.

 

[KittyT]

Many foods are better after the 2nd or 3rd day. Soups are ALWAYS better the 2nd day!

That said, unless I make a huge pot of soup, there are never leftovers at my house. I used to make a decent meal one night and eat it for the next 2 days. Now I have a tiny 5'7" boyfriend with a damned hollow leg. I don't know where he puts it all, and he will absolutely eat every last crumb of whatever I make. My solution, then, has been to make less food when I cook, in an attempt to keep the grocery bill down. It's a royal pain, because I'd like to have leftovers to bring to work for lunch.

 

[Smithy]

I don't want to sound like a stuck record will all my talk of curry (but it's one of my favourite foods) but it always tastes better reheated. I sometimes make a curry and don't eat it till the next day. Although that's usually contingent on my being able to have the willpower not to eat it!

 

[Samsa]

Spaghetti is much better the day after. I guess the idea of not having leftovers is foreign to me... I grew up on them. If I'm remembering correctly at least one day of the week ended up being "leftovers day" so that food was not wasted.

I'm always dismayed at how much food is thrown away. I run into this almost every time I go out to eat - the restaurants serve such large portions, and so many people don't finish what's there and do not carry the rest home; it just gets thrown away.

 

[panamag8or]

See and I cant -stand- most leftovers.

I have just learned not to make so much food when its just for me.

If its something like cooked chicken that I can make -into- something else, fine...but eating a completed dish a second time..uggg...

I just attempt not to be too wasteful by not cooking for 4.

That's how I am, with the usual exceptions of chili, spaghetti sauce and soups. However, if I make too much of those, I usually freeze them for later.

 

[Warden]

Well I have just eaten my left over Chili and potato skins, I say, it was rather hot. Plus I did not bring any sour cream to cool my mouth down.

If you need me I am going to hang my mouth under the cold tap for the next hour.

Still looking forward to tonight, now what else can I cook with left over baked potato?

Harry

 

[Starius]

Many foods are better after the 2nd or 3rd day. Soups are ALWAYS better the 2nd day!

That said, unless I make a huge pot of soup, there are never leftovers at my house. I used to make a decent meal one night and eat it for the next 2 days. Now I have a tiny 5'7" boyfriend with a damned hollow leg. I don't know where he puts it all, and he will absolutely eat every last crumb of whatever I make. My solution, then, has been to make less food when I cook, in an attempt to keep the grocery bill down. It's a royal pain, because I'd like to have leftovers to bring to work for lunch.

I definitely agree with you on the soup. I find that pizza tends to be better the next day to.

As it is, I do have a bean soup waiting for me in the fridge right now, from a few days ago.

 

[BellyTank]

Smithy- that leftovers-curry is SO NZ!

Me, I get home cooked Punjabi food.
Half the time, it's me who makes it.

If you're ever in this neck, toddle along.
We can eat curry and drink Brandy from a teapot.

Aloo
Gobi.

 

[Smithy]

Smithy- that leftovers-curry is SO NZ!

Me, I get home cooked Punjabi food.
Half the time, it's me who makes it.

If you're ever in this neck, toddle along.
We can eat curry and drink Brandy from a teapot.

Aloo
Gobi.

You're on BT!

I'm always up for a curry and a few burra pegs.

We can get all misty-eyed about steak and cheese pies and eating Frujus at the beach

 

[BellyTank]

Yes, Whiskey instead but I'll take a rain-check on the water.

Left-overs..
We make a lotta daal and freeze it.

B
T

 

[Big Man]

Leftovers definitely have not gone out of style at our house. What doesn't get consumed at dinner is almost always put away supper.

One of the best leftover dishes I know of is potato cakes. My grandmother used to make them from leftover mashed potatoes. She mixed in a little flower and an egg or two, and fried them like pancakes. Try as hard as we can, no one has ever been able to replicate hers.