What are your leftover habits?
Today, Marisa over on Slashfood posed this question to readers. I thought it would be a good talk question for SE fans, as well. To help answer this question, she asked: Do you transform leftovers into new dishes? Do you eat bites of cold leftovers standing in front of the fridge? Or are you a left-overs avoider? Me—I really, really dislike leftovers...avoider! How do you deal with leftovers?
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30 Comments:
I roast off a couple of chickens at a time and transmogrify them into new dishes during the week. Enchiladas, pot pie, chix salad, etc. Whatever makes sense or sounds good.
I definitely am a stand-in-front-of-the-fridge-fan as well. Earlier today, I pulled a piece of carrot souffle from Sunday out of a container in the fridge and munched on it while preparing the rest of tonight's dinner.
My BF, OTOH, is a complete Leftover Avoider. Unless I can make something unrecognizable as having been "previously served," he tends to veer away from leftovers.
chiff0nade at 9:08PM on 10/09/07
If there is a decent portion left, I stick it in DH's lunch the next day (on a sandwich, if appropriate). Sometimes, I can manage a whole meal out of the leftovers. Other times, I just add some simple sides (like one of those little cans of baked beans or some crackers w/cheese). DH is a cheapskate, so if he can avoid spending $10-35 on lunch at the crummy deli in his bldg or the Sheraton next door, he is willing to eat whatever I make. DS(18) will devour anything he likes that is not clearly labeled as "Dad's lunch".
KitchenHawk at 9:34PM on 10/09/07
I detest most leftovers, I'm a big fan of leftover pizza and any meats that can be made into sandwiches otherwise the food will just rot in my fridge. I occasionally will make large batches of things like chili or stew to freeze but I don't even like doing that often.
kitchenlove at 11:46PM on 10/09/07
I rarely have leftovers. If I do? It's some kind of pasta dish that's reheated the next night for dinner. Whatever is left after that, I throw away.
Transformed leftovers? No.
Eat standing in front of the fridge? No.
Leftover pizza isn't good at all ~ Hot & freshly baked is the best way to eat pizza!
paris221966 at 12:35AM on 10/10/07
I love leftovers. I usually try to transform them into something new. As far as feasting on leftovers standing at the fridge-Guilty!
Mich23 at 7:31AM on 10/10/07
I usually freeze stuff so I can have it another time when I don't feel much like cooking.
hereandthe at 7:48AM on 10/10/07
I'm a transformer and, as I noted elsewhere, I write down in a pocket calendar what I've done, so I can try a variation on the variation next time.
But I do love leftover cold pizza/lasagna/pasta, the last particularly with pesto.
Barbara Hanson at 8:59AM on 10/10/07
I've trained myself to strictly portion food when I cook so I have little or no leftovers to store & inevitably throw away later. I do however eat all types of leftover take away & home cooked food straight from the fridge. My BF says this is my super power (eating inappropriately temped food). I always get a "Bomp bomp-bomp bommp! It's Suuupergirl!" when I pull the cold mash potatoes with gelatinous gravy & cold sliced london broil slathered with Fruity HP out for breakfast. Dear god, that last sentence actually made my stomache growl....
drunkykitty at 10:37AM on 10/10/07
I cook almost every night except Friday, when I go out with my friends for an extended happy hour. My significant other prefers to stay home. So when I get home, I inventory the fridge and make a funny little homemade menu for her. She checks off what she wants, then I go prepare it. It helps get the leftovers used, and she enjoys the special attention. For example, last Friday we had:
Pot roast hash
Halushki
Pork roast w/ gravy
Fried chicken
Collard greens
It's fun!
1stmakearoux at 10:40AM on 10/10/07
My mother has always insisted that we use whatever leftovers we have before buying, or making, anything new. This has often resulted in the two of us manfully (or womanfully) chowing down mixed plates of leftovers that we normally wouldn't combine. But while I agree with the ethic, and I often love leftovers, when I cook for myself I try to eliminate the possibility of leftovers.
Christina at 10:46AM on 10/10/07
i put them in the refrigerator and then throw them away the following week.
carriebwc at 11:50AM on 10/10/07
Sometimes I think left-overs have this magical power to reproduce themselves :)
JEP at 12:13PM on 10/10/07
Love leftovers, especially meatloafs and pot roasts, so good in next-day sandwiches. Am fortunate my sig other doesn't mind leftovers, so long as there is at least one "new" side, or a good dessert. Hate to toss food, a leftover, as it were, from childhood ("there are children starving all over the world..."), but there are times it has to be done.
hatlady at 12:30PM on 10/10/07
Last week it was the pot roast left overs. Hot roast beef sandwiches for lunch at work. This week we made chili mac from the left over chili on Sunday. Often times what we make from original dish is just as good as or better. The wife says that I'm the best at making someting interesting out of the left over items in the frig. " everything but the kitchen sink " Wasting food just goes against my grain.
Colorado Jim at 12:47PM on 10/10/07
I will devour some leftovers (meatloaf, holiday things you only make once or twice a year, anything brought home from restaurants) but others sit in my fridge until I notice the mold or realize I have no plastic containers left in my cupboard.
My father is a leftovers vacuum cleaner, my husband snubs them unless it is something really good and my son is oblivious to them. I try to remake left overs into new meals and I'm usually successful- skillet meals with rice or pasta, leftover bits and some kind of sauce are a favorite. Occasionally I pull out all the edible leftovers from the fridge and we have a 'smorgasboard' in an effort to consume it instead of tossing it. I'm not always successful but it is worth a shot.
Or, you can throw everything in a dish and call it 'expiration date casserole'. My cousin put me on the floor with that one- he swears my aunt does it and is sure she's trying to kill him. I laughed until I cried.
