I was reading some comments on an Instagrammers feed the other day, she's the queen of frugality and uses things so well. But, as is the way when someone gets successful online, the negative nellies and keyboard warriors turn up to put their derogatory comments in, and try and get their comments 'liked' by other people.
One of them said that she wouldn't dream of saving or eating leftovers, and that all leftovers were was 'old food' and should be thrown in the bin. Wow!!
Happily lots of people were not of that opinion, and I am one of them.
The other night for instance, I was having some spicy potato wedges with a fish portion, and some frozen mixed vegetables and I couldn't quite finish them all. Did they go in the bin, no they did not ... an idea came to mind straight away so they were quickly cut in half and put into a little tub in the fridge.
My fridge seems to be the happy residing place for lots of little tubs this week and I am working my way through them all.
I tipped some frozen peas into the pot with the wedges ready for action, took a rather large egg out of the fridge to warm up, and got the little pot of Flora brought home from a meal out ... et voila the makings of a nice little meal all ready to go.
Ten minutes later it was all in the pan and I was busy making a nice cup of coffee to go with it.
Another few minutes and I had a nice dinner all ready to eat.
That is most definitely not 'old food'.
Do you love your leftovers?
Sue xx
I tend to cook to the amount we need rather than ending up with leftovers - which is sometimes rather annoying when I see others making great use of them! On the occasions I do end up with them though you can bet your life they get used - what a crazy attitude to get all holier-than-thou about it!
ReplyDeleteIt really is isn't it. People seem very eager to share negative opinions these days. 🫤
DeleteThey must have more money than sence, I love leftovers (Sandy mid wales)
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly what I always think. 🫤
DeleteLeft overs always taste better the next day, especially bolognaise and casseroles. Loving the house videos Sue and how wonderful to know everything has been done to very high standards. Well done Alan, a man who takes pride in his work. June
ReplyDeleteOh gosh yes, a curry on the second day is just beautiful isn't it. He really does work to very high standards, it costs us, but I guess it's worth it in the long run. 🙂
DeleteSome leftovers, like reheated cooked pasta and cooked potatoes, are better for you than freshly cooked! Something to with the way the starch in them changes, I think.
ReplyDeleteYes, that is being talked about a lot recently isn't it. It's good to know. 😀
DeleteI love leftover food! I often cook double and eat the second half later in the week. Cook once, eat twice. Saves on fuel too.
ReplyDeleteVery few people know what it's truly like to be hungry. They wouldn't waste food if they did. X
Yes, I nearly always cook a big pan of rice, potatoes or pasta, it makes meal planning so much easier later in the week. 😀
DeleteOnce I got used to cooking for one instead of two (and that was after I got used to cooking for two instead of five!) there are very few leftovers and of course batch cooking and putting the right size portions in the freezer helps too.
ReplyDeleteI'm very good at freezing single portion pots these days. It's so much easier to take two out if I'm cooking for both of us, than it is hacking a larger one up for just me. 😄
DeleteUnless she’s eating straight from the garden, drinking milk straight from the animal or killing and eating her protein at the point of slaughter, she’s eating “old” food. What about aged cheeses? Or wine? Or anything processed and in a package?
ReplyDeleteMany of us batch cook to save time and energy (human and fuel). To be waste of resources is sinful and stupid. And lazy. I’m betting she’s not doing much cooking anyway.
~Carol
Batch cooking is brilliant isn't it. I'd much rather make a large pot of something when I'm in the mood, than stand in front of the fridge wondering what on earth to have for my dinner when I'm not. 😀
DeleteAnything leftover that is safely edible can’t be wasted can it, especially now that everything is so expensive. I saw a headline about a Japanese company thats changed some of their packaging to black and white because of the scarcity of coloured ink, thinking about it I asked myself why this can’t be done all the time, most plastic packaging goes in landfill……..what a waste.
ReplyDeleteAlison in Devon x
I bet it would be quite calming to have a more monochromatic supermarke, instead of all the garish packaging that makes our food shops look like giant toy shops. Plastic is really bugging me at the moment, we just can't escape it can we. 🫤
DeleteBatch cooking is the easiest way for me to prepare meals. Eat one, one in the fridge for a meal later in the week and the other in the freezer. Never waste anything if I can help it. An egg is quite often a meal for me along with some leftovers, yours looks yummy.
ReplyDeleteThat's the perfect way to do it, one for now, one for later and one for the future. Eggs are just so versatile aren't they. 🙂
DeleteI always eat leftovers. I wouldn't dream of throwing away food if I can help it!
ReplyDeleteLoving leftovers saves a fortune in money and time. 😀
DeleteThe joy of having a home cooked meal, ready to reheat in minutes, with minimal washing up, when you come home tired. We had venison stew last night and I microwave steamed some fresh greens. So tasty, stews are better the next day.
ReplyDeleteOur oldest leftover is the kefir which we were given in October 2018 and we have topped up with milk and eaten some every day.
