To think everyone uses leftovers

(348 Posts)
moogy1a Thu 31-Oct-13 18:36:52

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?

Always bin leftover food. If i put it in the fridge for tomorrows lunch it will get forgotten about and binned later in the week anyway!

TwitTwooShoe Thu 31-Oct-13 18:44:07

I know! I know NO ONE who doesn't use leftovers. Some things I could possibly make leftovers out of, but as we would be allergic to the ingredients which make it edible, I can't. That's the only time I don't.

moondog Thu 31-Oct-13 18:44:25

I never throw food away.
IOf it is left, it gets eaten, before anything else gets opened or made.
Could not fathom wasting it.

Sleeptimenow Thu 31-Oct-13 18:45:05

Always gets eaten here, we tend to deliberately make a large amount and then use the rest for work lunches or tea the next day ( if it lasts that long). Do not get the throwing Away leftovers thing, especially if you have a freezer husband who has hollow legs

moogy1a Thu 31-Oct-13 18:45:41

manalive what quantity are we talking about?
If you had the chicken example, and had say quarter of a chicken left, surely you wouldn't bin that?

CrockedPot Thu 31-Oct-13 18:45:48

rarely throw anything away here - today I had a fridge clear out and was annoyed to find a half tin of beans that had been forgotten and had to be chucked out. I really try not to throw any food away at all and will freeze leftovers that we are not going to eat the next day/for lunch etc.

Even if there's a chance that we couldn't use something up, which is incredibly rare, we'll always find a mouth to feed whether that's the dog, rabbits, chickens etc

vanillavelvet Thu 31-Oct-13 18:46:33

If I roast a chicken part of the plan is what I'll make with the leftovers! Sometimes leftovers do get forgotten about though. Must try harder wink

littlewhitebag Thu 31-Oct-13 18:46:35

I often put a left over portion of food in a tub in the fridge only to chuck about a week later when jot has gone disgusting as no-one wants to eat the same thing again. I keep left over roast meat for training treats for the dog. I am obviously wasteful.

puntasticusername Thu 31-Oct-13 18:47:35

I Do Not Do throwing away food. Just can't bring myself to waste things if they can possibly be used. I take a fairly liberal approach to use-by dates, too.

Others differ, though. I once went to an Xmas house party where the hosts cooked a giant turkey for the buffet. We had a few slices of breast for sandwiches, and that was it. When clearing up at the end of the night, there was a very brief debate about whether to keep the rest of it, but then someone decided "gosh no, it's been sitting out!" - despite the fact that it hadn't even been out of the oven long enough to get entirely cold - and the whole thing went in a black bin bag.

I might possibly have been a tiny bit squiffy at that point, otherwise I would have stepped in and saved it.

So yes, people's attitudes do differ a great deal!

bundaberg Thu 31-Oct-13 18:49:09

well, do you know, I thought the same thing.

but I recently found out (when I mentioned that we often use leftovers as part of our lunch the following day) that a friend NEVER keeps leftovers. she just throws it all away shock

she was as horrified that I kept "old" food and reheated it, as I was that she was so freaking wasteful.

moogy1a Thu 31-Oct-13 18:51:43

Just remembered first Christmas at inlaws.
They cooked a massive turkey and there was tons left over.
MIL was about to throw it in the bin Not worth keeping apparently.
I insisted I took it home and it fed us for about a week.
She seemed intrigued and confused at the thought of not binning about 20 lbs of meat and now thinks of it as a little "quirk" of mine when I take leftover away rather than watching them go in the bin.

OodaresingingoftheDoctorDonna Thu 31-Oct-13 18:52:28

I freeze as much as possible and have a freezer food meal every week/fortnight ish and get a few take away tubs out.

Meat gets used in dh packed lunches

HansieMom Thu 31-Oct-13 18:52:49

My Grandma had a saying. She was from a different era, born around 1895. It took me awhile as a child to understand it. What she said was, "a woman can throw out more with a spoon than a man can bring in with a shovel".

I have two sons. Both have families. One son 'doesn't like leftovers'. The other son is great about not throwing away food. If they dine out, leftovers get taken home and used. I tell the first son, they are not leftovers, they are Planned Overs.

CoffeeTea103 Thu 31-Oct-13 18:53:07

I'm another one who just bins it. DH and I both just can't eat reheated cooked food, it's bad I know. Now I try to cook in smaller portions, some things you can't though.

Badvoc Thu 31-Oct-13 18:54:51

Depends what it is.
A few spoons of beans/peas/sweetcorn etc...bin.
Leftover chicken there is never any leftover chicken sandwiches/salad next day.

Viviennemary Thu 31-Oct-13 18:55:32

I'm mostly too lazy to bother with leftovers. And then if I do keep stuff it only sits in the fridge till it gets thrown out anyway. I hate re-heated food. It's the thought.

moogy1a Thu 31-Oct-13 18:56:07

Why can't you eat reheated food?

MrsOsbourne Thu 31-Oct-13 18:58:34

" Cant eat reheated cooked food"
Seriously shock
What if you had no choice ?
Leftovers are fought over in our house.
Love leftover shepherds pie for my lunch at work the next day smile

SatinSandals Thu 31-Oct-13 19:00:08

You don't just reheat it-you make other things from it! If nothing else it goes into soup.

wildflowering Thu 31-Oct-13 19:00:08

I tend to waste alot of food because I stick it in the fridge or freezer and forget about it, or fancy something different over the next day then get concerned whether or not the items are safe to eat

SatinSandals Thu 31-Oct-13 19:00:45

If you do want to just use it as it is, you freeze it.

Viviennemary Thu 31-Oct-13 19:00:59

I suppose it's a bit mad but I just think it might cause food poisoning. I've just got a thing about it. I can eat re-heated home made soup if it's completely made with vegetables but not anything containing meat.

moogy1a Thu 31-Oct-13 19:01:14

Some things improve with being left and reheated.
Would you not even reheat casserole?

SatinSandals Thu 31-Oct-13 19:02:02

As long as it is heated all the way through you are fine.

moogy1a Thu 31-Oct-13 19:03:45

Vivienne do you ever eat ready meals or eat out at pubs/ Frankie and benny/ numerous other mid market places etc? The meals there are most usually cooked at a central place, shipped to individual restaurants, then reheated.

MrsOsbourne Thu 31-Oct-13 19:03:48

What do people think ready meals are ?
Yep- precooked in a factoryshite food that is reheated.

MrsOsbourne Thu 31-Oct-13 19:05:17

xposts moogy grin

Most restaurant food/gastro pub (arf) food is reheated.

sheeplikessleep Thu 31-Oct-13 19:05:31

We fight over leftover steps pie/fish pie/bolognese type meals.
More often we end up with leftover random veg, that get forgotten about and then thrown out.

Viviennemary Thu 31-Oct-13 19:06:17

I know there's no logic to it. I can eat food that isn't cooked and is left over. Like tuna and that's probably even more dodgy.

moogy1a Thu 31-Oct-13 19:07:41

You'll be fine Vivienne just reheat thoroughly . You'll save a fortune and a lot of time. we often have the same thing for dinner then lunch ( or 2 dinners in a row)

wildflowering Thu 31-Oct-13 19:08:48

Do you use the next day or does it keep for a couple of days?

For example I have lasagne I made on Monday night which has been in the fridge, would you reheat that and eat it now?

natwebb79 Thu 31-Oct-13 19:09:24

'Lispy' and 'fat tongued'? Nice! hmm

Jan49 Thu 31-Oct-13 19:09:24

I rarely have food suitable to keep for another day. It's usually just scrapings on the plate and I wouldn't consider them suitable. So no I suppose I don't really use leftovers.

OverMyDeadQODdy Thu 31-Oct-13 19:10:33

Was talking about this with a friend today funnily enough. My dh won't eat
Leftovers at all. He had a deprived childhood and sees having to eat leftovers as being poor.

moogy1a Thu 31-Oct-13 19:10:43

Most things are fine for at least 4 or 5 days. I'd be heating the lasagne and scoffing away!
Honestly, if food is off you can usually smell it very distinctly

darkdays Thu 31-Oct-13 19:11:09

I try to use as much as possible. Even small amounts get frozen in old baby tubs. Can't really afford to waste things.

TerrorMeSue Thu 31-Oct-13 19:14:01

I would reheat and eat lasagne from Monday night, provided it was fridges fairly quickly after cooking and reheated until v hot. Chicken I 'll only keep 2 days.

Dawndonnaagain Thu 31-Oct-13 19:14:11

Tonights left over mash will be in the freezer later and used for fishcakes next week. I'm amazed people chuck perfectly good food.

moogy1a Thu 31-Oct-13 19:17:02

We have a professional offendee!

4yoniD Thu 31-Oct-13 19:19:01

I often have leftovers. DH regularly eats the lot about 10 in the evening. Problem solved unless I was trying to save it

NotMeNotYouNotAnyone Thu 31-Oct-13 19:19:15

My step sister used to cook a whole chicken, the family would eat the breasts and then she would bin the rest . Until my dad got her to start giving the leftovers to him. He will have the meat off the legs for sandwiches, stir fry or curry or something and use the carcass for stock or soup.

fossil971 Thu 31-Oct-13 19:20:28

If its a portion or more then it goes in the freezer. I don't save every last scrap of carrot off the plates though. Also I am not sure about reheating rice safely.

moogy1a Thu 31-Oct-13 19:22:48

Hmmm. Rice.
I've always been told it's a bit dodgy as reheating thouroughly doesn't kill off the toxins that can make you ill. But I've been reheating it for the last 30 years or so with no problem!

JesusInTheCabbageVan Thu 31-Oct-13 19:23:40

My Nan nearly had a fit one year when my aunt binned the rest of her turkey. She's hardcore about leftovers. At my wedding at the end of the night, she took away half the buffet with her grin

CoolStoryBro Thu 31-Oct-13 19:25:16

I feed the dogs a little and then chuck the rest and, tbh, I couldn't care less what anyone else does. I just can't be bothered to faff around.

moogy say I had a roast chicken. I would have a breast, DP would have a breast, maybe cut up a leg for the cats and throw the rest away.

MrsSchadenfreude Thu 31-Oct-13 19:26:42

Never throw anything out if I can help it. Monday's roast chicken is going to be chicken curry for us for tonight. With some of Tuesday's lentils going in as well. I don't see it as "leftovers" - I see it as meal planning. You eat the chicken breasts with roast potatoes, parsnips, broccoli and red cabbage. Then you have something else with lentils, and purposely cook too many lentils so you can make a really quick curry (chicken dhansak) with the chicken legs and lentils another night. Odds and sods of veg become soup or go in a curry or stew.

MrsSchadenfreude Thu 31-Oct-13 19:27:51

Manalive - why would you not have the other chicken leg cold with salad or in a sandwich?

moogy1a Thu 31-Oct-13 19:28:06

You wouldn't eat the last leg??!!
You could just pull the meat off and have it on a sandwich the next day.
or just microwave it whole and pretend you're at Gabbotts Farm or the hot chicken bit of Sainsburys!

BackforGood Thu 31-Oct-13 19:28:13

You'd be amazed how much food is thrown out.
Interesting website Here

What does that phrase mean HansieMom?

I use everything. We're also very lax about sell by dates in this house. Just smell it, or look closely for signs of mouldy spores etc. If I'd made a lasagne on Monday, I'd happily eat it today.

You just need to remember to store it correctly. So, leave it to cool on the side - I tend to portion it off into those plastic take away tubs - it must be cold before it goes in the fridge. If you portion it out, it will cool quicker. Then I label it with the date and what it is. Then straight into the fridge. If it's been in the fridge for longer than a day or two, I tend to stick it in the freezer. For frozen things, leave to defrost on the sideboard during the day for it to be ready for an evening meal. And when reheating, make sure it's hot all the way through.
We don't have a microwave, so things either get reheated on the hob, or in the oven.

BMW6 Thu 31-Oct-13 19:28:24

I use leftovers all the time (unless the dog gets it!)
Mashed spud & veg = bubble & squeak
Or leftover cooked veg chucked into curry or stew

Or, our ultimate "leftover" - we roast a leg of lamb or pork joint one Sunday for dinner, then the rest is kept in fridge till the next Sunday - sliced and reheated in gravy.

A chicken is used right down to the carcass, then that is boiled and I make a casserole in the slow cooker.

nemno Thu 31-Oct-13 19:28:24

I know plenty of people who do throw away perfectly good food. I can't understand it and if I think too much about it it makes me seeth. So I don't think about it till reminded by things like the OP angry grin

coffeeinbed Thu 31-Oct-13 19:36:40

No waste here.
All leftovers used.
Saves me time and money.

ZenNudist Thu 31-Oct-13 19:40:24

I always save bits of food & often cook more so I have a portion for the next day.

Rice I know is meant to be dodgy but guess I've been lucky. The only way to get decent egg fried rice is by letting it cool.

I can't imagine having to cook from scratch every night. I always have at least one leftover & one batch cooked & frozen meal in normal working week.

ArtemisatBrauron Thu 31-Oct-13 19:41:25

We try not to waste any food at all - we have a large tupperware in the bottom of the freezer for leftover veg and I make a veg soup about once a month from it, adding herbs, stock, spice etc.

I would feel terrible throwing away edible food.

MrsOsbourne Thu 31-Oct-13 19:44:03

I think meal planning means you are constantly thinking about what the chicken will be used for -eg
Sun: roast chicken
Mon: chicken curry
Tues: soup with chicken stock
Weds ... only joking !

