The left over food dilemma

[Tiny]

I have always wondered why people do not like left overs - and why I sometimes get some harsh responses when I ask about it. 

Anyway,  I found this article  which appears to cover a lot of bases...      

www.huffpost.com/entry/why-people-hate-leftovers_l_60941c16e4b0c15313fdfe4c

And yes, I am enjoying some Thanksgiving "leftovers" I brought home from T-Day dinner  - I had a turkey sandwich  one day for lunch and I made a big pot of turkey broth/soup (with the turkey carcass and other bits the hostess was nice enough to save for me.).  I froze several quarts,  shared a quart with a friend, and also had soup two different ways as a lunch and then a quick dinner a day later.     

As it was just Thanksgiving - and one of the topics at dinner was the rising prices at the grocery and how grocery bills had doubled or tripled...  I was reminded my many of my family and friends throw out a lot of food (and by that I mean food that hasn't been on someone's plate, been in a container that was "double dipped" with someone else's eating utensils (or fingers), or food that has sat out on the counter/table way too long.) after most meals at home - not just holiday/party meals.    I've never really understood why they do this.    


In the past I broached the subject/question of "why do you do that?" to family members and it was treated as a personal attack and I got no answer so I never really asked my friends. Yeah, my family is like that - trying to talk about anything that is vaguely personal in a non-personal way is next to impossible. It was our family dynamic growing up.

This article confirmed some of the reasons I came up with in my head... and added a couple more.     

FWIW:  at Thanksgiving, I just "smiled and nodded" a lot and told a few fibs.   

[nidena]

As a household of one adult, I rarely have leftovers that last beyond the very next meal.  I imagine it's harder to guage how much to make the more people there are in the household but it's definitely easy for me.  Even when I do make larger meals--like when I used to make burrito casserole--I had no problem eating a portion for every meal until it was gone which might take two or three days, depending.

[NastyWoman]

The only time I would really have to deal with leftovers is after my annual holiday brunch (coming up on Sunday). I make quite a few different dishes and, because I don't know which dish will go fastest and want everyone to have enough, I always have way too much food.  So I solved that problems many years ago (if not for Covid this would be my 15th brunch) by institution a very simple rule: NastyWoman will not have leftovers. All food goes home with the guests. I started this because I tend to travel over the holidays and none of us likes fod to spoil. It has become a tradition that is appreciated by the men in the lives of my friends as this is a "girls only" brunch.  I have had a few of the partners eagerly asking whether xyz would be on the menu this year LOL.

Anyway, it works for me since I don't have a problem getting through leftovers. That said, I had a few wonderful turkey sandwiches for  the food I brought home last Thursday. I have no objections to leftovers just not enough capacity to deal with them

[jerseygirl]

Leftover turkey etc is good reason not to go to restaurant for TG

[swamp]

I love leftovers

[wvugurl26]

We try hard to plan for leftovers and freeze them if possible if it's more than we can use in a few days. It doesn't always work out but we've gotten better at it. We have no objections to leftovers and enjoy not having to cook another meal.

[Cheesy FL-Vol]

Depending on the food, 4 days is the absolute max I will have leftovers. I have had way too many incidents of sick/food poisoning. I do try to contain my cooking/meal planning to what I can eat within that time frame.

[debthaven]

I don't much like eating leftovers beyond the next meal, but I HATE wasting food. 

So when I cook (less often now) I still cook for 6-8. But then I automatically freeze half!

When I pull it out of the freezer a week or two or three later, it's not leftovers anymore LOL! 

[nidena]

Nov 30, 2022 14:37:47 GMT -5 debthaven said:

I don't much like eating leftovers beyond the next meal, but I HATE wasting food. 

So when I cook (less often now) I still cook for 6-8. But then I automatically freeze half!

When I pull it out of the freezer a week or two or three later, it's not leftovers anymore LOL! 

That's definitely "meal planning" and not "leftovers."

[debthaven]

To me it isn't meal planning anymore. It used to be when the kids were at home.

Now the inspiration strikes rarely. But when it does, I still cook for 6 or 8 like I used to. But instead of leaving the leftovers in the fridge, I freeze half for a "rainy day" LOL. 

[Deleted]

Studies on food waste show an amazing % of our food never gets consumed. Some products go beyond their "sell by" date in the store, some spoil in transit to the store or warehouses (especially in countries where refrigerated trucks are scarce), some is not sold by restaurants, some is sold but left on the plates. And yes, some is thrown out by the consumer.

I've mentioned this before but my maternal grandparents were survivors of the Great Depression. You did NOT waste food. Wasting food was a sin. Once Grandma packed lunches for us when we went on a kids' outing sponsored by the church. I remember bringing home the portion I didn't eat- she packed too much- and she had fits because she had to throw it out.

It's easier to re-purpose now, with microwaves, big freezers and a ton of recipes on the Internet.

