# On the subject of leftovers



## GotGarlic (Sep 18, 2016)

I came across this article about the history of leftovers, presented as a function of abundance. Before refrigeration was common, and especially for the poor, there was no such thing. 

I always find it odd when I hear about people who don't like leftovers. I love them, for the most part. I eat them for breakfast or repurpose them for dinner. 

What are your thoughts? 

An Economic History of Leftovers - The Atlantic


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## blissful (Sep 18, 2016)

I always cook with leftovers in mind because it 1) saves me from messing up even more dishes to wash and put away, 2) we eat on different shifts so it allows for separate meals, 3) we eat different kinds of diets so it allows for mix/match of what we each eat, 4) it allows me to freeze 'dinners' for DH to take to work in a wide variety.
And 5) there are certain meals that taste better after refrigeration or freezing, like tomato based dishes, some stews, some curries.

Is it really a leftover if it only makes it to the table once? Are they then called intentional leftovers or just cooking in larger quantities?


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## expatgirl (Sep 18, 2016)

well I have two thoughts......GG.......hope you don't mind the abbreviation.....

my father was a child from the depression and from a family of 5 boys and a sister.....they did without a lot especially meat growing up..he joined the army when he was 19  and it was  one of his proudest accomplishments that he could put meat  on  the table  every night of the week.....he did `not want to see leftovers.......cause my grandmother made do with whatever she had and if it meant boiling bones and serving the broth with bread that's what they went with.......`i've heard this about other depression children........

`me on the other hand am always happy to go with leftovers......but then again it's not broth and bread forever............all `i remember is my grandmother saying how hard times were back then.........they must have been during the depression..........


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## GotGarlic (Sep 18, 2016)

expatgirl said:


> well I have two thoughts......GG.......hope you don't mind the abbreviation.....



Not at all  Others do the same. 



expatgirl said:


> my father was a child from the depression and from a family of 5 boys and a sister.....they did without a lot especially meat growing up..he joined the army when he was 19  and it was  one of his proudest accomplishments that he could put meat  on  the table  every night of the week.....he did `not want to see leftovers.......cause my grandmother made do with whatever she had and if it meant boiling bones and serving the broth with bread that's what they went with.......`i've heard this about other depression children...



I should have qualified my statement a bit. I do understand the pride that depression-era children would have in being able to provide fresh food every day. I was thinking about younger people who have always pretty much lived with abundant food available.


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## roadfix (Sep 18, 2016)

I have a friend who has a thing with leftovers.    He will not touch them whatsoever.


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## Dawgluver (Sep 18, 2016)

We live on leftovers.  Even though we're only two, I have a tendency to cook for at least eight.  Things just seem to grow out of the pot.

I also have some friends who won't eat leftovers.  I was horrified watching a friend scraping all the perfectly good food into the trash after a get-together.


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## Steve Kroll (Sep 18, 2016)

My daughter is one of those who is kind of weird about leftovers. I just don't get it myself. I don't know how many times I've eaten out with her, and ended up taking both of our leftover meals home in doggy bags.

On the other hand, I often make entire meals with the idea that I'll be enjoying leftovers for a few days. I like to think of it as a gift that keeps on giving.


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## CraigC (Sep 18, 2016)

Chili, nuff said! Definitely think of another meal  that will use leftovers quite often. Instead of one pan of lasagna, make two and freeze one for another time and eat the leftovers from the first one for breakfast or lunch. Should we count purposely cooking a large quantity of say chicken (like we are doing today) and use it in several different recipes?


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## roadfix (Sep 18, 2016)

And often times leftovers taste even better than the time they were prepared and served.


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## Katie H (Sep 18, 2016)

I'll begin at the beginning.

Both my parents were children during the Depression and I'm sure they experienced all manner of corner-cutting and frugality.

Even though my father's occupation would have allowed us to live quite comfortably, we still ate as though pennies had to be pinched.  As far as leftovers went growing up, we rarely had any.  Largely because there were 5 children who were food vacuums.