I should add that leftovers are not the scrapings from plates !- just spare food

loveandsmiles Thu 31-Oct-13 19:44:03

4you haha, thought it was only my DH that did thisgrin

We always seem to have leftovers and I think they will be lovely for my lunch next day, only to get up next morning to find DH ate them as a late night 'snack' ~ then he has the cheek to wonder why he's putting on weight, and says its my fault for cooking too much.......!

AmeliaToppingLovesShopping Thu 31-Oct-13 19:47:28

If I do something like sausage casserole or chili I will eat any leftovers the next day but I am rubbish about using leftover roast chicken. I have the best intentions of making a pie or curry but it doesn't normally happen.

everlong Thu 31-Oct-13 19:53:49

I never use leftovers.

Everything gets eaten blush

Fluffycloudland77 Thu 31-Oct-13 19:59:42

I have relatives who throw food out if it gets near date. Unopened packs of ham get thrown in the bin angry.

brettgirl2 Thu 31-Oct-13 20:05:03

now I've heard it all, chucking out leftover chicken confused . Half the world is starving! !!!!!

SpookedMackerel Thu 31-Oct-13 20:06:35

We don't get many leftovers, I must be too god at cooking the right amount. Though I sometimes cook twice as much on purpose with the plan of getting another meal out of it.

Anything left on plates would get put in the bin, anything still "unserved" in the dish would get eaten by dh put in a plastic box in the fridge.

I have half a jacket potato with tuna sitting in the fridge, not entirely sure what to do with it, but have put it in the fridge until I think of something.

My favourite leftover is reheated Chinese takeaway. Yes, I know it is supposed to be dodgy as hell to reheat rice, but I've always been fine. Wouldn't give it to the kids though.

As long as the rice has been cooked properly in the first place it's fine.
It's when it's cooked but not at a high enough temperature to kill the bacteria, it's then cooled and the bacteria multiplies. Reheating then kills the bacteria but the toxins released are left behind and that's what makes you ill.

justanuthermanicmumsday Thu 31-Oct-13 20:38:27

I think its PC nonsense about not reheating food or not eating leftovers. It's the same as the so called use by date on products I ignore it and go by look , smell and taste.

I rarely throw anything away either, although I have when it's been forgotten about.

If leftovers is food that is not cooked on the same day then I eat that everyday. My main food is Bangladeshi, mainly curries. There is always curry left over, always enough for meals the next day. The pot stays in a pantry or anywhere cool, then it is heated on The stove and I actually think it can taste better with age. all bangla families I know do this it's the norm.

rice is also always left over nowadays it's heated in the microwave, sprinkled with a bit of water and heat, it tastes as good as new. I'm shocked on the advice about not reheating rice. It's bull rice is my staple food. If it's not yours you may get an upset stomach intially but believe me it won't last. A better way of reheating old rice is in a colander with hot water underneath, it takes longer but it makes the rice a softer. This has been abandoned by most except the old fashioned folks.

curry can be freshend up by frying it like a stirs fry with birds eye dried chillies in some ghee butter, lots of garlic . Kids fight for here left overs it's got a char grilled taste.

Just had spaghetti bolognese from yesterday. The meat mixture is from yesterday but the spag is boiled new, I don't see the issue.

What about cheese that's a bit mouldy do u cut and use or throw away. I always use it

I think it's disgusting if people are throwing away a lot of food. We have become a nation of ungrateful gluttons. We over eat here in the west whilst people our neighbours and those abroad are dying from a lack of food.
That's my mantra any time I think I throwing food away, and it's what I drum into my kids when they say I'll eat what's on this half of my plate but not the other half.

justanuthermanicmumsday Thu 31-Oct-13 20:41:20

To be honest i can't bin my kids leftovers, either I eat it or my husband does. My religious views have a part in my thinking it's considered a great sin which I as a parent will have to answer for if my prepubescent child is wasting food. When they're of age they're accountable so until then leftovers it is.

EBearhug Thu 31-Oct-13 20:48:26

I was brought up on leftovers. I assume we had firsts on other days besides Sunday lunch, but it nearly always seemed to be leftovers.

JesusInTheCabbageVan Thu 31-Oct-13 20:49:43

just I'm curious, what religion is that if you don't mind me asking?

I cannot believe people throw away food shock

It's a disgrace.

I'd rather people shagged their bil's than wasted food.

Less of a sin in my book grin

wildflowering Thu 31-Oct-13 20:55:51

well my BIL's dead and I waste food

<stuck between a rock and a hardplace>

Fishandjam Thu 31-Oct-13 21:01:31

Leftover lamb jalfrezi and tarka dhal for breakfast is the best start to the day I know.

DontmindifIdo Thu 31-Oct-13 21:02:13

Some things I keep, others I don't. I'd keep meat (cold cooked chicken or beef in sarnies on a monday from a sunday roast is lovely!), I'll keep left over roast veg but not potatoes (don't reheat well).

I'm also funny about where left overs have been, I won't keep food off people's plates, but left overs still in the pan (we normally make enough for another meal when cooking things like pasta sauces), or serving dishes, I'll keep.

I've had to stop myself eating DS's left overs though, it's a bad habit that was adding unneccessary calories to my diet.

bundaberg Thu 31-Oct-13 21:13:55

shock cold roast potatoes are the BEST

Lamu Thu 31-Oct-13 21:16:37

I cannot believe that people will throw away half a roast chicken!

Left over chicken from our Sunday roast went into tonight's risotto. I try very hard not to throw food although on the odd occasion things get lost in the back of the fridge. I reheat rice till it piping hot and never had any issues. Lasagne, shepherds pie, curry type meals last several days and taste even better.

Sidge Thu 31-Oct-13 21:24:45

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.

BeautifulBlondePineapple Thu 31-Oct-13 21:25:40

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.

Haggischucker Thu 31-Oct-13 21:27:57

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!

idiuntno57 Thu 31-Oct-13 21:29:35

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

idiuntno57 Thu 31-Oct-13 21:30:05

pah mind not and

MrsOsbourne Thu 31-Oct-13 21:31:05

I usually remove the leftovers before I serve the meal wink

ArgyMargy Thu 31-Oct-13 21:32:43

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

justanuthermanicmumsday Thu 31-Oct-13 21:36:27

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

Grennie Thu 31-Oct-13 21:37:37

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.

Naoko Thu 31-Oct-13 21:43:08

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.

FergusSingsTheBlues Thu 31-Oct-13 21:43:58

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.

expatinscotland Thu 31-Oct-13 21:45:37

I don't bin anything!

Grennie Thu 31-Oct-13 21:46:37

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

justanuthermanicmumsday Thu 31-Oct-13 21:46:57

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 sad

phantomnamechanger Thu 31-Oct-13 21:47:19

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

LyannaStark Thu 31-Oct-13 21:49:26

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 angry

Grennie Thu 31-Oct-13 21:50:46

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

expatinscotland Thu 31-Oct-13 21:52:15

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.

phantomnamechanger Thu 31-Oct-13 21:53:47

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

Altinkum Thu 31-Oct-13 21:56:14

If their is any left over food dh will eat it, but I won't allow myself and the boys to eat left over food, it has to be fresh ad drably cooked and eaten within 4 hours.

Howver I try to it waste food, and keep a eye on portion control, but I suppose that's the downfall with working with food, you see a lot.

LyannaStark Thu 31-Oct-13 22:01:07

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

expatinscotland Thu 31-Oct-13 22:09:59

'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.

JockTamsonsBairns Thu 31-Oct-13 22:10:36

you're not from Scotland, are you grin

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

<thanks gran>

phantomnamechanger Thu 31-Oct-13 22:12:40

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

LyannaStark Thu 31-Oct-13 22:16:41

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...

vichill Thu 31-Oct-13 22:22:50

I've based 5 meals for 2 on one chicken. Granted 2 were soup.

Heartbrokenmum73 Thu 31-Oct-13 22:22:54

I bin food. Don't feel guilty about it. I'm not much on cooking, don't have fridge at present or a microwave. And the cooker that the landlord put in is from a bargain range and either doesn't cook things at all or burns the living shit out of them.

There ARE reasons why some people don't do leftovers you know.

expatinscotland Thu 31-Oct-13 22:30:40

When I had a cooker like that, Heart, I used a camp stove and cracked the window.

I usually get two other 'meals' or suppers out of Chinese takeaways after the initial gorge - chicken chow mein Singapore style, salt n spicy ribs and veggie spring rolls.

Heat it to piping and eat. Never had a problem.

ChipAndSpud Thu 31-Oct-13 22:37:53

I try hard not to waste food, but I must admit to throwing away a couple of soft, bendy carrots every so often. If they're so old I can't peel them properly I really don't fancy eating them tbh!

Carrots are the main waste product in our house!

Leftover rice is made into fried rice by DH, even extra mash potato has been put in the freezer for a later date. And I have two portions of blackberries in the freezer which will be made into apple and blackberry crumbles.

LyannaStark Thu 31-Oct-13 22:41:57

Piping is fine, expat, I do it myself.

Good point about not having the facilities to use leftovers. I was outraged when the first JO budget cooking show featured various means to store and freeze herbs.

Want2bSupermum Thu 31-Oct-13 22:43:46

All leftovers are frozen if they are not being used for the next meal. During Jan-May I have a lady come in everyday to make our food for the next day as we are too busy with work to cook. Everything is cooked up and frozen down into small portions so we have lunch and dinner prepared for the following day (I work so late I bring my dinner in with me). Nothing is thrown out during those months.

QueenMedb Thu 31-Oct-13 22:54:09

Can I just snort at the poster up thread who said that not using leftovers was 'PC nonsense'...? grin

'PC' in this instance clearly meaning 'silly notion that no sensible person agrees with'...

peggyundercrackers Thu 31-Oct-13 22:58:40

we don't have a lot of food wasted because we only make what we are going to eat but if we do have any left over it gets binned. cant eat cold food, turns me just thinking about eating cold food and not into reheated food. I dont know how people can eat sausages cold or cold roast tatties - the thought of that cold fat in your mouth [insert sick smiley].. I wont even eat cold meat, never have - never will.

AdoraBell Thu 31-Oct-13 22:58:41

I know quite a few people who don't use left overs. Some don't care, some think they can't freeze something or use it in a different way, some use wasting food as a way showing off.

I do use left overs.

volestair Thu 31-Oct-13 22:58:49

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MinginInTheRain Thu 31-Oct-13 23:09:17

MrsSchadenfreude - any chance of your chicken dhansak recipe please?? I lurve it and have never made it nice enough..please pretty please..

FreshBloodandGutsLeticia Thu 31-Oct-13 23:09:59

Jesus, I am bloody gobsmacked at the 'wasters' on this thread. No wonder the world is running out of resources and struggles to process waste if you throw all this food away. FFS, take a step back and think it through.
Start by cooking less food?

raggedymum Thu 31-Oct-13 23:10:22

Wow, it never occurred to me that people would throw away full-sized portions! I generally plan meals with leftovers in mind, and me and DH eat them for lunch. Wastage is a bone of contention between us, as he sometimes 'avoids' a meal he has decided he's not hungry for, and if I don't notice and eat it in time it goes bad.

DorisHerod Thu 31-Oct-13 23:24:24

I use everything up always. Don't understand posters who have said that using leftovers is a faff...leftovers make your life easy, as part of meal planning surely?

Roast chicken, eat for meal 1, strip carcass for meal 2 (stir fry, curry) and sandwiches for several lunches, boil up bones for meal 3 (soup). Family of 5 here including 2 hungry teens and I can stretch a medium chicken to this number of meals and I am a fairly useless cook.

EBearhug Thu 31-Oct-13 23:48:23

Cold sausages and cold roast tatties are among my favourite foods.

Totally agree with a chicken doing several meals, and I make things like bolognaise and chilli in bulk and freeze it in portions.

OneUp Fri 01-Nov-13 00:23:42

The only thing I won't eat leftovers of is chicken because I can somehow taste if it's been reheated. My DP eats any leftovers but generally there aren't any as we hardly ever roast a whole chicken.

HansieMom Fri 01-Nov-13 00:48:51

Visual, here is what Grandma's saying means. Her saying was 'A woman can throw out more with a spoon than a man can bring in with a shovel'.

The husband would be a manual laborer perhaps laying tar, shoveling coal, or any trade where he works hard all day using a shovel.

But if the wife is careless with food, wasting it and throwing much away, she is wasting the hard earned money he worked for.

My Grandma had a big family, and the last child was born around the start of the Depression. Life was desperately hard for them and most people. My Mom was the middle child of seven kids. They never had much. She would say about chicken pieces, "I like the part of the chicken that went over the fence last". Likely because that was all that was left by the time the platter got to her.

We should all be ashamed when we throw out food. I can do better.

Naoko Fri 01-Nov-13 00:59:08

I don't like cold leftovers either....but that's why I heat them back up! Cold pizza is the most awful thing imaginable, and I could never bring myself to eat it even as an undergrad living of things far grimmer than leftover pizza. Leftover pizza discovered in the fridge when you had forgotten you put it there the night before, on the other hand, becomes an awesome lunch given about 8 minutes in a hot oven.

Same with cold chicken or turkey - I don't like it as cold leftovers in a sandwich, that's why I shred it and put it in a pie. It gets used, I have a tasty dinner, no waste.

Dolcelatte Fri 01-Nov-13 04:07:40

I am also shocked that people can throw away half a chicken. I read a lot of threads on MN about how much people spend in the supermarket or to feed a family etc and feel guilty at just how much I do spend; but the idea of just chucking away perfectly good food is appalling, when you think of how many cannot afford to eat.

I think part of the problem is that a number of people have just not learned basic cooking skills and/or are ignorant about food hygiene etc. That is why they consider it too much effort to use food beyond the first meal or are afraid to do so. Perhaps some will be converted by this thread.