AuntJone at 1:18PM on 10/10/07
I flat out cook for leftovers. If it was good the first time...
Straight out of the fridge I'll eat leftover (cooked) broccoli, spinach, pretty much you name it. Cold meat is the best though.
Lilla at 1:28PM on 10/10/07
I've gone through a total leftovers transformation recently. I used to be an avoider - I hatedddd leftovers. But now, I'm totally the stand in front of the fridge and eat in cold type. In fact, I literally did that yesterday and I'm still eating the same leftovers for lunch today....mmm pasta and meat sauce!
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 2:19PM on 10/10/07
I like leftovers that can be heated up and still taste good. My mom used to fry leftover mashed potatoes for breakfast, and we'd have 'em with fried eggs. I have a problem with cooking leftover pasta and chicken and having it end up all dried out and gross. Leftover BBQ chicken and steak make for good sandwiches while cold. Yum! I'm not a fan of leftover pizza, but I usually eat it for lunch the next day anyway. I like cold chow mein and fried rice though.
In general, I take leftovers for my lunch because I don't want to buy a lunch, and I don't usually have time or ingredients to make a lunch. My husband won't touch leftovers unless it's pizza or from a restaurant. But one time I used rice I cooked the night before, and he had no idea!
misseditor at 2:35PM on 10/10/07
What carriewbc said. Though if they're really good, I may make a couple more meals out of them. More often than I care to admit they'll sit there, unwanted, until I *know* I can't eat them, or way past when I've forgotten about them.
emily20008 at 5:36PM on 10/10/07
i cook with leftovers in mind, stuff like gumbo, chili and stew are always better the next day. if i had a good day catching catfish, red fish or trout i freeze them because of the delicate nature of the meat, squirells, deer and rabbit are best cooked fresh, stewed/smothered and eaten the next day.
olddad at 8:44PM on 10/10/07
just got home around midnight. directly after feeding the cat i polished off last night's leftover roasted cauliflower, while standing in front of the fridge.
cybercita at 1:10AM on 10/11/07
I think i would love left overs...if there were any actually left over. I live with several human-garbage disposals (guys) and most meals dont even get fridge time
choc_puddin at 6:35AM on 10/11/07
when I used to cook everyday, once a week was leftover night. I usually put leftover rice and veggies in some kind of casserole. nowadays, I dont cook all the time, both hubby and I are on pretty strict diets, but leftovers are usually used for hubbys lunch the next day. The only thing I cant resist cold in front of the fridge, is leftover takeout chinese. Thank God, we dont do that very often or I'd be the size of the Hindenberg in no time!
huney_bumper at 9:00AM on 10/11/07
I love leftovers, or "LO's" as they are called in my house. I often cook four to six servings of something for my husband and I, that way we get two dinners and a lunch or two out of it. That way I don't have to cook every night. Usually I just eat them as is, but sometimes they transform into something else. (i.e. many a soup has been created, sandwiches too). I am bad for eating them cold out of the fridge too-I sometimes eat dinner LOs for breakfast, often cold, which completely grosses out my husband. Nothing like cold tuna casserole or mac and cheese for breaky! I also adore cold mashed potatoes and veggies. Cold chinese leftovers or pizza are also great! I'm getting hungry just thinking about it!
psychsarah at 12:50PM on 10/11/07
If there were no leftovers, there would be fewer dinners at our house. I am definitely a transformer--leftover savory bread pudding side dish gets stuffed into boneless chicken breasts, leftover grilled tri tip is either a burrito or cold beef salad depending on the mood. Often I will make lasagna, stew or chili and those dishes are not transformed, just served again with a salad or other side. I do draw the line at eating food cold right out of the fridge--just can't do it--my Italian grandmothers would roll over in their graves if they saw me doing that.
jsd517 at 1:09PM on 10/11/07
Heh. Dinner last night was a kind of stove-top hash made from leftover roast chicken, leftover sauteed mushrooms, leftover roasted pumpkin, and some fresh-cooked potatoes and onion, all of it seasoned with fresh thyme and a lot of black pepper, and cooked down with some half-and-half.
Very tasty, but couldn't finish all of it, so as I type I am eating the leftovers cold from the fridge for lunch -- not quite as tasty but not bad at all.
maggiesara at 3:17PM on 10/11/07
Speaking as an impoverished grad student: when you're cold, tired, and hungry, trudging your way back home after a too-long day, there is nothing more comforting than knowing there are leftovers you can simply heat up for dinner =p
onedaylingers at 4:13PM on 10/11/07
man i wish i had the time, energy, and patience it must take to cook for myself every day. i am a leftover addict, as in, i couldn't possibly survive without them unless i resorted to the seinfeld cereal diet. in my childhood my mom would make huge batches of chili, stews, and chicken and dumpling soup (so good!), she'd freeze half and we'd eat the rest for a few days. i make pasta often and store it seperate from the sauce i make so it doesn't all dry out. 1 lb of pasta and sauce will make 5 meals for me!
my younger sister, on the other hand, refuses to touch leftovers, so this proves my theory that leftover addiction is not genetic.
protest at 7:21AM on 10/12/07
Leftovers from dinner is always packed up for lunch the next day. Usually just for my husband, as I work out during my lunch break and generally just eat a couple of snacks during the day (a piece of fruit, yogurt, etc.). I've gotten pretty good at cooking the right amount. We always have fresh dishes every night for dinner, don't usually recreate new meals with any leftovers.
mrsbao at 9:08AM on 10/12/07
I adore leftovers. I don't adore eating the same dish meal after meal (as I did with a giant batch of pad thai I made last week), but I live with it. I also like to pass my leftovers on to roommates, friends, etc. I pull out a container of something or other and people are usually more than willing to keep good food from being thrown away!
jbeach at 11:28AM on 10/19/07