Okay, on to my brood.  I just thought my siblings were food vacuums.  They were a broom at cleaning up food compared to my group that ate like magicians.  Everything disappeared before our eyes.  As a bit of info, two of the boys, by age 13, were 6'4" and 6'6".  They were, literally, bottomless pits.

I'd serve supper about 6 p.m. and, by 7 or so, one of them would be scanning the refrigerator for a likely victim for a "snack."  It was like running a mess hall.  It was even more challenging when the children got older and brought home friends to eat with us.  "Mom always makes plenty!"  Imagine that.

The only time I've been able to see leftovers is after the nest became empty and that was a real eye-opener.  The youngest will be 42 in a month or so, which means the nest has been empty for a long time.

But, leftovers....Boy, oh, boy, am I the queen of leftovers.  I still haven't learned how to pare down my years of quantity cooking.  I'm getting better and I'm so glad Glenn likes encores of many of our meals.  Buck didn't particularly care for reruns, so this is a different world for me.

I agree with some who have said that making large amounts of dishes and dividing and conquering (freezing) makes sense.  Especially with something that requires a lot of prep and time to get to the end product.  Make one big mess and devote a block of time and you're set for several times.

I also concur that many things _are_ better a day or so later.  The herbs/spices get friendlier and the food takes on another depth of flavor.

Long about the end of August/first part of September, I look for opportunities to have leftovers that can be frozen.  I know from experience how busy things can get prior to the holidays and it's a good feeling to have something in reserve.

I, too, don't understand the casual throwing away of perfectly good food.  One of Glenn's daughters is as someone described in an earlier post.  Just scrape it into the garbage.

We visited her and her family last month and filet mignon was served the first night.  There were 6 at the table.  Many ate their whole meal.  Others did not.  I was one who nearly finished, but had plans on snacking on my piece of steak cold for lunch the following day, along with the sides I couldn't finish.  I like it cold steak.

I didn't get an opportunity to retrieve my piece of beef, nor did anyone else because as the table was cleared, everything on the plates went into the trash.  And...they have doggies.  If I had been Fido and witnessed that act of dog abuse, I'd have been pissed.

Personally, I really like leftovers, especially for lunch.  Glenn teases me about a line I use as I clear the dinner table and there's just a dab of this or a dab of that.  I'll put it together, in portions, in a bowl or on a plate and say, "This will be a _good lunch_."  Now, he's saying it.

Never have any bits and pieces of frozen veggies in the freezer.  When there's a scant amount left, it joins another bag with a similar quantity.  Others get in on the fun and, pretty soon, there are enough mixed veggies to throw into a pot of soup or such.

Even though I didn't grow up with a "waste not, want not" household philosophy, I've just always applied to that way of doing things.  And it goes beyond food for me.  Glenn just shakes his head when I rescue something from the trash to morph it into another use.  I think he used to think I was weird.  Now he _knows_ I'm weird.  He's quit saying, "Why are you taking that useless thing out of the trash?"


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## Addie (Sep 18, 2016)

roadfix said:


> And often times leftovers taste even better than the time they were prepared and served.



Like stews.

My mother was a child growing up during the depression also. They had a farm so food wasn't in short supply as much as other families in the neighborhood. She told me that so many times they would see a kid or even a grownup in their garden stealing a veggie of some kind. Her parents never tried to stop them as they understood. That is one reason they planted more than they needed or could use. 

But they did move the chicken house and fenced yard closer to the home. And they put a lock on the chicken house door. That seemed to work along with the alarm raised by the family dog that slept right next to the hen house.


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## dragnlaw (Sep 18, 2016)

I've been trying really hard to adjust my meals and recipes down to at least for two.  The thought being I would have tomorrows' ready and sitting there as mostimes adjusting to one just doesn't work.