Another request for the Chicken Dhansak recipe, pleeeeaaase!

MrsMook Fri 01-Nov-13 05:56:01

I use left overs if there's a worhwhile portion. If it's a small amount that wouldn't stretch to lunch the next day then it's not worthwhile.

My biggest problem is leaving it to cool in the pan, then forgetting about it (while cleaning down toddler, and continuing to feed baby, then getting toddler to bed), and only remembering in the morning when it's been room temperature too long.

DH frequently used to help himself to seconds and deprive me of what was intended to be my lunch the next day.

I do best when I'm on the ball to save it at serving, and save the left overs first. You also get a better ration of the nice bits like meat.

I don't save rice because of the food poisoning risk of reheating it. (aren't pre-cooked rice dishes specially treated against that?)

comingintomyown Fri 01-Nov-13 06:14:49

I wouldnt save something that had been on someones plate but otherwise yes I would eat leftover food. I am pretty good at meal planning though so it doesnt come up much plus I happily eat the same thing two days running.

ZombieRevengeWiggle Fri 01-Nov-13 06:26:32

I never ever throw any food away. There are only two of us and a non-eating baby in this house, one vegetarian and one meat eater so there are always lots of leftovers. I roast a chicken and use it for pie, curry, chow mein. Leftover veg will get put into a pie or soup or pasta salad. Couple of spoonfuls of pasta or potatoes leftover will get used for pasta/potato salad for lunch next day. I'll save spoonfuls of baked beans aswell, makes a really nice cheesy bean pasty! There's always something you can do with leftovers even if it's just chucking them into a pie.

goldopals Fri 01-Nov-13 06:44:08

I am single and live by myself so always have leftovers. I usually divide into portions, eat and then freeze the other portions when cold. I currently have the remnants of several 3kg roasts in the freezer which will be turned into curry, stir fry or sandwich fillings

LtAllHallowsEve Fri 01-Nov-13 06:45:20

I live on leftovers I think!

Fri night takeaway becomes lunch on Mon and Tue.
Saturdays Lasagne or Shep pie type meal is lunch on Wed.
On Sunday I cook too much veg on purpose and either turn it into 'Sunday Lunch Soup or bubble and squeak that we eat on Mon nights. Any leftovers become a lunch for me.

DH cooks Tue/Wed/Thu nights - Tue is usually the leftover meat from Sun turned into a curry and again if there is any left over it becomes a lunch for me.

I find it cheaper and easier, and I like reheated stuff - chilli or a stew for example is so much better the second time around.

livinginwonderland Fri 01-Nov-13 06:50:56

I can't afford to throw away leftovers!

DP and I generally cook enough to feed the both of us, but if anything is leftover (unlikely because DP is a human dustbin) it gets frozen or put in the freezer to reheat and eat the next day.

And agreed that some foods taste WAY better cold or as leftovers. I adore cold takeaway pizza and cold Chinese the following morning. Cold chow mein and spring rolls = the breakfast of champions.

FamiliesShareGerms Fri 01-Nov-13 06:56:41

Leftovers from a plate go in the food recycling bin. Leftovers from the pan / pot get reused whenever possible. DH dislikes the same food twice in a row, so it either waits a day or two or gets used as something else.

I can't abide waste!

littlegem12 Fri 01-Nov-13 07:03:38

If I do a roast joint or chicken I freeze leftovers in gravy for a midweek roast. Maybe my standards are low but I cant tell the difference from the just cooked and freezer roast.

Tee2072 Fri 01-Nov-13 07:19:15

You don't like wasting food, don't waste it. Don't tell others what they should do.

And any sentence that includes the word 'everyone' is automatically wrong.

moogy1a Fri 01-Nov-13 07:22:53

Gosh tee you're in a good mood this morning. I recommend some leftover curry. Always cheers me up when I'm feeling nowty grin

Tee2072 Fri 01-Nov-13 07:31:08

I've been awake since 0330 because my brain and body hate me and I hate 'everyone' statements. They are so very idiotic.

SatinSandals Fri 01-Nov-13 07:34:33

I am just amazed that people can afford to throw it away. I am horrified by my food bills and I use all left overs. Chicken is deliberately bought for at least 2 meals and then I boil the carcass for stock and make soup.

curlew Fri 01-Nov-13 07:39:57

And any sentence that includes the word 'everyone' is automatically wrong."
no it isn't. I can think of loads of sentences containing the word everyone which are incontrovertibly right. Including "In a world of diminishing resources everyone should do everything they can to conserve what we have" And this includes not throwing away food.

Tee2072 Fri 01-Nov-13 07:41:28


OverMyDeadQODdy Fri 01-Nov-13 07:45:42

I'm going downstairs to throw something away Tee.

<showing solidarity cos I'm tired and grumpy yoo>

echt Fri 01-Nov-13 07:48:05

I don't do the cooking, but DH often makes a huge chilli/curry/shepherd's pie/soup that lasts into the second day and a third day's lunches.

We none of us turn up our noses at leftovers. Any raw/veg left over goes into the wormery. Any dodgy meat goes into the magpies.

Tee2072 Fri 01-Nov-13 07:49:02

grin QOD

Altinkum Fri 01-Nov-13 07:56:10

I agree TEE, their is no such thing as everyone should do this, because circumstances in every household matters, ds you should eat this food, that you are allergic too, and ds1 you should eat this food that you absolutely abhor, because some pleb on the net says we should never waste food hmm

Just because you think it fits a sentence, dosent meant that sentence fits every household in this world, it's like me satin to ds who needs life long medication, ds don't spit that out, as the world is dimishling of medical supplies and it's just so wasteful! hmm

It's illogical and idiotic, to say everyone should do, the reality is the reverse.

GinOnTwoWheels Fri 01-Nov-13 07:56:43

I am the queen of using up leftovers and some of the 'leftover' meals are better than the originals.

Leftover chilli > burritos or enchiladas
Leftover roast meat or stew > pie
Old bits of crusty bread and slightly past their best tomatoes > Crostini/ Pa Amb Oli just like you pay a fortune for in Mallorca.

I always cook with leftovers in mind, because it just lengthens the time to when you have to cook again grin.

I sometimes get a bit weary about the big Christmas day cook fest, but get it right, and you don't need to cook again for several days (helps if you really like roast dinners and the whole cold meat/salad/cheese/bread/pickles idea, but one of the most delicious things I remember from last year was fried up 3 day old roast potatoes and pigs in blankets).

However, lots of people do throw food away, either because they 'don't want to eat the same food again', don't know how, CBA or don't have suitable storage facilities. Official food safety guidelines are also massively over-cautious IMHO.

I always try to use up food before it goes off, or freeze it, including things like making slightly wilty veg into soup, or freezing stale bread for breadcrumbs etc. And yet, you can buy breadcrumbs, which to me is madness.

I remember being shock at a friend's house once, where we had a meal where there was a few prawns and a bit of fried steak leftover (we had wraps and there was enough left for a couple more) and her DH just picked the bowl up and threw the lot in the bin shock.

Even worse, he was out of work at the time, and my friend only worked part time, so they were really struggling. And yet they didn't see the value in saving what would have been another meal for one person, and probably their DD as well, if it was bulked out with some veg/cheese/rice.

The stats on food waste are shocking. In our house, we throw away almost nothing (in value it will be somewhere between £1 per month and £1 per week), whereas it is alleged that the average household throws away £700 per year worth of food. At the same time almost everyone is complaining about how expensive food is and how short of money they are, but they can't see the value in getting the best out of the food they buy?

I try to use them up, but sometimes it just doesn't work out, midweek plans change at short notice and sometimes I find a box of leftovers the back of the fridge a week later that has to go out. Having a bigger freezer would really help, but we haven't got the space for one.

Tee2072 Fri 01-Nov-13 08:00:40

BTW, most food waste would be alleviated if people used common sense rather than the nanny state's instance on giving everything a date and people being told they have to follow those dates.

I am hoping as the older generation dies out, some of this will end as most people I know don't seem to be quite so wedded to those dates. Although some certainly are, including my husband, to the point that I unpackage things once opened so he doesn't know what the date is/was.

Well haven't I just found the 'look how much money we have to burn/chuck away thread? I'm appalled at those that waste.

reddemonsinthegarden Fri 01-Nov-13 08:03:56

my chap, who I don't live with, has a habit of impulse buying loads of nice food, and then never getting around to eating it. it simply goes out of date and then gets thrown out.
I look forward to going around and having a good root around his fridge - the old stuff gets liberated and taken to mine, to feed my dcs. saves me a fortune smile

moogy1a Fri 01-Nov-13 08:06:12

* ds you should eat this food, that you are allergic too*
sigh, not really the discussion but hey ho,
and this is even more madly off topic!!!

curlew Fri 01-Nov-13 08:08:15


Because you would have left overs of food your children are allergic to or absolutely abhor exactly why?

Altinkum Fri 01-Nov-13 08:10:34


So resources are only food then? and not medical, at the end of the day ds is spitting it out, and is wasting it, ds dosent like food and is wasting it, I dislike new food and so I am wasting it, as I said the "everybody" dosent really fit into everyone's household, it's more complex that just saying a sentence.

Why would you have leftovers of a food you're allergic to?
If you've got the food for someone who is not allergic then let them have the leftovers surely?

SilverApples Fri 01-Nov-13 08:13:01

People throw food away because they know they can always get more.
If you are on a tight budget, you don't throw food away, you don't forget that you have food in the fridge to be eaten and you become more inventive about how much you cook and what you do with any leftovers.
But if you've never had to worry about funding the next day's food, it can be hard to understand the problem. Laziness and tidiness take over and food is binned.

Altinkum Fri 01-Nov-13 08:16:07


Because one child is allergic to 90% of food groups, citruis (which is in everything) casein, lactose, and dairy, his died consist of mainly root veg, organic meat and rice flakes.

Ds1 hates half the veg ds2 loves, to the point he is sick, hence why food gets wasted here, not much as dh will eat it but food does get wasted, we are good at portion control howver and clearly we need to meal plan in advance as ds1 has also food control diabetic. (Extreamly high motabalism)

So again your sentence saying everyone should do, dosent really fit with the reality of the world we live in.

Throw left overs away? Good god no. I have a pathological hatred of waste and a life-long love of second hand stuff; I love left overs. grin I bought fish and chips last Saturday, couldn't eat them all, so had the LOs for brunch the next day. Bliss! But I rarely have LOs anyway as I've sussed out portion size (so rarely don't have a clean plate at home) and tend to cook in bulk then freeze in potions, so pretty much every meal is a LO of sorts. If I leave food when eating out I tend to ask for a doggy bag too because I get a buzz from enjoying the meal twice.

DowntonTrout Fri 01-Nov-13 08:30:24

I used to spend a lot if time at a family members farm. He, in turn, had been snowed in for 6 weeks in the 1950's. They had gone hungry. Consequently he never threw anything away and became something of a hoarder.

The fridge was full of food. All of it old.he had freezers in the barn packed full of un identifiable lumps of "leftovers". Every meal was something old, maybe yesterday's, maybe last weeks, maybe a few years old. It always tasted stale and often smelled worse. He would cut mould off meat and reheat.

Once he served a beautiful chocolate cake, one bite and I knew there was something very wrong. There was mould covering the cake, under the chocolate frosting. It was disgusting and had been frozen after it had gone mouldy. This has put me off leftovers all my life. Yes I will reheat lasagne/curry etc the next day but beyond that it goes in the dog, or the bin.

ArtemisatBrauron Fri 01-Nov-13 08:30:35

She said everyone should do everything they can to conserve resources - obviously some people will be able to do more than others, due to life circumstances, financial circumstances, illness etc.

I really do not see why you've gotten so defensive, Altinkum confused

beeny Fri 01-Nov-13 08:33:41

I eat left over food all the time.I am indian and often cook lots of meat dishes for a few days and keep in the fridge.

For people who throw away the rest of a chicken after eating a bit of it: if you really really really can't get over your left overs phobia why don't you buy chicken portions instead?

fairyqueen Fri 01-Nov-13 08:42:06

My current favourite is roast dinner pie. It contains all leftovers from a roast. Just chop up meat, potatoes, veg stuffing and mix with gravy. A perfect pie. I'm hungry now.....

Kerosene Fri 01-Nov-13 08:49:29

Anything that's been put on a plate and not eaten gets binned - I don't think that's unusual, but I had a rather odd flatmate who got very offended by my not keeping the uneaten pasta+pesto in a communal bowl to be reheated for dinner tomorrow.

Most things, I'll do a big batch and save some for later. A big fritatta cut up into wedges was a great summer lunch for work. Stews, chilli, curries are all things that benefit from long cooking and usually taste better the day after you've made them - you get a better depth of flavour if things have been allowed to stand for a day or two. Fried rice is best made with leftover rice that's had time to cool and dry out a touch. If I do a roast on Sunday, then I just have to knock up some mash on Monday, stir-fry veg on Tuesday...
Put it this way - I do leftovers because I'm lazy and cheap, and CBA to cook fully every night. I'm also a confident cook, which helps. Can't speak for anyone on here, but my friends who don't use leftovers are also a bit paranoid about best-before dates and don't feel comfortable experimenting, even if it's just to the extent of dumping some chopped up leftover bits of meat into a tin of chopped tomatoes and calling it a pasta sauce.

LuisSuarezTeeth Fri 01-Nov-13 08:58:55

I used to work for a wealthy lady who was obsessed by leftovers. She did a lot of entertaining and the meal would be swiftly removed BEFORE people had finished eating and squirrelled away in the pantry in the blink of an eye.

Her family were so used to this that they filled up before visiting, completely aware that they would never get to finish their plateful.