Why people still waste food:

1. Some stuff doesn't reheat well, especially fried foods.
2. Some can't be frozen- mashed potatoes get watery when thawed, for example.
3. Some people probably don't have the willingness or the imagination to incorporate leftovers into another recipe. I don't think fish reheats particularly well, for example, but I'd throw it into a stir-fry. Others would be likely to pitch it.
4. Maybe people feel cheap asking for doggie bags at a restaurant? I'm not. Most portions are over-seized anyway. This is a particular problem when you're traveling and don't have the ability to keep food cold or to re-heat it.
5. And maybe that's how some people grew up- you don't eat it at the meal, you throw it out.

[billisonboard]

I have three microwavable bowls with lids. I put my next day or two work lunches in them directly from dinner serving dishes as I clean up the kitchen after the meal.

[Sharon]

Nov 30, 2022 14:49:40 GMT -5 nidena said:

Nov 30, 2022 14:37:47 GMT -5 debthaven said:

I don't much like eating leftovers beyond the next meal, but I HATE wasting food. 

So when I cook (less often now) I still cook for 6-8. But then I automatically freeze half!

When I pull it out of the freezer a week or two or three later, it's not leftovers anymore LOL! 

That's definitely "meal planning" and not "leftovers."

I've seen that referred to as "planned overs"

[billisonboard]

Nov 30, 2022 14:49:40 GMT -5 nidena said:

Nov 30, 2022 14:37:47 GMT -5 debthaven said:

I don't much like eating leftovers beyond the next meal, but I HATE wasting food. 

So when I cook (less often now) I still cook for 6-8. But then I automatically freeze half!

When I pull it out of the freezer a week or two or three later, it's not leftovers anymore LOL! 

That's definitely "meal planning" and not "leftovers."

I term I heard that I liked was "plannedovers".

[minnesotapaintlady]

I purposefully make extra so there are leftovers.  I abhor cooking and would rather make something that I can take for lunch several days in a row.  Some stuff I'm not super fond of reheated.  My mom sent me home with a ton of leftover turkey in gravy and I'm about to take the rest of tub number one out to the driveway to let "whatever" claim it in the night.  The other tub I threw in the freezer right away, but I also just threw away an entire ice cream pail of turkey that I froze this summer.

[stillmovingforward]

I found as I became a more accomplished cook with a bit more time on my hands, it's easier to use leftovers.

We used to just eat them as I originally cooked them. Now I transform them into different foods a lot of times. It's easier as there's only the 2 of us now.

I believe throwing away good food is a terrible thing. I know people who do it and it hurts at a visceral level but i try to be good about keeping my mouth shut. Some of my immediate family suffered from lack of food and I've lived in countries where food is not readily available to a large majority.

[swamp]

Nov 30, 2022 14:57:39 GMT -5 @athena53 said:

Studies on food waste show an amazing % of our food never gets consumed. Some products go beyond their "sell by" date in the store, some spoil in transit to the store or warehouses (especially in countries where refrigerated trucks are scarce), some is not sold by restaurants, some is sold but left on the plates. And yes, some is thrown out by the consumer.

I've mentioned this before but my maternal grandparents were survivors of the Great Depression. You did NOT waste food. Wasting food was a sin. Once Grandma packed lunches for us when we went on a kids' outing sponsored by the church. I remember bringing home the portion I didn't eat- she packed too much- and she had fits because she had to throw it out.

It's easier to re-purpose now, with microwaves, big freezers and a ton of recipes on the Internet.

Why people still waste food:

1. Some stuff doesn't reheat well, especially fried foods.
2. Some can't be frozen- mashed potatoes get watery when thawed, for example.
3. Some people probably don't have the willingness or the imagination to incorporate leftovers into another recipe. I don't think fish reheats particularly well, for example, but I'd throw it into a stir-fry. Others would be likely to pitch it.
4. Maybe people feel cheap asking for doggie bags at a restaurant? I'm not. Most portions are over-seized anyway. This is a particular problem when you're traveling and don't have the ability to keep food cold or to re-heat it.
5. And maybe that's how some people grew up- you don't eat it at the meal, you throw it out.

leftover french fries are vile 

[stillmovingforward]

Knowing where/how to use leftovers is a real skill.

Frozen mashed potatoes? Thicken a stew or soup, make a potato bread.
Extra oatmeal? Muffins, bread, pancakes.
Bean? In everything 😆
Cranberry or cranberry sauce? Cookies, sauce for over waffles or pancakes, tarts, muffins again (guess what I eat for breakfast a lot of the time?)

Left over French fries (the good ones)? Chop up and put in a breakfast burrito.

[billisonboard]

The youngster I work with refuses to eat school lunch. I attempt to get the kitchen staff to minimize the portion size they place on his tray. Leftover food is offered as "seconds". Things like sandwiches are cut in half for that anyway so why not only give my guy a half to throw away and give the other to someone who will eat it. They struggle with it because "this might be the meal he eats". Well it hasn't been for over the year I have worked with him, so it isn't likely to happen.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

I usually plan for leftovers. I take some lunch and we'll have some the next day for dinner.