To divide it evenly (because I could never judge what was half going onto the plate and what was half left in the pot)  I would dish out the 2nd plate right then and there, let it cool, and put in the fridge.

Rarely happens..  by 9 pm the 2nd plate has been gobbled up 

On the few occasions it makes it overnight, I have it for breakfast, then make another full meal for that night's supper...  

I've gained 30 pounds..


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## LizStreithorst (Sep 18, 2016)

Excellent article.  I loved the history of what folks thought about leftovers at different times, and why.  When folks are poor their ain't no such a thing as leftovers.  When they started having money leftovers weren't good enough.  (we never has left overs when I was growing up).

I learned to cook because I had no choice.  I never thought that I would come to enjoy it!  It was either drive far and pay a lot for a good meal, eat crap, or learn to do it myself.  I'm 65 and I've only been really cooking for 7 years.  Is that not something?

I discovered the beauty of leftovers because I cook only for myself and always have them if I make a pot of anything.  I was surprised that what I made was even better the next day and better than that the 3rd day.  After 3 days it goes into the freezer.  

I'm making Balsamic chicken in the crock pot for dinner.  I won't eat it tonight though.  I'll have a stuffed pepper instead.  I know how much better the chicken dish will taste after it's flavors have melded for 24 hrs.

Leftovers Rule!


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## Whiskadoodle (Sep 18, 2016)

Pick a little parsley from the garden.  One sprig. For a plate garnish.  Here's another juicy looking stem.  And another.  O Look. Here's a full bouquet of parsley.   I Am Incapable Of Cooking  less than 4 servings.  

I am pretty good, getting better at,  re-purpose, change ups and combining ingredients for planned over meals.  My initial dilemma is what to make in the first place.  I think it's pretty easy to repeat the same or make into something  else.  Luckily  I like leftovers.


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## CakePoet (Sep 18, 2016)

I grew up with a grandmother,  who starved  due to  a few years of bad harvest and the first world war, yes Sweden wants part of it and still people died due to it.  Sweden didnt care about  the people up North and hardly any aid came there.  So my grandmother was  amazing  doing something out of nothing. Even after she became middle class house wife, she still kept up her style of cooking and money pinching.
My mum, who I also grew up with was horrible cook and well left overs meant torment most often but there are many Swedish recipes that are made with left overs and those she could do, so long as dad had made the dinner to start with. Yes, my father who I also grew up with was the chef and he is amazing man, he truly loved and cared for his mother in law, he used to bike home for work, just for having 15 min lunch with her  when she got older. Yes, he spent  35 minutes of his lunch on bike. He learned how to cook from his father and a his  fathers family, they where paper mill worker, they had enough  not more and  grandfather hunted and fished and was amazing with just  getting the most of everything.

Even though my mum and dad  children of times of plenty,  yes they where born  the same year  WWII ended , grew up in a Sweden with a working  industry in a war torn Europe.  They had money, they had hope and still it became some for of pride taking care of left over and live green.  

Left overs in Sweden is most often next day lunch, that is most workers have with them.

So with all of that in  my culinary back pack, I use up all my left overs,  lunch box to  husband,  lunch for me, made into new dinners.

And I never understood people who dont eat left overs,  it same food as yesterday and if it was yummy then it will be great the day after.  I even serve my guest left overs, with out them knowing.


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## Andy M. (Sep 18, 2016)

Thanks for the article, GG. I learned something from it.

Large batches of food intentionally prepared for freezing for future meals (pasta sauces, chili, etc.) are different from leftovers. That is, unless you plan to eat the same meal day after day after day until it's all gone.

To me, leftovers are less than a full meal amount of a dinner.  In our home it usually ends up as lunch.  More often than not, my lunch.  Some recipes I prepare don't freeze well but are enough for a second meal so they get eaten a couple of days later.  

I look at leftovers not from the economical perspective but from the perspective of a lazy person who gets a chance to avoid cooking a new meal for a night.