Guests were so confused and shocked they never said a word grin

reelingintheyears Fri 01-Nov-13 09:01:45

I make too much veg on Sundays so we can have bubble and squeak on a Monday.
Mind you that's not so much left over is it as deliberate.
Cold takeaways the next day a lovely as long as it isn't kebab, left over kebabs look like old men's toenails.

silverten Fri 01-Nov-13 09:02:49

God my ILs do this after practically every meal.

They make a massive big deal about buying local, low food miles, organic stuff, cook it beautifully in authentic dishes using loads of fancy ingredients, then simply bin what's leftover. This is usually a full adult size portion of everything- so they could easily box or plate it up and warm it through in the microwave the next day (except they don't have a microwave and turn their noses up at the very idea of one, god knows why).

They will also often throw away something they haven't used because it's perhaps a bit old or bendy (which wouldn't matter when it was cooked) in order to make more room in the fridge.

I shudder to think what their food bills are like, I really do. It's incredibly profligate.

DH and I usually end up taking away piles of spare food when we leave because we can't bear to see it in the bin. They clearly think this is a bit grim and pull cat's-bum-faces.

reelingintheyears Fri 01-Nov-13 09:03:46

Left over chicken goes into a soup with celery, potatoes etc.
Left over other meat is a stir fry.

MadeOfStarDust Fri 01-Nov-13 09:06:49

We don't "do" leftovers - we plan..

for instance I always do extra mash to make potato cakes for either next day or the freezer.. Chicken we have roasted, then in gravy, then the bones for soup - is it "left over" if you PLAN to make 2 meals??

We never have "leftovers" as such because I cook what we will eat... if it is not enough, hubby will have a slice of bread with it....

prettybird Fri 01-Nov-13 09:10:03

I think it's a shame that many people don't have the confidence to use leftovers - whether that's an inability to cook or a lack of awareness of what is safe and what isn't sad.

When I get a leg or shoulder of lamb I really look forward to the week of leftovers: Day 1 hot roast lamb, Day 2 cold roast lamb, Day 3 Suleman's Pilaf (chunks of lamb fried with diced tomato, onions, raisins and pine nuts and stirred through rice), Day 4 Shepherds Pie, Day 5 "lamb bolognaise" (It's amazing how much mince ragu base you can make from 200g of cold lamb - also great for including hidden veg), Day 6 soup made from lamb stock.

Mmmmm - I think I'll get some lamb this weekend smile.

Altinkum Fri 01-Nov-13 09:13:10

I'm not defensive at all, it really is a tiresome retort, I am giving my opinion on a discussion board, we are on a discussion board aren't we?

Arf, this was Tee comment


Curfew replied...


It really isn't a simply case if everybody should as tee pointed out, everybody isn't a one case fits all, nature, this word, our reality simply isn't a one case fits all, hence why a few have disagreed with curfews stance that everybody can do something, just because something can be done, doesn't mean every can do it. That's my point.

moogy1a Fri 01-Nov-13 09:16:24

altinkum You are coming across as weirdly argumentative about a subject which I would have thought was quite common sense. ( ie. try not to waste too much stuff).

samandi Fri 01-Nov-13 09:18:17

I know people who throw away leftovers. We certainly don't in this house - morally it's an incredible waste and we can't afford to anyway! Really don't understand it.

moogy1a Fri 01-Nov-13 09:19:26

everyone should do everything they can
hence acknowledging people can do different things. Some can do a lot, some can do very little / nothing. ( although I still fail to see any medical reason why no member of a family could ever have leftovers. Unless you are tube fed, I guess)

AnnieJanuary Fri 01-Nov-13 09:22:49

I've never once HAD leftovers in years of cooking for two athletic adults and two children. Maybe my cooking pots are too small or something, but it all gets eaten.

ArtemisatBrauron Fri 01-Nov-13 09:29:48

altinkum you are refusing to recognise the fact that there IS differentiation for ability built into the statement you keep quoting!

Everyone should do everything they CAN, i.e. as much or as little as they are able. No need to keep going on about how some people can't do this or that, since the quotation allows for that in the first place.

KissesBreakingWave Fri 01-Nov-13 09:32:09

Leftovers get et. If I don't eat 'em, the dogs will. And what the dogs don't eat, the chickens will. Chickens will eat ANYTHING. And you get the food back as eggs. Really, really fresh eggs.

hackmum Fri 01-Nov-13 09:32:52

Always eat leftovers. There are some meals that taste nicer day two.

The exception is rice - I had blithely been reheating rice for years but DH always says to bin it because of the food poisoning risk (and he once did get food poisoning from reheated rice). Oddly, DD's food tech teacher says it's fine to reheat rice even though the advice is not to!

We don't eat meat, though. I think as a rule reheating meat is fine - certainly as a child we always used to have turkey leftovers on Boxing Day.

fieldfare Fri 01-Nov-13 09:33:51

We waste very little. I was raised in a household that didn't have a lot of money and simply couldn't afford to waste any food. Now, although I'm a lot more comfortably off than my Mum was, I still refuse to waste anything.

reelingintheyears Fri 01-Nov-13 09:34:15

PrettyBird, how many of you are there, a leg of lamb might just stretch to the next day here but most often it's all gone.
There are four of us at the moment what with comings and goings!

theboutiquemummy Fri 01-Nov-13 09:40:39

Make a risotto with left over veg can't throw food away if its not going to get eaten freeze it

We've managed to live entirely out of the freezer with a few fresh veggies last month

teacherandguideleader Fri 01-Nov-13 09:44:44

I don't eat leftovers. I have OCD and leftovers would be the trigger of a major anxiety attack for me - worrying about whether I had let it cool properly, left it out too long, left it in fridge too long, not reheated enough etc.

When I lived alone, I just bought what I would eat so had very little left over anyway. Now, DP loves leftovers - bizarrely my anxiety does not stretch to him eating leftovers, just me!

Altinkum Fri 01-Nov-13 09:50:08

I'm not refusing to do anything tbf, it wasn't my argument to begin with, I never made the comment someone else did, if you read my posts before hand you will see that I do all I can to prevent wastage, it's was the whole blind statement that curfew made that made me discuss HER point of view not mine, "everybody can" wasn't just a reference to this thread, it was a complete generalisation, that everybody can do anything, and as I have said it's not really that simple.

LuisSuarezTeeth Fri 01-Nov-13 10:17:03

I like the phrase another poster used "Planned Overs"

Of course not "everyone" can/should/will use leftovers. But it does seem wrong to willingly waste food, so maybe "everyone" could give it some thought?

MrsOsbourne Fri 01-Nov-13 10:26:44

Luis totally agree - my leftovers are really "Planned Overs"
Cuts down on waste and we never have to try and think of what to have - its preplanned.

frogspoon Fri 01-Nov-13 10:28:18

We don't really have leftovers, we just measure out things precisely and cook exactly what we need. The only time there are leftovers if it is something like chicken/ beef.

Vegetables, pasta, rice, fish etc we measure out, portion up and most of it gets eaten. What is left has been pushed around someones plate for half an hour, so nobody would want to eat it anyway.

bigoldbird Fri 01-Nov-13 10:36:36

I wonder if some of this is an age thing? My parents were married in the days of food rationing. Nothing in our house was ever wasted, and as I have never had a lot of money, I have always used everything. A chicken is a wonderous thing and even a smallish one can feed a family of four 3 times, roast (little bit of meat, loads of veg) chicken pie (tastes much better made with leftover roast chicken), soup, sandwich fillings. I am stunned that people throw perfectly good food away. May as well throw your money in the bin.

UtterflyButterfly Fri 01-Nov-13 10:49:06

I throw nothing away really. Even the chicken carcass gets thrown outside for our local fox once I've made stock.

When I used to make curry, there was always a bit too much, but not enough for another meal, so we used to be pigs and just eat it there and then. But now I freeze even a small portion then, when we have 3 or 4 different 'small curries', we have a curry night, with all the different varieties (normally a chicken, a lamb and a couple of different veg/lentil ones).

Preciousbane Fri 01-Nov-13 10:49:38

I rarely have leftovers as cook the amount needed only I do make deliberate leftovers though. My favourite is to make spag Bol and then the next day half I add kidney beans and chilli.

UtterflyButterfly Fri 01-Nov-13 10:51:36

fairy I've just seen your post about the sunday roast pie. Yum. The best one I ever made was Boxing Day pie, with the remains of Christmas day goose, all the veg etc. Wonderful. I'm salivating at the thought!

SilverApples Fri 01-Nov-13 10:51:52

I don't think it's an age thing so much as an income thing. DD doesn't throw food away, but she's living on a student income.
So when she is earning, I expect the attitude to food and leftovers and waste will stay much the same.
Got half a stale loaf to use up, so I'm in the middle of making a bread pudding ATM.

Kerosene Fri 01-Nov-13 10:53:45

I don't think it's an age thing - my gran went through rationing too, and that's her reason for binning leftovers, even big chunks of expensive meat - "I don't have to worry about that anymore" - which quite irritated my dad when it was his leftover roast beef in the bin.

With regards to rice, it's not the reheating that's the problem, it's the way it was stored prior to reheating. If you leave it standing out overnight (or even better, leave it standing overnight in a slightly warm and closed rice cooker) then the bacteria spores are able to grow, and that'll make you sick. Leave it to cool while you eat and then stick it in the fridge, and it'll be fine the next day. Rice from dodgy takeaways is where you can get problems.

limitedperiodonly Fri 01-Nov-13 10:57:42

I'm still reeling from the poster who said cold pizza is horrible. Are you mad? Cold pizza is the best thing ever. Unless it's cold lasagne, especially the edges that have gone all crispy on the bowl.

maddy68 Fri 01-Nov-13 10:59:13

I'm really wasteful. I always put leftovers in the fridge and then throw them away as they are never used!

curlew Fri 01-Nov-13 11:00:05


I didn't as far as I know, say that everybody can to anything. I said everybody should do what they can. Which strikes me as entirely reasonable, particularly on a thread where people have talked about not using leftovers beause it might make them look poor, and about carving the breast off a roast chicken and binning the rest.
Oh, and not eating, or giving children, anything that was cooked more than 4 hours ago (unless there are mental health issues, obviously)

not2nitedarling Fri 01-Nov-13 11:19:36

I love leftovers. I think I lived through the war in a previous life!! I love having rations and making something really nice. We have very little money and I love making new meals out of stuff that's
left over.

samandi Fri 01-Nov-13 11:28:41

I don't think it's an age thing either. My parents are certainly more wasteful than me. But they can afford to be.

A lot of it is also just down the mentality of not wanting the same food two days in a row/wanting to eat something different at that particular time. I'd rather eat the same food for three meals rather than see it go to waste, plenty of others would think that was "boring".

samandi Fri 01-Nov-13 11:30:21

But then I love and appreciate food. I savour it, chew it, think about where it's come from etc. Other people just shove it in their gobs without thinking then complain that food is too expensive. It really isn't.

littlewhitebag Fri 01-Nov-13 11:32:50

I tend to buy/make the amount i know we will eat so i hardly have any leftovers. I occasionally put a small portion of span bol or chilli or something in the fridge but it never gets eaten as the next day i make the meal i have planned and bought ingredients for. I have a tiny freezer so can't freeze things and anyway i am rubbish with the whole defrosting meals thing. As i said in a previous post i use left over roast meat for the dog.

My worst offence by far is buying too much fruit and it not getting eaten then having to be thrown out.

I don't use leftovers. Mostly we don't have any. I wouldn't buy a whole chicken for example because nobody likes the legs so if we have roast chicken, we roast breast pieces and eat it all. If some other joint of meat then I would buy the smallest piece feasible and yes, we would probably end up chucking the dregs but mostly that would be the fatty and/or grisly bits.

If by some freak of nature we did have leftovers like bolognese or chilli, I probably freeze them but since I rarely do that, in honesty they would probably get forgotten. I would have good intentions but they would go in the fridge and be forgotten about or, if they were remembered nobody would fancy them. Reheated food is horrible. Cold pizza is just gross.

curlew Fri 01-Nov-13 11:50:49

"Reheated food is horrible"

But you mention specifically bolognaise and chilli. Both of which are always, and "proper chefs" say this too- better if left overnight and reheated.

prettybird Fri 01-Nov-13 12:15:58

reelingintheyears - there are only 3 of us, so yes, it can spread further than a large family (although one of the days we often have a guest and he has a very large appetite! wink). But we love lamb and still manage to have generous portions of the roast lamb (both hot and cold). The remaining dishes all manage to stretch what's left very well.

I've calculated that I can get 17 or 18 portions from a decent sized leg - which means the cost per portion is very reasonable (especially when you get it when Tesco's or Sainsbury's is doing a 1/3 or 1/2 off the regular price per kg grin).

200g of minced cold lamb, stretched with food processor blitzed onion, garlic, leek/celery/carrot, a can of tomatoes or a carton of passata, a couple of cubes of chopped spinach and a generous squoosh of Worcestershire sauce will make the base for a shepherd's pie for 3 peopleand the ragu for a "lamb bolognaise" for 3. And it gets ds to eat more veg wink

phantomnamechanger Fri 01-Nov-13 12:18:22

I do think that everyone ought to think about this matter and do what they can - that will be different depending on circumstances - if you do not need to worry about the cost of your weekly shop, it may be tempting to overbuy, not plan properly, and want lots of variety not the same thing in another meal. If you are on a tight budget you are bound to be more careful about planning what you buy and using it up before it goes off! If you are very short of time due to work/family activities, then you may plan to do 2 meals in one and use the planned leftovers so you can have an easy/no cooking day. If you have no freezer or OCD means you can't entertain the thought of reheating food, then make sure you only buy and cook what you need. Or divide and freeze portions from a large pack before cooking.

moogy1a Fri 01-Nov-13 12:25:03

No, I think she was just referring to this thread, not all aspects of life ingeneral.
eg. I wouldn't have the view that everybody can do anything if the brain surgeon was not in so the dinner lady had a go.
or that we are all capable of driving a huge truck down the motorway etc.