Oh gosh yes. Your kefir must be eligible for birthday celebrations now. 😄
DeleteWe throw away very little food. I can't bear waste and really like the mantra " smell it, taste it...don't waste it". Leftovers make life easier sometimes, for instance; yesterday I cooked a veg lasagne. We ate half and the other half will be eaten tonight with some fresh veg or salad on the side. It has left me a free afternoon for crafting some more cards for the Hospice shop. No cooking...Yessss! That sad commentor on the blog doesn't know how much she is missing ,nor how much money she is wasting!
ReplyDeleteYour omelette looks delicious Sue.
Angie
Well I 'taste it and don't waste it' ... but any smelling has to be done by Alan if I'm unsure these days. 😄 A free afternoon for crafting is just brilliant for you. ❤️
DeleteSorry, Sue, I forgot for a moment that your sense of smell has never returned :(
DeleteNot a problem. 🙂
DeleteI never throw out leftovers. It can either be incorporated into a new meal or for lunch the next day. There are those times when a perfectly good leftover gets pushed back into the refrigerator and by the time I find it, it's done. Such a waste. Usually that's around holidays. It just goes against my frugal grain to waste food.
ReplyDeleteI love the challenge of making leftovers into something completely different from the last meal. I'm starting to get much better at not over-buying, even at holiday times now, and I try and leave a bit of freezer space... just in case. 😀
DeleteI usually cook 'double potatoes' if I'm.boiling them. I did some potato wedges in the air fryer and cut the leftovers in half. Heated them up again in the a/f today and put them into my ham salad. They were very well received by O/H.
ReplyDeleteOh I always cook at least double potatoes when boiling them. I don't know why but I hate washing potato pans, so it makes sense to.
DeleteI love using up leftovers and making an almost ‘free’ meal. Loads of different foods can be turned into a frittata or omelette or used as a pie filling using pastry or a mashed potato topping.
ReplyDeleteVirtually anything can be wrapped in pastry to turn it into a full meal can't it. 😀
DeleteWe love our leftovers, I think they taste better second time around. Xx
ReplyDeleteI agree completely. 😀
DeleteI never throw out perfectly good food. How wasteful! A lot of times I feel like people hold themselves hostage to outmoded ways of thinking. Leftovers are just food.
ReplyDeleteExactly this. Our grannies would be horrified at the food wastage these days wouldn't they. 🫤
DeleteLike Christina said above, cook once, eat twice (or more). Definitely a batch-maker here. Frankly, I loathe cooking so the less I have to do it the happier I am.
ReplyDeleteI do find that I have to be really in the mood for cooking these days. So it makes sense to make lots of food when I am, ready for days when I'm not. 😄
DeleteI think a reason some people turn up their noses about left overs is because they don't know what to do with them.. we turn veg left overs into fried patties and they are delish!
ReplyDeletePossibly yes. Ooh, these wedges would have been nice made into patties. I'm going to purposely make extra next time ready to do just this. 😀
DeleteLeftovers save so much money. When there is barely anything left, just a spoonful of veg or whatever it goes into a container in the freezer. I repeat until the container is full and then tip it all into a saucepan with some stock and make a lovely thick mystery soup. I'll often add some curry or tumeric to it to jazz it up a bit. I've done this for years and only twice had a combination where it wasn't so tasty.
ReplyDeleteThat sort of soup is fantastic, I have rarely had a failure. My only disappointment has ever been in not being able to replicate an absolutely perfect bowl of something that was really tasty. 😀
DeleteI know of some people who will not eat leftovers. I am fine with eating leftovers and often cook enough to have what I call "planned overs", so I don't have to cook every day.
ReplyDeletePlanned leftovers are the perfect springboard for another meal aren't they. 🙂
DeleteLeftovers are mostly used for lunch the next day. I also often cook once and eat twice but that is planned so not leftovers in my book. Food is too expensive to throw in the bin - but it is more than that, it is a previous resource not to be wasted.
ReplyDeleteExactly. Food is so precious, and being able to afford to get what you need and what you just fancy buying, is a real privilege. ❤️
DeleteI don't even understand the concept of "leftovers". Food is food. It doesn't matter what time or day you eat it. And how long does it have to exist to be qualified as a leftover? If you prepare your dinner at 5, then decide to go for a walk, has it already become a leftover by the time you get back at 6?
ReplyDeleteYes, a good point. Something made over and above what you need for a meal, left on a plate at the end of the meal, or just not used and still in the fridge, could all be classed as leftovers couldn't they. 🙂
DeleteLove our leftovers and would never dream of throwing them away.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
It seems so wrong to throw away good food doesn't it. In my opinion if you liked it once, just eat it again. 🙂
DeleteI always have left overs around because I deliberately cook enough for the next day or two. I am really enjoying reading Hugh FW's book - Leftovers. It has given me some new ideas and a laugh too. Susanx
ReplyDeleteI love Hugh's style of cooking. I used to have the Leftovers book, I must have parted with it in one of my declutters.
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