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## Cooking Goddess (Sep 18, 2016)

Interesting article, GG. Thanks for sharing. I, too, am the progeny of Depression-era parents. Mom was so good at squeezing the buffalo that the poor critter pooped dimes. I had no choice but to absorb frugality in many areas of life, and for that I roundly thank Mom. (Thanks, Mom.  )




Dawgluver said:


> We live on leftovers.  Even though we're only two, I have a tendency to cook for at least eight....


Seems there is more of that going around...:



Steve Kroll said:


> ...On the other hand, I often make entire meals with the idea that I'll be enjoying leftovers for a few days. I like to think of it as a gift that keeps on giving.





Andy M. said:


> ...I look at leftovers not from the economical perspective but from the perspective of a lazy person who gets a chance to avoid cooking a new meal for a night.



^This!!!^ *Steve* and *Andy*. I love to putter in the kitchen, relish making a from-scratch meal from all kinds of non-processed ingredients. BUT it is time-consuming. And tiring. Not always, but the last thing I want to do is "make dinner" when I've spent a considerable amount of the day running errands or doing loads and loads of laundry, or gardening...which I think of doing more often than actually do... But when I know one of those busy days is lurking down the calendar, I do *plan* having food left over so that I can skip cooking that day. Sometimes they are more lifesavers and less leftovers.


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## Zagut (Sep 21, 2016)

Interesting article GG. Thanks. 

In this house there is no such thing as leftovers.

Some way, Some how it's going to be used. 

Some meals are prepared with future use of items planed for future meals.

If not planed they will alter what's fixed in the future until they are consumed.

I was raised with the waste not want not philosophy. 

But in our house of 3 hungry boys and 1 girl we usually finished it all and looked for more. 
Not to mention my father was no slouch in the consumption department.


One night there was one pork chop left on the serving platter.
The lights went out.
When they came back on there were 5 forks stuck in the back of my fathers hand. 


Re thinking it my original statement isn't true. 
I do find some condiments and such that have stayed too long in the fridge for me to trust them. (Especially if they are green and fuzzy.) 
They are leftover but I view them more as waste. 
And I hate waste.


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## rodentraiser (Sep 21, 2016)

Zagut said:


> One night there was one pork chop left on the serving platter.
> The lights went out.
> When they came back on there were 5 forks stuck in the back of my fathers hand.



Oh, hey! I just read that one in a book, except it was Chinese women and chopsticks trying to get one leftover dumpling! 


Shopping and cooking for one, I don't think I've ever cooked a single meal that didn't have leftovers of some kind. I sort of like it. If I make meatloaf, for instance, I know the night I take the leftovers out of the freezer I'm not going to have to cook. All I do is put the meatloaf in some foil and heat it up. 

It's a pain when I shop though. I have to cut up and freeze the meat in separate bags, so I'll end up with 4 bags of hamburger, 5 bags of chicken legs, 2 bags of pork roast, etc. It's the one thing I just hate doing and I don't know why. And I'm still not separating meat into separate portions. Each time I do a pork roast, for instance, I'm still making enough for 2 or 3 meals. 

So I don't look on leftovers as leftovers - to me, they're just another meal.

I forgot to add, since I get food stamps, every penny for food goes to food and the only times I've ever thrown anything out is when I've experimented with a meal and it ended up being inedible. Believe me, I don't do that often. I'll budget my food like some people budget money, like eating something cheap for a number of days so I can afford something more expensive. But whichever way I go, I know I need to have enough food to last me till the next month. So to me, throwing out any food is like a sin. It just isn't done except in extreme cases.


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## GotGarlic (Sep 21, 2016)

rodentraiser said:


> Each time I do a pork roast, for instance, I'm still making enough for 2 or 3 meals.