SmiteYouWithThunderbolts Fri 01-Nov-13 12:31:34

DH does not waste food. At all. Ever. I posted earlier this week about his disgust at the tradition of pumpkin carving on the basis that it's a waste of perfectly good food. He eventually relented after I demonstrated that pumpkin flesh isn't very nice to eat.

Anyway, a roast chicken/turkey/ham goes so much further than one meal! We always cook massive meals that we know will feed us for more than one day because we hate the schlep of cooking every night. A chicken in particular gets used, right down to the bones (stock) and each niblet of meat (soup!).

There really is nothing quite so magnificent as a leftover Christmas sandwich of cold turkey, stuffing, bacon and bread sauce.

limitedperiodonly Fri 01-Nov-13 12:36:48


For breakfast on Boxing Day.

I prefer bubble and squeak to Christmas dinner. I like to have my mum over to stay because hers is better than mine. But sometimes she has to spread herself around and go to my brother sad

DH likes my mum and her bubble and squeak so there are never any arguments.

hallowisitmeyourelookingfor Fri 01-Nov-13 12:41:56

I haven't read all 8 pages of this thread, but I too hate cold pizza. It's all congealed and hard and tasteless. What's to like? confused
I would happily heat it back up in the oven, so the cheese re-melts, and the base crisps up again, but cold out of the fridge is rank.
And on to the subject of leftovers, we are probably average on waste.
We buy a big chicken to feed the 5 of us (3 DC 9,8,2) for about £12. It does us one roast pretty much. Carcass goes in bin. DP is good at stripping a chicken right down, I can't do it at all. He may sometimes be able to get enough to do him some sarnies the next day, but rarely.
We often buy a leg/shoulder of lamb for a roast with the intention of doing a shepherd's pie the next day so they are planned leftovers.
But for things like a little bit left in the pan after a pasta dish, that goes in the bin. It will never be saved as it won't ever feed the whole family again and I really can't be arsed filling little pots/containers (for which I NEVER am able to find lids) with scraggy bits of leftovers which will go into the freezer never to be seen again.
We also throw quite a lot out despite me meal planning as we decide at the last minute to go out for dinner, or have people over and buy new food.

MinesAPintOfTea Fri 01-Nov-13 12:55:24

Everybody who cooks extra meat can manage to eat it cold as part of their lunch the next day. Or to cook bolanaise and if there's too much put some in the freezer for when they next fancy bolonaise a week or two later or when DH is away and I cba to cook properly.

More advanced stuff of different meals isn't necessary to eliminate the majority of waste. I do it nowadays though, things like bubble and squeak, soup, pie, using a sauce differently as pizza topping etc.

Tonight's dinner is brought to us by the fact that the hairy bikers portion sizes are enormous so I froze a meal's-worth of mince and gravy last week when I realised I'd made pie filling enough to feed us 3 times over (DH took slices of pie to work for packed lunch for the next two days as well). I will make giant yorkshire puddings, heat the mince and gravy up and add a bit of veg and basically have a free meal (cost per-portion about 30p if you assume the mince would have been binned when I saw there was too much).

This isn't complicated if you are used to cooking, didn't disrupt the meal plan last week as I could freeze it all in a container to slot it into this week's plan and should be yummy.

LadyMacbethWasMisunderstood Fri 01-Nov-13 13:04:20

I hate to waste food.

DH works from a studio in our garden and he loves to have leftovers from dinner for lunch the next day. And both DDs like to have leftover pasta made into pasta salad for packed lunch.

And there is no greater thing than the 'greasy' pickings of a roast chicken carcass.

But I never reheat rice and I don't re-use food that has been on plates already; so I tend to leave what might be extra in the serving dish on the table for 'seconds' if wanted.

I have to confess though that there is no place in my fridge or in my heart for cold cooked broccoli.

Sorry, but that leftover Christmas sandwich sounds grim to me, the last thing I want the day after Christmas is anything that was part of the dinner. Leftover turkey goes into the freezer for use a few weeks later. There are never any leftover pigs in blankets or stuffing anyway.

We try and buy chickens that are the right size for one meal, we really don't find we want to use leftover chicken much, even cooked into another meal it is not the same as freshly cooked and I am not keen on cold chicken in salads, sandwiches etc, neither are the DCs. I do make stock out of the carcasses though.

The main thing that gets wasted here are leftovers of leftovers IYSWIM. So if there is some leftover spag bol in the freezer and I get it out and reheat it I won't refreeze and reheat any that is left from that. I try and freeze things in single portions so avoid that scenario but it doesn't always work out. Stale bread gets chucked too, there are only so many breadcrumbs you need and we don't get through an awful lot of bread.

SkullyAndBones Fri 01-Nov-13 13:19:07

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

It depends on what the left overs are to be honest, if for example DD has had waffles/chips, fish fingers and peas for tea, then any leftovers from that gets binned. Roasted joints of meat however, any left overs are used for DH's sandwiches for work or chucked in a casserole etc.

Anotherdayanotherdestiny123 Fri 01-Nov-13 13:31:27

I don't save food off the plate but anything else which is left gets used. I am fairly amazed that people don't do this. Last nights chicken pieces are waiting for the DC's dinner tonight, left over bolognaise gets turned into chili and either eaten or frozen, tired veg is turned into soup, left over pasta from today will probably get given to the youngest tomorrow when he objects to whatever I offer him for lunch, last weeks crumble fed DH for most of this week. I imagine that it's a mindset thing, we are not on a tight budget but I simply couldn't imagine throwing away perfectly good food. If it's not saved in the fridge it gets frozen for days when I can't face cooking. I currently have a full freezer of soups, casseroles and bolognaise which are all leftovers and will all get eaten.

coffeeinbed Fri 01-Nov-13 13:38:59

I love leftover cold broccoli.

To nibble on, or in a fritata with leftover cold potatoes, whatever else is lurking in the fridge and some feta cheese.
That with a salad and Thursday night dinner is ready.

I used to have a neighbour who cooked a chicken every Sunday, used the breast meat and then gave the rest to my cats. Before I lived next to her, she did indeed just bin it.

moogy1a Fri 01-Nov-13 13:47:35

sod that, I'd have given the cats the skin and taken the rest for myself!
in fact a neighbour once gave me almost a full chickens worth of "leftovers" and said would your cat like this? I said I'm sure she would but she'll have to fight me for it!

moogy1a Fri 01-Nov-13 13:49:14

As an aside, how come so many people prefer breastmeat? Legs and especially thighs are far yummier.

Talkinpeace Fri 01-Nov-13 13:51:16

ROTFLMAO at the people who say they cannot eat reheated food.
Read how they make confit of duck
or dim sum
or many other recipes that are cooked in stages

moogy, she gave it to them in her back garden, on the ground grin. I only found out a couple of weeks after she started doing it, when I noticed them going in to her garden. There was me being all apologetic about them, and she was all 'ooh, nice to see them enjoying the chicken, don't worry'.

Talkinpeace Fri 01-Nov-13 14:01:14

best use for leftover anything is a spanish omelette .....

nice big frying pan, chop and soften an onion.
any and all leftovers (spuds, peas, broccoli, carrots, meat) cut into 1cm cubes, fry till hot through
stir in 2 large or 3 small (need not be v v fresh) eggs per person.
stir a bit more then let cook till brown around the edges
flip or put under the grill to cook through
slice into wedges

quick healthy supper, tidy fridge
nom nom

expatinscotland Fri 01-Nov-13 14:02:49

PMSL at all these excuses for wasting food. How incredibly spoilt and lucky we are. To have the option. It won't last forever, though.

monkeysox Fri 01-Nov-13 14:08:39

Ready meals from supermarket are reheated food! My mil bins everything after Sunday lunch and serves portions which could feed an elephant resulting in even more waste. My mum used to always do 'warm up' on Monday with rest of Sunday's food

kickassangel Fri 01-Nov-13 14:23:59

The idea of food going off within just one or two days is a leftover from days before everyone having refridgerators.

The idea of not keeping leftovers is very modern.

Even in the 80s the majority of families could only afford meat once a week, thereby making the Sunday roast the source of all meat for the week, and it being stretched out to last the full week.

Those people who throw food out, what do you do with things that are a whole, like pie or pizza? You can't always buy/make one the right size, so you will have leftovers. Why wouldn't you heat that up and eat it the next day?

ringaringarosy Fri 01-Nov-13 14:26:16

i throw leftovers sometimes if i know its something thats going to sit in the firdge for a week and go mouldy!

ringaringarosy Fri 01-Nov-13 14:29:56

i think it depends on the size of the family though,we have 4 kids and another on the way,theres not usually leftovers as we cook from recipes for 4 adults and if its not enough i add on extra salad/veg/bread on the side.

limitedperiodonly Fri 01-Nov-13 14:33:19

My mum's neighbour won't eat chicken legs. She buys two if necessary so everyone can eat breast meat confused

She gives the legs to my mum who shares them with her cats. She's really happy about that. I would be too.

It's madness. I don't dislike leg meat over breast - sometimes I prefer it.

MrsOsbourne Fri 01-Nov-13 14:39:16

ring It also depends on the age of DC and their sports, social lives etc.
If my teenage DC are out for the evening or scoffing Dominos or MacD or other takeaway overpriced crap at a friends there might be a portion leftover.
Then I get to have it for lunch instead the next day ,no way would I bin it .
Or it goes in the freezer labelled for future lunches.
Sometimes my plan is foiled as they eat at a friends and eat dinner when they get homegrin

limitedperiodonly Fri 01-Nov-13 14:40:12

I've just noticed your second post about your neighbour putting the leftover chicken out in the garden whereyouleftit.

That's how my mum's arrangement came about. One of her cats scavenged and got a chicken bone wedged in his nose and throat - that was quite an expensive vet's bill.

She asked the neighbour not to do that and the neighbour apologised and offered the leftovers straight to her because she didn't want to waste them. So it was better than nothing. Perhaps my mum has evened up the score on the vet's bill by now.

coffeeinbed Fri 01-Nov-13 14:40:31

How often do we have threads "My yogurt is 4 hours past its best before date. I ate it by mistake. Shall I get self to A&E now?"

(I might be exaggerating slightly)
Same with the leftovers.

limitedperiodonly Fri 01-Nov-13 14:45:06

talkin I do that but I leave it in the frying pan and put a lid on. It sometimes gets a bit burned on the bottom though, so I'm going to put it under the grill next time. I'm not dexterous enough to flip it.


Talkinpeace Fri 01-Nov-13 14:47:31

the secret is to have the base of a flan tin to hand ....
once the edges are brown and it has nearly set
hold it on top of the omelette with a tea towel, turn the whole thing
over and then slide back into the pan and it should cook through ...

limitedperiodonly Fri 01-Nov-13 14:54:09

Oh, and the daft thing is that my mum's neighbour thinks she's being Lady Bountiful to a cash-strapped old lady.

Don't get me wrong. She's a very nice woman, a great neighbour and I couldn't wish for someone better to look out for my mum.

But I think I know who's got a better handle on money. After all, the neighbour wouldn't dream of using banknotes to light the fire with.

limitedperiodonly Fri 01-Nov-13 14:57:05

Okay talkin I'm going to try that.

I could end up with eggy veg all over the floor, so I'll give it a good going over with some Flash first so at least I can just scoop it up wink

MrsOsbourne Fri 01-Nov-13 15:02:26

Its like the Catherine Tate posh mum sketch
"NOOOOOOOOOOO this Gooseberry and cinnamon yogurt is 24hrs out of date . Cue singing of Jerusalem and backing away ,leaving poor Fergus who has already tasted his singing alone grin

This thread is making me hungry and I don't seem to have any left overs to eat. Dh was away last week so I ate up all the saved small portions

surgicalwidow Fri 01-Nov-13 15:11:04

My DH is ridiculous about use-by dates, won't touch anything within a few days of the date, and would rather go and get a frozen pizza from the shop than eat leftovers of my (yummy) shepherds pie, fish pie, curries etc. Even roast chicken, he'll grudgingly eat leftover breast meat, but if I turn it into a curry he'll know there is brown meat in there so will refuse. I'm over it now and give his share to 9mo DD (not all of it obviously!) smile

limitedperiodonly Fri 01-Nov-13 15:41:30

I'm going to stick up for sell-by and use-by dates.

I know people say it's wasteful and nanny State-ish but I think it's a good idea for food retailers to be held to a certain standard because otherwise they can just palm all the responsibility off on consumers and that's too tempting.

And I'm someone who uses her nose and eyes and is more than happy to eat left over pizza - never from the fridge though. Left overnight in a cool place. Otherwise it's too cold.

TheFabulousIdiot Fri 01-Nov-13 15:56:14

I am guilty of binning it but that's because I am in a two income household with one child and a fairly low mortgage. if we were struggling then I think we would re-use leftovers.

MinesAPintOfTea Fri 01-Nov-13 15:56:23

Limited yes use-by dates to stop shops selling off-date food are a good idea. But once home only use them as advice: so you know that chicken will not be off on its use by date but there is an error margin and it will probably be ok for a free days afterwards, I just smell it/check its colour then decide.

limitedperiodonly Fri 01-Nov-13 16:31:55

minesapintoftea Chicken's always a bit whiffy. Especially if you stick your nose up the bottom of a whole one wink

I like to touch meat to check if it's slimy, but I have been known to give it a rinse under the tap if I don't have anything else to feed everyone.