I am pretty decent at scaling recipes down so I'm not left with a ton. I just don't have the freezer space to store gallons of soup or broth or casseroles. I aim for 1-3 days worth tops.

Sometimes I try something and it just does not come out. The soup.I made last night was an epic fail.

I've given myself permission to not force myself to eat it till it's gone. Sometimes I just have bad luck.

It's probably wasteful but I'm not keen on forcing myself to eat something just to not waste it I feel like that sets up a new compulsion after awhile.

Either I don't make it again or study where I may have gone wrong so I at least don't make the same mistakes twice.

[saveinla]

Today I am eating leftovers frozen from October before I went on vacation. I usually freeze things rarely but this time we did freeze 3 things that we knew would get better with time

[stillmovingforward]

My DH will encourage me to toss trials that don't work. That is a real step for me. I'm better at it now that we can compost leftover food. Our garbage company discourages throwing it in the garbage can.

[saveinla]

Nov 30, 2022 15:08:33 GMT -5 swamp said:

Nov 30, 2022 14:57:39 GMT -5 @athena53 said:

Studies on food waste show an amazing % of our food never gets consumed. Some products go beyond their "sell by" date in the store, some spoil in transit to the store or warehouses (especially in countries where refrigerated trucks are scarce), some is not sold by restaurants, some is sold but left on the plates. And yes, some is thrown out by the consumer.

I've mentioned this before but my maternal grandparents were survivors of the Great Depression. You did NOT waste food. Wasting food was a sin. Once Grandma packed lunches for us when we went on a kids' outing sponsored by the church. I remember bringing home the portion I didn't eat- she packed too much- and she had fits because she had to throw it out.

It's easier to re-purpose now, with microwaves, big freezers and a ton of recipes on the Internet.

Why people still waste food:

1. Some stuff doesn't reheat well, especially fried foods.
2. Some can't be frozen- mashed potatoes get watery when thawed, for example.
3. Some people probably don't have the willingness or the imagination to incorporate leftovers into another recipe. I don't think fish reheats particularly well, for example, but I'd throw it into a stir-fry. Others would be likely to pitch it.
4. Maybe people feel cheap asking for doggie bags at a restaurant? I'm not. Most portions are over-seized anyway. This is a particular problem when you're traveling and don't have the ability to keep food cold or to re-heat it.
5. And maybe that's how some people grew up- you don't eat it at the meal, you throw it out.

leftover french fries are vile 

who has leftover french fries - that is a crime 

[wvugurl26]

Fries get reheated in the air fryer if I'm home. Otherwise they are gross.

Especially in the winter months, I prefer leftovers heated up for lunch. I do more salads and stuff when it's warmer.

We aren't perfect but after 5 years of living together it's improved. Covid and being home all the damn time to cook probably helped some. After 3-4 days it gets tossed or put in the freezer.

[Tennesseer]

I like Sautéed fresh spinach. One bag of fresh spinach sautéed equals two salad bowl-sized servings of cooked spinach. No leftovers.

[stillmovingforward]

Fresh spinach, break up some brie on top, slide under the broiler to melt/wilt. Best meal ever!

[giramomma]

I try to batch cook my lunches: a pot of soup or bean salad. That's all I can take.

I'm more prone to freeze leftovers. DH isn't.

DH made a whole crock pot of chili, which half of us ate out of. He didn't freeze the rest. I couldn't eat chili for a solid week so it didn't go to waste. I ate so much of it as it was.   So some of it was thrown out. DH offered to make chili again and I said no. I cannot eat a whole pot by myself.

In general he cooks 3-4 days a week. We do take out once on the weekend. The rest is leftovers.

[debthaven]

Frozen mashed potatoes

My British DH makes potato scones with that 

[finnime]

I enjoy leftovers in general. DH, not so much. He likes the idea of them but when confronted with the reality of a half cold, stiff steak or dressed salad he prefers something else. Anything else. My parents had 5 kids; DH was an only. I think that has something to do with his unwillingness to go for leftovers, too. Less contention for resources.

[Deleted]

We eat out a lot but try to order smaller portions or share so we don't bring anything home. If we do, like part of last week's shrimp fried rice, we will usually serve it for breakfast the next day.

We meal plan on a weekly basis. I shop weekly and most proteins are repackaged into meal-size portions before freezing. At home, we make most of our meals as 2 servings. If DH or I purchase something for a meal on our day, we are expected to "own" our leftovers, meaning that the buyer is responsible for using or freezing the item before it goes bad. Stuff like sliced cheese we can agree to "share" with DH putting a slice on a burger and me putting a slice on a fried egg sandwich.

Some things, like bean soup or lamb curry or the Thanksgiving turkey breast, obviously produce leftovers which are immediately packaged for the freezer and go on the inventory. Those "leftovers" give us a great night off from full-on cooking. Saturday I'm going to grill a boneless leg of lamb which will probably make a total of 3-4 meals for us.