A one-serving pork roast is a pork chop


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## expatgirl (Sep 22, 2016)

My hubby and I love leftovers...........we have a local Turkish restaurant that serves the best whole grilled fish ever (whatever is caught fresh that day) along with some calamari, salads, etc., and the best Turkish bread that you could wear as an apron it's so large......anyway.........we always have enough leftovers to make fish tacos the next 2 days.........to die for.......


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## blissful (Sep 22, 2016)

When you think about it, EVERY PRE-prepared food you buy, like Stouffer's Mystery Meat patties in gravy in your frozen food's department, is LEFTOVERS from Stouffers. So some of our food supply (if you buy that stuff) is already leftovers when you buy it.

I read a story (a long time ago) that when the companies that make cake mix first came out, the cake mixes were made with everything but water. What they found was that housewives couldn't take 'credit' for making the cake if they only added water. They needed to have some ownership in the making process. So the cake mix company left out some ingredients (eggs, oil) which gave the housewives some ownership in the assembly of it. That way, the housewife could say SHE made the cake. Essentially, because the housewife added some new ingredients. When is a piece of cake considered a leftover? 

When is something a leftover? It appears that leftovers can go through the magical process of having something new added to them or heated, and they become new food. Another magical transformation of new food into leftover food, is food that is transported from one venue to another (served at the birthday party at the office, then brought home).

I think the word leftovers has a fuzzy definition, often subjective, defined by each individual.


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## GotGarlic (Sep 22, 2016)

blissful said:


> When you think about it, EVERY PRE-prepared food you buy, like Stouffer's Mystery Meat patties in gravy in your frozen food's department, is LEFTOVERS from Stouffers. So some of our food supply (if you buy that stuff) is already leftovers when you buy it.
> 
> I read a story (a long time ago) that when the companies that make cake mix first came out, the cake mixes were made with everything but water. What they found was that housewives couldn't take 'credit' for making the cake if they only added water. They needed to have some ownership in the making process. So the cake mix company left out some ingredients (eggs, oil) which gave the housewives some ownership in the assembly of it. That way, the housewife could say SHE made the cake. Essentially, because the housewife added some new ingredients. When is a piece of cake considered a leftover?
> 
> ...



No, sorry. "Leftovers" has a definition: food that has not been finished at a meal and that is often served at another meal
: a thing that remains after something is finished or ended
Leftover | Definition of Leftover by Merriam-Webster

People making up their own definitions only leads to confusion and miscommunication. Bad bad bad! 

A purchased frozen dinner is not left over; it's not left from something else that has been consumed.

A whole cake is not left over, no matter how it was prepared. After it's served, whatever remains is a leftover. (I read that story, too. The marketing of food is pretty interesting.) 

When people make four servings for two people, that's often a planned leftover. It's still left over from the previous meal.

Leftovers that are transformed into a new meal, i.e., extra meat from tacos put on a taco salad the next day, are still leftovers.


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## blissful (Sep 22, 2016)

I hear you GG. I'd say though that if you are the second person getting served a piece of cake, since it was already served once, you are getting leftovers.  It's fuzzy, it's subjective, it depends on the person defining it.


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## GotGarlic (Sep 22, 2016)

blissful said:


> I hear you GG. I'd say though that if you are the second person getting served a piece of cake, since it was already served once, you are getting leftovers.  It's fuzzy, it's subjective, it depends on the person defining it.



No, it's not. Leftovers are "food that has not been finished at a meal." A second, or sixth, or 50th, piece of cake served at the same meal/event is not a leftover, anymore than a second helping of roast beef is a leftover. It's not a leftover till the meal/event is over and it has been put away.

Why do you want it to be subjective?


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## blissful (Sep 22, 2016)

GG, 

Why do I want it to be subjective? I see it as subjective because the definition is not particularly precise and some people won't have anything to do with anything they consider leftovers, that food that wasn't first prepared and served at the first meal, to them (sometimes they are too good to have to consider eating such a thing as leftovers). Others, don't even consider that same food, leftovers. So some people consider it one thing, others another, hence the subjective definition. You've got the "YUCK LEFTOVERS" crowd with the "YEAH, my frozen dinner is heated and smells wonderful" crowd, and it's the same food.