I haven't made anyone ill yet - well, nothing they can pin on me.

I once opened some diced pork shoulder bought the day before from my butcher. It had fur shock

He was shocked too. As he bloody well should have been.

But that and one other scuzzy thing - stinky, sticky quail - has been my only experience of bad food in the 20+ years I've been buying for myself and my family.

Maybe I should stop buying posh stuff or get another butcher. I suppose butchers are more tempted to keep the expensive stuff around.

Anyway, I think laws and dates are an incentive to retailers to stock-control or chuck stuff out if they want to continue trading.

GinOnTwoWheels Fri 01-Nov-13 16:37:08

Agree with other posters who say the leftover chucker outers are spoilt and lucky.

I also think far too many people are too fussy and squeamish about things like chicken legs and stripping the meat off a chicken. Its as if they don't want to consider that it was once alive, and want to distance themselves from this. If we are to kill and eat an animal, it deserves for as much of it as possible, not just the 'prime' cuts.

Fact is that chicken legsare much tastier than breasts, and I've read that in India, legs actually cost more than breasts because they are more in demand.

Fluffycloudland77 Fri 01-Nov-13 16:54:34

I've heard a little bit of hairspray on use by dates printed on items like meat sometimes rubs it off.

I re-package items for the freezer, it takes less room and no one can moan about dates.

Chattymummyhere Fri 01-Nov-13 17:02:11

Left overs end up in the fridge... Forgotten and binned normally

moogy1a Fri 01-Nov-13 17:33:42

To the chucker outers: if you had a meal of beef casserole and jacket spuds and there was still a fair amount of casserole left in the pan, and maybe someone didn't want their spud, would you throw it all away or keep it for lunch / kids dinner another night?

QOD Fri 01-Nov-13 17:54:37

That's my lunch the next day ... Leftovers that is.

I buy the smallest chicken I can find, I use leftover meat in salad for myself. Neither dh nor dd will touch it.
He will however make a giant shepherds pie and eat it two days on the trot as it's not leftovers as he made it big enough to last two days .......

KCumberSandwich Fri 01-Nov-13 18:07:42

I rarely have leftovers, just me and DS at home so don't tend to cook in huge amounts.

sometimes cook extra sausages or pasta to have cold the next day.

that said, i hate throwing food away and if i am cooking for a group i would keep leftover meat and find a use for it somehow.

hallowisitmeyourelookingfor Fri 01-Nov-13 19:25:44

OP I would possibly keep the small bit of casserole for ds lunch the next day IF it was from the pan not someone's plate, and if I had a container for it (rare) but would definitely chuck the spud. Leftover potatoes are not nice imo (roast, new or jackets).
Also, a spaghetti bol one day can't possibly transform overnight into a chilli just with the addition of a tin of kidney beans - they have completely different ingredients/flavourings etc confused

prettybird Fri 01-Nov-13 19:38:56

Ooh - I so disagree with about potatoes: boiled (or even roast) potatoes can be chopped smaller and then sauteed with some chopped onion.

Boiled new potatoes can be cut in half, warmed in the microwave and then tossed in olive oil and balsamic vinegar and maybe some chopped chives or spring onions.

Or warmed and crushed with a fork and olive oil and chopped rocket or water cress stirred through.

Not that I can eat potatoes any more as I'm low-carbing grin

limitedperiodonly Fri 01-Nov-13 19:46:41

What's wrong with scraping leftovers from plates? It's not that my family and friends lick them.

MoominsYonisAreScary Fri 01-Nov-13 19:57:52

We dont waste much in this house, dp is very funny about some things though and im often rescuing food he wants to bin. If we dont have the freezer space or if theres bits and bobs left, ham, bread etc and its not likely to be eaten I send it to my grandparent's.

My dsis is the worst for waste, my mum rescued £10 worth of strawberries, blueberry., blackberries that hadnt been opened and would have gone off while they were on holiday. My kids were very happy

everlong Fri 01-Nov-13 19:58:02

I wouldn't keep food left on the plate.

Surely you're not on about that sort of food?

silverten Fri 01-Nov-13 20:08:52

Depends on the food I think. If it were something particularly special and untouched I wouldn't be happy about throwing it away.

But I'd be crosser about the fact that it'd made it onto the plate and not been eaten.

I always chuck bones etc. of chicken into the stock pot with the carcass. It's all going to be boiled up properly so I don't see the problem.

hallowisitmeyourelookingfor Fri 01-Nov-13 20:18:48

Limited food rescued from plates has probably be touched with a fork that has been put in someone elses mouth and then breeds germs? I don't know, I'm no brainiac so don't know for sure, and i'm not saying it would kill you, but that's a huge no no from me, just from a grossness POV!
Pretty, you may be right but I just don't enjoy old potatos! But then I don't really enjoy the majority of any leftover meal, possibly as a hang up from when I was a kid and we would just eat the same meal for 3 nights just cos Mum had made too much. I don't ever eat the same dinner 2 nights in a row!

Talkinpeace Fri 01-Nov-13 22:55:15

Food off the plate I chuck
I belive in small portions and then second or third helpings for the hungry
all food waste / peelings etc are put into our muck heap and converted into compost.

No food waste at all goes into our wheelie bins

limitedperiodonly Fri 01-Nov-13 23:14:47

Germs? I snog the only other person in my house unless he moves quickly enough so I think I'll survive snaffling the odd spud off his plate.

Don't you swap spit with your DH?

Thank you Hansiemom for explaining the phrase. You are right. We should be ashamed when we throw away good food.

hallowisitmeyourelookingfor Sat 02-Nov-13 00:10:26

Of course I do, but I don't lick his toothbrush 12 hours after he's used it! And I certainly don't swap spit with any of my DC. It's not that I think there's 'germ danger', just that it's unhygienic. And for 'the odd spud' it certainly isn't enough of an incentive for me there, sorry!

But when you add up the cost of the 'odd spud', that's when you realise you're chucking away hundreds of pounds a year.

We had a roast duck last Saturday I think, served with lentils. A breast for each adult. I then stripped it down. The next day, DH mixed it with kidney beans and spring onions, and we had it wrapped in Chinese type pancakes, with hoisin sauce, salad etc. Still loads left, so LO has had at least four meals from the left over lentils and duck/bean mixture. Bones have gone into the freezer for now, and will be used to make stock once we've got some veg that needs using up.

We make our own stock too, much nicer. Bone into a pot, stick celery/onions/leeks/bay leaves etc, bring to boil, then leave to simmer for a couple of hours. Strain through a muslin. Reduce down a bit more if you like, until it's nice and strong looking. Leave to cool pour into ice cube trays, freeze and voila, gorgeous stock cubes whenever you need them!

curlew Sat 02-Nov-13 01:41:40

Well, even I don't use leftovers from people's plates!

AdoraBell Sat 02-Nov-13 03:12:34

OP I would freeze the left over casarole and spud. Or whatever it is. Today out of a pack of mince there was a serving spoon of meat left. That's enough for my lunch when I deforst it, and the 2 spoons of rice will also make up a lunch. The broccoli will Go into an omlette or a salad Tomorrow. We had doggy bag salad, hence the left over broccoli, as we ate lunch out and between DH and I the was enough left over To make side salads for dinner.

I did used To waste vast amounts of food. That was because I felt obliged To buy all my food for the week at once because a rellie was kindly taking me shopping on a weekend because I didn't drive. I never asked for this favour and I was suffering depresión so I'd set out with the best intenciones of eating properly and then chuck most of the food by the end of the week. And then the ciclo would start again.

Disclaimer, I'm not implying that people who don't use left overs are depressed, that was just me.

Theas18 Sat 02-Nov-13 04:10:00

Uh? It's not"leftovers" here they are"tomorrow's lunch/dinner"! I always cook plenty (legacy of there being 5 of us but only 4 at home I guess).

E.g.bag of small potatoes-no point in cooking just a few each, cook them all and re use them, cold/warm/in a curry or what ever!

Soup/stew always is a big vat to be eaten over a few days and frozen.

I don't use leftovers. Our fridge is too small and I tire easily of the same food.

raggedymum Sat 02-Nov-13 05:14:10

Ah, so what I usually have is 'planned overs'! Trying to think of actual leftovers, then... I guess it would only be big holiday meals, pizza/takeaways then, but even then I'm usually thinking about how many meals we can make out of it. I expect to get at least 3 meals from Chinese takeaway, for example.

There's never enough on a plate to save -- unless people seriously mean things like the little bit of green bean with the stem still attached, or the slightly tough bit of onion that is half peel, that DH occasionally leaves behind. Stuff on the baby's plate is usually chewed up and spit out once already. I count that as eaten. I guess on days where someone feels ill/not up to eating/etc, whatever's left just gets put away specifically for that person to eat later.

CogitoErgoSometimes Sat 02-Nov-13 07:39:40

I think more gets chucked than the responses on here suggest... but chuckers are less overt about it smile I think wasting food is almost immoral. Remember a friend once presenting her quite small children with a huge baked potato each. With just a few bites missing, both potatoes ended up in the bin. It bothers me still..... confused

LondonMother Sat 02-Nov-13 08:08:36

What GinonTwoWheels said: Agree with other posters who say the leftover chucker outers are spoilt and lucky.


Why would you buy food you're not going to eat? You might as well just walk into the supermarket and stuff your money into the till without the bother of going round and putting the stuff in the trolley.

I don't like re-heated chicken and turkey as much, but I love them cold, so we have the leftover bits in sandwiches, with leftover re-heated gravy and veg, with salad, added at the last minute to soup or stirred into savoury rice. Lovely. If I didn't like leftover chicken/turkey in any form or if I didn't like the leg meat, I wouldn't buy whole ones, just the breasts. Why would you go to the effort and expense of buying, storing and cooking something you knew would end up in the bin?

we never use left overs, anything left after dishing up is instantly binned, I dont really like reheated food don't even own a microwave

people have chicken left over after roasting one??shock not in this house!!

SatinSandals Sat 02-Nov-13 09:41:39

I put things in bowls and people help themselves and that way you don't get waste on plates. I can never understand dishing up, how can anyone know how much I want to eat? Children are more likely to eat well if they have some control.

SatinSandals Sat 02-Nov-13 09:42:28

I always buy a chicken big enough for 2days and then boil the bones for stock.


Sorry, only just seen this but that is a silly argument.

But they aren't 'always' better reheated. Just because 'proper' chef reheat the food, why do I have to if I don't like it?confused You say that like it must be the way it is done or it is wrong. I don't like it. My family don't like it. We like our bolognese made fresh so I only make what I need. Very occasionally I get it wrong or a child is out to dinner and there is a portion left over and I freeze it but it is much less wasteful to only make what we need. I don't really want to waste freezer space (and running costs - leftovers are not without their costs, they don't constitute a 'free' meal) on bits of left overs that don't stand a chance of getting eaten. A packet of mince (500g) is sufficient for us for one meal. If I make the same meal again for the whole family there is still no need for that one portion.

My mother never used to waste anything either. We had a roast every Sunday and cold roast meat on a Monday. (it was never put in the fridge by the way, just kept in the cold oven overnight) Fine if it was chicken, horrible if it was any other roast meat. No leftovers any other day as she only cooked what is needed. Since I am grown up, I don't have any left overs so I can avoid having to eat rank cold roasts myself. I can't see how that is wasteful.

unlucky83 Sat 02-Nov-13 10:33:50

Rice - read lots of stuff up thread about reheating rice - and kerosene has it right ...
The bacteria (from soil) in rice are spore formers -being dry and the heat from cooking makes them unhappy so they form spores... these are pretty resistant to high temperatures - the spore aren't killed
(unlike non-spore formers like salmonella - which heat does kill - 60 deg C for 12 mins)
If you then leave it hanging about warm - cooked - (so moist too) -the spores are happy - become bacteria again and start multiplying - and make toxins as they do - and that is the bit that makes you sick...
Cold doesn't kill bacteria but it stops them multiplying (or slows them down at least)...the bacteria are still unhappy so they remain as spores...(although there is the chance that they won't so best not to store in fridge for more than a day or so -freezer should be fine longer)

Don't leave cooked rice hanging around at room temp! - if you are saving boiled rice for left overs you can rinse it with cold water -then straight into fridge...other types of rice move to a a cold container to speed cooling - don't put in fridge hot (will make rest of fridge warm)!

Main rice poisoning bacteria (Bacillus Cereus)- spores are killed by heat (100 deg C-) but the toxins are very heat resistant - there is another spore former - (clostridium perfringens) - spores are heat resistant but toxins aren't... and clostridiums are happier in the absence of air (oxygen)
The bacteria that cause botulism is a clostridium (Clostridium botulinum)...(and tetanus is another...)

EBearhug Sat 02-Nov-13 10:42:17

I demonstrated that pumpkin flesh isn't very nice to eat.

Oh, roast pumpkin is lovely.

people have chicken left over after roasting one?
I do, I live alone, and I expect to get many meals out of a chicken.

alemci Sat 02-Nov-13 10:52:58

I hate wasting food and I agree about dishing up. I would rather people helped themselves. a bit more adult somehow.

I try not to waste food but I did throw away some home made pastry today as I couldn't roll it out and thank goodness had some just roll in the freezer.

curlew Sat 02-Nov-13 10:57:22

Is everyone going to get really really annoyed with me if I ask why the anti left over people sound so cross about it?

limitedperiodonly Sat 02-Nov-13 11:13:53

I don't scrape gravy and chewed bones from people's plates but if someone has left a whole roast potato I'll pick it off and it might find its way into the fridge or it might fall into my mouth.