By that definition, if I freeze my portions of food for frozen take-away dinners, before serving the two servings I made for that night, it's not left overs.
If I serve two servings for dinner, leaving the rest sit on the stove, then after the meal freeze the rest for take-away frozen dinners to be eaten in the future, it's leftovers.

I, for instance, plan to cook for 6-8-12, planned leftovers for a family of 2. We don't consider them leftovers at all, not at first, and not the frozen portions made for take along dinners.


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## expatgirl (Sep 22, 2016)

a leftover is what you think a leftover is.......does it get eaten or not eaten......that is the question........that you would take the time  to save it  shows that it was worth being eaten at a later date.........whether that same day, 3 hours later or the next day........or 3 days later..........


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## GotGarlic (Sep 22, 2016)

blissful said:


> GG,
> 
> Why do I want it to be subjective? I see it as subjective because the definition is not particularly precise and some people won't have anything to do with anything they consider leftovers, that food that wasn't first prepared and served at the first meal, to them (sometimes they are too good to have to consider eating such a thing as leftovers). Others, don't even consider that same food, leftovers. So some people consider it one thing, others another, hence the subjective definition. You've got the "YUCK LEFTOVERS" crowd with the "YEAH, my frozen dinner is heated and smells wonderful" crowd, and it's the same food.



And that's okay. The "YUCK LEFTOVERS" crowd will throw it away, so there are no leftovers.



blissful said:


> By that definition, if I freeze my portions of food for frozen take-away dinners, before serving the two servings I made for that night, it's not left overs.
> If I serve two servings for dinner, leaving the rest sit on the stove, then after the meal freeze the rest for take-away frozen dinners to be eaten in the future, it's leftovers.



Yup. The definition doesn't change, no matter what you consider it


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## GotGarlic (Sep 22, 2016)

expatgirl said:


> a leftover is what you think a leftover is.......does it get eaten or not eaten......that is the question........that you would take the time  to save it  shows that it was worth being eaten at a later date.........whether that same day, 3 hours later or the next day........or 3 days later..........



Leftovers are not always eaten. If food from one meal is put away for another meal, it's leftovers, whether or not it's eaten or it's left there long enough to go bad and then thrown away.


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## Caslon (Sep 22, 2016)

Nitrogen gas. Isn't that what they shoot into salad bags and other food products to extend their shelf life?  Forget FoodSaver. Some entrepreneur should come out with a product on QVC that puts a blast of nitrogen gas into containers.  What do you think keeps bagged salads and other products on the shelf longer?  Nitrogen gas.  I want something like that, even tho it's not  been invented yet.


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## Uncle Bob (Sep 22, 2016)

I have a hog tied to a large oak tree behind my house. My goal each day is to starve that hog to death. There is no telling how many hogs I've staved...hundreds, maybe thousands. That's my position on left over food. 











Oh, for the record the hog is imaginary...not a real hog.


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## rodentraiser (Sep 25, 2016)

GotGarlic said:


> A one-serving pork roast is a pork chop



The way I make it, it's a mini pork roast.


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## Addie (Sep 26, 2016)

For me the two best leftovers are stew of any kind and pasta with leftover sauce. With or without the meat. 

My favorite would have to be leftover beef stew.


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## expatgirl (Sep 26, 2016)

don't forget pinto beans......from the proud state of Texas!!!...the longer they marinate the better they taste!


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## CharlieD (Sep 26, 2016)

expatgirl said:


> `me on the other hand am always happy to go with leftovers......but then again it's not broth and bread forever............all `i remember is my grandmother saying how hard times were back then.........they must have been during the depression..........



Well, living in Kazakhstan, you probably could tell your grandma how hard times were then. Hope not for you, but I am sure for some native people.