A half one would definitely not make it to the fridge, particularly if it was nice and crispy.

I've scraped untouched, ungravied veg from plates into a bowl for use in bubble and squeak but would prefer it to have been left in the serving bowl.

TooBusyByHalf Sat 02-Nov-13 11:33:16

Quite often as here I fall happily into both camps. Try to cook what we need, not more, unless for planned overs -which are frequent. But the spare when there is some is always kept and usually eaten. Sometimes things get forgotten or the reuse/recycle plan gets shelved, or it doesn't look tasty enough 3 days later, and it goes in the bin - but not often. Many things end up in the dog too (but not unless/until too rank for human consumption)!

BatPenguin Sat 02-Nov-13 11:35:01

I have OCD so struggle to cook meat as it is; there is no way I could use Sunday roast chicken leftovers for a Monday evening curry etc. the thought of reheating cooked meat scares me and I wouldn't be able to enjoy it. If there is roast chicken leftover I will eat it cold the next day provided it has been chilled quickly after cooking.

unlucky83 thank you for explaining about rice! DH doesn't believe me when I tell him it can make you seriously ill. He will leave take away out in the kitchen all evening, put it in the fridge hours later then microwave the next day. I can't eat it.

TooBusyByHalf Sat 02-Nov-13 11:35:54

Oh and bones off plates in the stock - chewed or not - but otherwise no eating the stuff off plates - that's a step too far
Dates are for putting things in a cooking order only - not used to throw anything away !

limitedperiodonly Sat 02-Nov-13 12:02:07

See I wouldn't put a gnawed bone in the stock. I'd be squeamish about that, even though, like I said, I kiss the person who's done the gnawing.

Mind you, I wouldn't use his toothbrush. I'd prefer to rub my teeth with my finger and toothpaste if I didn't have a brush. Don't know why. I just don't like the idea.

An untouched boiled pea or carrot from a family member's plate wouldn't bother me at all.

DH and I also share stuff from each other's plates, even in restaurants, particularly if I've finished eating and I've left something that he fancies.

I wouldn't pick from anyone else's plate, not because of hygiene but because I think it's rude and I get cross when people pick from mine - my sister was terrible for saying: 'I won't have any chips, I'll just have some of Limited's'. No you bloody well won't.

It's interesting how people view things. I don't get angry when people throw food away. I am sometimes a bit puzzled by it.

Fluffycloudland77 Sat 02-Nov-13 12:09:31

It's interesting that people who wouldn't make stock would buy a stock cube, which must have bits of the chicken in it that I wouldn't consider using.

My chicken is stripped and in the slow cooker in a stew & the bones are waiting to be made into stock. Dh won't touch either.

SilverApples Sat 02-Nov-13 12:09:57


I do this too, Satinsandals, and it caters for the fact that we have a vegetarian and two Aspies who are selective about food. It also encouraged them to try something if it could be a teaspoonful rather than a serving.
I think being able to choose seconds or not is a useful control on calories and overeating.

ringaringarosy Sat 02-Nov-13 13:15:10

you cant re heat potatoes,unless possibly mashed,they are disusting.

Cant believe how judgy people are about those who dont use leftovers!

Whos business is it?If you dont need to and can afford not to then why,unless you want to of course?why does it matter?eating it isnt going to stop anyone else starving.

SkullyAndBones Sat 02-Nov-13 13:20:37

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

prettybird Sat 02-Nov-13 13:25:32

Here are a couple of article which explain the science behind why some foods are better on subsequent days

"Second Time's the Charm"
The Science of Leftovers: Why they taste SO good

At a baking level, you make things like gingerbread, parkin, christmas cake and christmas pudding in advance so that the flavours can meld and mature.

coffeeinbed Sat 02-Nov-13 13:28:53

Of course you can reheat potatoes.
Chips are double fried.

ringaringarosy Sat 02-Nov-13 13:45:54

the fact people even things like stew is disgusting enough anyway let alone reheating it the next day,yuck!How grim....

limitedperiodonly Sat 02-Nov-13 13:52:18

You seem quite passionate about this ringaringarosy.

Was your mother frightened by a stew when you were in the womb?

ringaringarosy Sat 02-Nov-13 13:54:03

no i guess i just associate that kind of food with old peoples homes and just general grimness.

limitedperiodonly Sat 02-Nov-13 13:59:59

Ah. You see the kind of food I associate most often with old people's homes is placed just a fingertip out of reach of their gnarled old hands and whisked away uneaten by uncaring staff.

That frightens me more than left-overs.

moogy1a Sat 02-Nov-13 14:20:44

What sort of stew ringa
Stew can mean anything from hotpot, cassoulet, beef bourgignon, curry etc etc. the list is almost endless.
Do you never cook meat in any sort of sauce / stock?

SamU2 Sat 02-Nov-13 14:23:48

I don't have the space for an extra freezer and I don't have enough room in my freezer for leftovers.

Left in the fridge they don't get eaten. The pet rats get my left overs.

If I am seeing my mum I will often give her some though as she isn't big on cooking.

Thinking of knocking out a kitchen counter to put a box freezer in.

SamU2 Sat 02-Nov-13 14:25:59

The exception is lasagne

I will always eat that for my dinner the next day.

raggedymum Sat 02-Nov-13 14:36:35

I think there is often a lot of psychological stuff around food. I know that my own attitude is not healthy -- I've really had to steel myself to the miniscule waste associated with BLW! I'm sure it comes from several years of not quite enough money for food, and yet somehow that attached itself to food and not money. With enough to spare, now, I'm honestly more bothered by a little bit of food waste (that could be less than £1) than a lost £5 note. It makes no sense, but it's how I feel.

DorisHerod Sat 02-Nov-13 14:40:56

Planned Overs is a great term, much better than leftovers!

There seems to be a bit of a divide between users and non-users of remaining food about portion sizes...

We are a family of 5 including 2 teens (so 4 adult sized meals and 1 child meal at each mealtime) and we would never eat a whole roast (medium sized) chicken. Am I really stingy with the meat servings? I carve half and put it on the table for people to help themselves and that half gets eaten but I rarely have to carve more.

I serve chicken with a green veg, roast pots (lots, about 3 or 4 pieces per person), Yorkshire pudds (2 each for adults), gravy and carrots or peas.

DorisHerod Sat 02-Nov-13 14:43:54

That's a really interesting point raggedy. I am similar. Maybe because food is really tangible and part of the exchange if family life whereas money is more abstract these days (ie the days of a real wage packet with cash are gone).

ringaringarosy Sat 02-Nov-13 14:58:42

stew to me is meat veg and potatoes in some sauce,with not much flavour.ive had a goulash in bulgaria that was nice but english stews are bland,personal taste though i know some people love traditional english food.i do crave roasts when pregnant.but apart from that we never eat english stuff.

curlew Sat 02-Nov-13 15:36:47

You've never tasted my stew then, ringaringarosy!

alemci Sat 02-Nov-13 15:41:24

Casseroles or stews are brilliant as you can eat them together or someone can have some later out of the oven or use as leftovers. Also you don't need to stand over them. great for Winter. Mine are good too.

Even if no one else wants it, I will always try and eat up leftovers. I hate food waste.

hallowisitmeyourelookingfor Sat 02-Nov-13 16:04:39

Doris I think I would be hungry after dinner at yours! I said upthread pages and pages ago, that our usual chicken for a sunday roast costs £12 (no idea what the actual size is, sorry! I just go for the biggest nice one there!) feeds the 5 of us with out leftovers! DP and I, DDs 8 and 9 and DS 2. We also have 5-6 roasties, yorkies and 2 veg. And then pudding!
We do have big appetites but I don't consider it a waste. I do think feeding pets is a waste though. not an animal lover

limitedperiodonly Sat 02-Nov-13 16:40:40

doris DH and I have a similar view to you, but we're both come at from slightly different positions. Obviously mine is the right way wink

We used to eat portions that were far too big for us which made us put on weight. Not terrible, but for vanity's sake, it was not what we wanted.

DH's approach is to have lots of animal protein and hardly any carbs, or none, if it was left up to him. Also animal protein in lean and boneless forms - steak, tuna steak, chicken breast - partly because he's lazy but partly because I think that some people really don't like bones. I suppose that's fair enough, though they are missing out on flavour.

He's also wary of stews. I don't know whether that's because he thinks they're cheap and mysteriously suspect or fat, and therefore, calorie-laden.

I cut down the amount of carbs I was eating - it was getting a bit stupid - but I'm not going to give them up, because I like them and also because an animal protein-heavy meal is really expensive. Though we can afford it, I think it's a waste of money and boring.

Plus, a protein-heavy diet doesn't half bung you up.

When we met, he was horrified by my use of left-overs and cooking techniques. I don't know why. I think he'd never cooked a thing that wasn't beans on toast or a ready meal so was cautious.

It's more than 20 years since the row over his chucking my lovingly-prepared stock down the sink because he had Bisto gravy granules but we still remember it. We laugh about it now. Actually, we don't. It was quite ferocious and some things are better left unsaid grin

Anyway, these days he likes the odd leftover dish and can tolerate bones and shells if there's a strong overhead light.

He was a martyr to gout a few years ago - protein again? - but I was far too diplomatic to say so wink

Oh, and he does have a serious Haribo habit, so his body isn't that much of a temple. It's gelatine, isn't it? Maybe that's what aggravated his gout.

limitedperiodonly Sat 02-Nov-13 16:42:37

Tuna steak is one of the few things I wouldn't eat unless I was starving. It's expensive cardboard.

sillyoldfool Sat 02-Nov-13 16:42:59

Those that won't eat reheated food, have you never had a microwaved ready meal? Or a pub lasagne? They're reheated same as leftovers at home would be!

ringaringarosy Sat 02-Nov-13 17:00:44

no dont eat readymeals of pub food really,i wouldnt choose something like a lasagne if i went out for something to eat.

ringaringarosy Sat 02-Nov-13 17:03:42

curlew it doesnt really matter if its cooked well or not,im just not keen on those kind of flavours,a spicy goulash or even a greek stifado i would eat though,its just those kind of meat veg potato tomatoes stock and herb combos i dont like,and i remember as a kid my mum used to make chicken chasseur,which just thinking about makes me wanna vom.

limitedperiodonly Sat 02-Nov-13 17:16:41

Maybe your mum's not that good at stews ring.

My mum is fantastic at stews - lamb, rabbit, chicken. Not so much beef and pork. I don't know why.

She's rubbish at boneless, fatless bits of protein like fillet steak although she always buys the best and then cooks them to death.

She should save her money.

However, her bubble and squeak with a bit of HP sauce and cold lamb would be my death row meal.

limitedperiodonly Sat 02-Nov-13 17:39:48

ring Food is always the same in Europe. It's carbohydrates, meat/fish and vegetables.

No unusual seafood and definitely no insects or pets, apart from ponies.

What is goulash or stifado if it's not a meat stew (in this case beef) with onions, tomatoes and herbs served up with some sort of carb (potatoes, probably) and optional vegetable?

Scoring vegetables has not always been my experience in northern Italy and Greece cookery, more's the pity, btw.

Chicken chasseur is a meat stew with chicken, onion, tomatoes, herbs and mushrooms served with some sort of carb. Vegetables optional.

What's the difference apart from the fact that maybe your mum didn't make her stew as nicely as the person who made the goulash for you?

hallowisitmeyourelookingfor Sat 02-Nov-13 17:43:13

silly I dont like leftovers but wouldn't ever eat a ready meal. Dm used to feed them to us as teens which was when I started going hungry a lot of the time. They are truly rank. And I don't really eat down the pub precisely because the food will generally always be mass produced and not tasty (to me, other people like it!).
Leftovers just aren't really that appealing. Cast offs!

hallowisitmeyourelookingfor Sat 02-Nov-13 17:47:54

Sorry, reading that back I sound like a massive food snob!

phantomnamechanger Sat 02-Nov-13 17:54:05

tuna steak like cardboard??? How are you cooking it? delicate melt in the mouth fishiness I call it. Yummy!

Heartbrokenmum73 Sat 02-Nov-13 17:56:52

We're having a Tesco ready-made lasagne for tea tonight - it's in the oven right now!

<Runs away from thread.

SatinSandals Sat 02-Nov-13 18:06:07

I am cooking a sausage casserole, I am doing double quantities and freezing half for another day.

VestaCurry Sat 02-Nov-13 18:13:23

There's the odd carrot that I may forget about, but on the whole, batch cooking and freezing into sensible portions works for us.
Both mine and dh's parents were born before or during WWII and remember rationing vividly. They didn't talk about it all the time, but it did inform how they consumed, whether it be food, clothing, furniture etc. They were careful, and some of their lessons have rubbed off on us, which they'd be pleased about. Wish they were all still here to tell our dc's about seeing oranges and bananas for the first time etc smile.

limitedperiodonly Sat 02-Nov-13 18:20:48

No phantom I don't like tuna steak and my fishmonger does some of the best.

There isn't enough fat in it for me, likewise bonito, shark and swordfish.

I do like other fish. Mostly white, but on the darker front I like mackerel and sardines and sardine-type things such as anchovies and pilchards depending on the season.

Not herrings, I find the flavour a bit strong.

I cook them in various ways.

What do you think?

AnyCoffeeFucker Sat 02-Nov-13 18:22:51

It really upsets me that people throw away perfectly good food. There are people here in the UK that are hungry and could have eaten it !

didireallysaythat Sat 02-Nov-13 18:23:48

Can I just check something ?

It's OK to freeze left over chicken (cooked from fresh) ? I've been doing this for a while then when I've got enough I make chicken pie (using left over vegetables from the Sunday roast). We don't freeze the left over pie (I finally worked out what pie plate is enough for one pie).

My mother thinks it's not wise but I can't see the issue (assuming the meat is fully defrosted and then piping hot when cooked in the pie) ?

SatinSandals Sat 02-Nov-13 18:28:04

Fine if defrosted and piping hot.

Talkinpeace Sat 02-Nov-13 18:28:07

yes of course

ringaringarosy Sat 02-Nov-13 18:34:28

anycoffee that doesnt make sense though,thy dont get to eat it do they,unless you go round peoples houses or roam the streets offering up leftovers,i hear people say that lall the time and it doesnt make sense.

AnyCoffeeFucker Sat 02-Nov-13 18:35:16

I know I know they dont. But just the idea of it..Its irrational I know.

Talkinpeace Sat 02-Nov-13 18:38:00

go around a supermarket at the end of the day and watch hundreds of unopened perfectly good sandwiches being binned
go past ANY big chain snackerie (Greggs, Starbucks, Subway) at the end of the day and watch the shelves being cleared into the bin
ask any supermarket if they are happy to let you see their bins for food waste
they won't be
when I see live herb plants binned because they are past their "display until" date - they are a living plant ffs
I know that the economics of food in the UK are mad.

limitedperiodonly Sat 02-Nov-13 18:40:07

I'd prefer to eat left over chicken cold, or preferably room temperature in a sandwich, possibly with mayonnaise and stuffing or apple or cranberry sauce.

I've never found it works re-heated but I would eat it, if starving.

Maybe the problem with this thread is that the world is divided into two types of people: those of us who know how to eat left-overs and those who rear up in panic.

Heartbrokenmum73 Sat 02-Nov-13 18:45:28


I totally agree with the amount of wastage from supermarkets and restaurants, but how is that comparable to me throwing out uneaten leftovers?

This is the issue I have.

There's some lasagne left in my kitchen now. I'm chucking it once it cools down. There's not enough there for any of us to eat tomorrow and besides which, no one will want it tomorrow. I don't strip chicken carcasses either. So shoot me.

I'm not going to spend my life feeling guilty about it. Life's too short. If people have problems with waste, take it up with the big corporations and get them to donate their leftover food to homeless shelters or something.

No point people coming on here (not you specifically, Talkin) and getting cross with those of us who don't eat every scrap of food in the house.

ringaringarosy Sat 02-Nov-13 18:47:23

spices really,thats what makes them different,a traditional english stew doesnt have chilli or paprika or peppers in it as far as i know!

Its quite patronising when someone tells you you only dont like something because youve never had a "proper" one,there are some things you just dont like the taste of,my husband hates pretty much ALL fish,some people would never eat something hotter than a korma,i dont tell them they just havnt a well made one.

ringaringarosy Sat 02-Nov-13 18:50:07

talkin you still dont make sense,it doesnt make any difference if people throw stuff away,eating food doesnt stop others going hungry.

Talkinpeace Sat 02-Nov-13 18:55:59

I was involved in a research study where we had to quantify our waste for three months into recyclable, food and dry landfill
bearing in mind that food is the most expensive part to handle due to it rotting etc
food amounted to 2/3 of the non recyclable by weight.
but I compost all food so it ends up back on my veg garden

nobody uses all the food they buy : peelings and stalks and gristle
but it is worth being aware of it because you save money.

when food is grown it is irrigated and water tables drop
if that food goes straight to landfill, creating greenhouse gases as it rots, then the people in the area the food was grown have lost their drinking water for nothing
it matters

ringaringarosy Sat 02-Nov-13 19:00:37

it doesnt though,because it still makes no difference whether that food is eaten or not,the outcome is the same!

limitedperiodonly Sat 02-Nov-13 19:02:27

How is it more patronising to say you prefer a goulash - central European? - to a casserole from western Europe as in France or Britain.

I like mild to medium curries and other chilli-based foods btw. Anything else I can't take. But if I was starving I'd eat grass.

What do you think of stews from northern Europe containing deer meat and caraway? Or things of preserved fish and dill? Or much further north of buried (leftover) fish and meat in snow?

I like deer meat, though I find it a bit dry. The other things, not so much.

What do you think ring?

Talkinpeace Sat 02-Nov-13 19:02:37

if the food is eaten, hopefully the eater generates wealth or learning

ringaringarosy Sat 02-Nov-13 19:08:19

read my post again,i am saying i dont like traditional english food,i find it bland and i dont like those kinds of flavours,i said people are being patronising by saying the only reason i dont like them is because i havnt tried theirs or their grandmas or whatever.

So i could say to you,"ha,the only reason you dont like hot curries is because you havnt had a proper one" that would be patronising.

Ive not tried the things you mentioned so cant comment!i have had venison before that was nice.

curlew Sat 02-Nov-13 19:17:54

Not sure what traditional English food is......

raggedymum Sat 02-Nov-13 19:43:02

Can I ask about this rice thing? I cook my rice in boiling water -- will that kill the spores? I've always put rice dishes in the fridge and reheated it 2-3 days later! I try to freeze if I expect it to be longer. I'm now worried, and with DD sharing food with us, I don't want to do anything dangerous!

Fluffycloudland77 Sat 02-Nov-13 19:45:34

No, with rice you've got to cook, cool what you don't want under the cold tap & reheat thoroughly when you use it again.

raggedymum Sat 02-Nov-13 19:57:28

But what if it's in a risotto or similar? You can't rise that! I make a lot of dishes like that, and usually with planned overs. Should I not?

bundaberg Sat 02-Nov-13 20:09:05

as long as it's been cooled quickly and kept sensibly and not too long it'll be fine.

you can buy risotto ready meals in supermarkets fgs, if they were that dangerous people would be falling down dead all over the place.

yes, rice can harbour a fairly unpleasant form of bacteria (bacillus cereus) which isn't always killed on initial cooking. ut getting food poisoning from it if you've been careful with food prep, cooling and reheating is really, really, really unlikely

AdoraBell Sat 02-Nov-13 20:13:16

With rissoto I put it either in a freezer bag or pot and put that in iced water, then freeze it. Plain rice gets cooled as Fluffy said.

unlucky83 Sat 02-Nov-13 20:32:09

raggedy don't worry !
You just need to cool it asap - quickest is to transfer it from the cooking tin to a plastic -or even a tray that you have cooled in the freezer/fridge -spread out so the heat can disperse quickly - let it cool and then put in fridge within 1 hr or so and you should be fine...
(don't put it in the fridge hot/warm - you will raise the temp of the whole fridge)
Boiling (so 100 deg c) should kill most spores of the main rice bug ...but maybe not all - but as long as you don't leave it hanging about for a day at room temp you should be fine - and make sure you reheat it thoroughly ...
In general even if it makes you ill - (from cooked rice) it is most likely to be the toxins made when it was badly stored - so it is short term - 24 hrs absolute max -it's not nice - but not too bad either!!!
Different from something like salmonella where the actual bacteria is making you ill - it can live in your gut - so the illness lasts much longer and is harder to get rid of...

ringaringarosy Sat 02-Nov-13 21:57:46

curlew, google is your friend.

curlew Sat 02-Nov-13 22:51:50

Googled. None the wiser. What do you mean by "traditional English food"?

SkullyAndBones Sat 02-Nov-13 22:59:47

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

curlew Sat 02-Nov-13 23:02:22

"However, i dont like indian food and i agree it pisses me off when people say "oh you just havent tried X" no i haven't, and i don't intend to either"

Er- how do you know you don't like it, then?

SkullyAndBones Sat 02-Nov-13 23:04:34

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Talkinpeace Sat 02-Nov-13 23:17:41

"Indian food"
covers the same range and variety as "European (incl UK) food"
Kashmir to Goa is as Finland is to Spain
an open mind is a good thing

SkullyAndBones Sat 02-Nov-13 23:30:17

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Talkinpeace Sat 02-Nov-13 23:32:34

and all of that food will have been cooked and reheated - yummy though !
I had Jamaican last night - fiery but so so good

SkullyAndBones Sat 02-Nov-13 23:35:06

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

raggedymum Sun 03-Nov-13 05:50:23

Oh, thanks for the more info about rice! Phew. I already dish out my planned overs into containers before we eat, and let them cool during the meal; I could pre-cool the containers to get the food to cool faster. I might still avoid feeding planned-over rice dishes to DD until she's older, though, just to be on the safe side.

ringaringarosy Sun 03-Nov-13 11:38:55

do you think some people are less sensitive to things because we quite regularly eat rice thats been in a thermos,the kid have it for lunch all the time at school,and we have never been ill from it?

BumPotato Sun 03-Nov-13 13:45:47

If I was the type that couldn't eat leftovers I'd probably cook up less when making a meal. As it is, when I make any stews, chilli, bolognese, curry and the like I always do too much and box the extra up to freeze and have on can't be arsed cooking days.

If I make DH's favourite, Thai curry, he always takes a box into work the following day for lunch.

I've always reheated rice. I normally freeze boiled basmati rice in bags then nuke them as needed. Have never had any ill after effects.

unlucky83 Sun 03-Nov-13 13:50:06

Food poisoning from rice is a (small) risk - you should do what you can to minimise it...if you don't it doesn't mean you WILL get ill - just you are more likely to no of reported cases in UK...

Getting ill from eating certain foods will always be a risk - bad oysters, salmonella from a runny boiled egg, etc, etc
If a restaurant poisons someone they have to prove to Enviro Health that they have shown 'due diligence'- done everything they can to stop that happening ...or they will be fined/prosecuted - poisoning caused by rice stored at room temp would result in a prosecution ...

unlucky83 Sun 03-Nov-13 13:55:38

(can't believe how easy the web makes things! - I did something on increase in Salmonella cases for a project in 95ish - I had to write in to the public health labs, I think pay a small amount and wait for the reports to be posted out to me just a few clicks of a mouse!)

We certainly re-heat rice here, and never had a problem in all the years I've done this.

If we've ordered too much at the chinese, I often let a rice portion cool down and freeze it straight away in the original packaging. Never had a problem using it later on.

Today I'm roasting a pork joint with enough for leftovers, but as others have said, that's meal planning (I did like the term "planned overs" that someone used grin ).

I don't always use the leftovers the next day, in this case the leftover pork is scheduled to reappear as risotto on Tuesday. If cooled and stored correctly, left overs will last a few days. Even bread going stale can be whizzed into crumbs and frozen to use in all sorts of recipes.

I just don't like wasting food, and DP's the same. And now the DCs are picking up on this attitude and even make suggestions as to what we can do with food now.

I am really surprised at the amount of leftovers some people seem to have! Do you not cook for the number of people eating the meal? Maybe over the years I have become better at estimating how much we will actually eat. There are 5 of us and we rarely have leftovers, though I often cook double amounts of casserole, shepherds pie, lasagne etc to go in the freezer for when I am home late, too busy to cook etc. On the rare occasion there is leftovers DH or I will have it for lunch next day.

failingatlife I think one thing is that people might cook planned extra food but still call it leftovers. I do.

I don't have much actual food leftover from a meal as I am okay at calculating how much food to cook for our family of 4. So no leftover roast potatoes, or veg, etc.

But I do have leftovers that are planned for other meals, eg the pork for Tuesday's risotto, and I still call that leftovers.

However, I do sometimes have problems calculating the right quantity of food when I have extra people coming for dinner, but even then I can usually find a good use for any leftovers.

limitedperiodonly Sun 03-Nov-13 15:56:16

I often cook extra because I'm a fan of the dreaded stew and though there are only two of us, a larger amount works better.

I've some frozen duck and I'm going to do a cassoulet and refreeze it in portions.

It's not going to be a properly-authentic one but it'll be good enough for me.

btw I once asked a waiter at a French restaurant I go to a lot why cassoulet was never on the menu he looked as magnificently disdainful as only the French can. He also didn't reply, so that was me told. grin

I think I blundered into a bit of a cultural/class war there by mentioning it but I think I got out of it wink

I will buy a large chicken for a family roast with the knowledge it will do us adults as a pie and then chicken burgers afterwards.
Even though it's planned I still refer to them as leftovers.

GinOnTwoWheels Sun 03-Nov-13 19:55:39

I usually plan to have leftovers, or just follow a recipe for 4 without bothering to half the amounts, even though 99% of the time, its just me and DP. It reduces the amount of times I need to cook smile.

I like the term 'planned overs' as thats usually what it is for me. Taking an extreme example, the Christmas dinner I cook usually involves a single massive turkey breast and a whole ham or a beef joint, that is probably enough meat for about 20 people, but we will eat loads of it over Christmas and I will slice and freeze loads of meat, which I then reheat in gravy as a shortcut roast dinner over the next few months. Its not unusual for us to be still eating the Christmas dinner turkey at Easter grin. I think the meat reheats fine like this, although some people say that reheated food is grim. But what do they think ready meals are, or most food that is served in chain restaurants?

QueenStromba Mon 04-Nov-13 12:57:04

We mostly do planned overs - it's hardly any more effort to do a huge pot of Bolognese sauce than it is to do one meal's worth (in fact it's easier because you don't end up with half an onion, half a pepper etc). I love it when there are actual leftovers though - yesterday's fish pie or shepherd's pie is my favourite lunch. I can't believe that someone up thread chucks perfectly good lasagne because it's not a full portion - heat it up in a couple of days and have it with some garlic bread or salad for lunch.

I'm shocked by the people who waste so much of a chicken. This is an animal that has lived (probably in pretty crappy conditions) and died so you can eat it. It's bloody disrespectful to not use the whole animal. If you're only going to eat the breasts then only buy the breasts - that way the rest of the animal will be eaten by someone else.

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