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## expatgirl (Sep 26, 2016)

trust me Charlie.........`i really heard a lot of hardship stories of starvation and deprivation....it would make your heart break and `i'm sure that yours has............and that's not to factor in the government intervention of intimidation..........`i can only imagine what you and your family might have gone through


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## expatgirl (Sep 26, 2016)

`i'm really sorry, Charlie D.............


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## expatgirl (Sep 26, 2016)

`i just remember the old ladies selling pickles, etc, so bent and weathered.......on the roadside.........`i always bought from them..........who can pass up huge pickles with garlic packed in with them.............`i would give them twice what they asked for..........had to beat them off trying to give me change..........


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## CharlieD (Sep 26, 2016)

honestly, outside of army we were ok. My mother was a genius when it came to find foods. Me, well, I was not as good, but I tell I did have my ways to find good piece of meat or salami, not sure if I am allowed to say here what i had to do for that salami.


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## CharlieD (Sep 26, 2016)

But on the subject of leftovers. I am the garbage disposal in the family. I will eat anything. Like right now I found 2 weeks old chicken. Still tastes good.


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## expatgirl (Sep 27, 2016)

`you definitely have stamina, Charlie, if you can eat 2 week old chicken and a great immune system.........good for you!


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## CharlieD (Sep 27, 2016)

expatgirl said:


> `you definitely have stamina, Charlie, if you can eat 2 week old chicken and a great immune system.........good for you!




Growing up some times we were lucky to have garbage scraps. Builds up stamina really fast.


Sent from my iPad using Discuss Cooking


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## expatgirl (Sep 27, 2016)

same in Egypt...........you built up immunities to a lot of wee beasties........`i lived with an amoeba for years.......the medicine  which was a poison literally was worse than living with it........so `i lived with it for years.........eventually my doctor said `i must have `'discarded`' it the natural way........


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## Addie (Sep 27, 2016)

CharlieD said:


> Growing up some times we were lucky to have garbage scraps. Builds up stamina really fast.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Discuss Cooking



Charlie, I think most of us are familiar with Russia's "five year plans," "seven year plans", but did any of them ever succeed? And was your family ever the beneficiary of all the grain the US sent to Russia when the "Plans" failed?


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## Justice O. (Sep 27, 2016)

I almost always cook with leftovers in mind. I makes a quick meal the next day or a great packed lunch for work.


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## CharlieD (Sep 27, 2016)

Officially we never used your grain. Officially it was of inferior quality. Maybe only good for animals. Plans "of course we're successful " we used  to finish them in a year or two. We work so fast. The rest 3 years we did nothing. And got paid accordingly. 


Sent from my iPhone using Discuss Cooking


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## CharlieD (Sep 27, 2016)

expatgirl said:


> same in Egypt...........you built up immunities to a lot of wee beasties........`i lived with an amoeba for years.......the medicine  which was a poison literally was worse than living with it........so `i lived with it for years.........eventually my doctor said `i must have `'discarded`' it the natural way........



You lived in Egypt? Wow 



Sent from my iPhone using Discuss Cooking


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## Cheryl J (Sep 27, 2016)

Like a few others here, I cook for one. There's almost always leftovers.  Some are accidental leftovers, but many are planned.  I grill often and there's no way I'm going to grill, for example, one or two chicken thighs for one meal.  Even when I'm grilling a big thick rib eye, I usually throw some veggies on the grill to make the best use of the coals.  

About the only things I throw out if I don't eat it all in one meal are veggie salads, fruit salads, and fish. I don't expect fish to reheat well, but I've been known to nibble on a piece of leftover fish the next morning if I especially liked it the night before. 

edited...I wouldn't call a cake or pie 'leftovers' though...in my mind leftovers are from a meal and not a dessert.  Just like I wouldn't consider a carton of ice cream from the freezer leftovers if a scoop had been taken out of it.


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## expatgirl (Sep 28, 2016)

Cheryl, `i'm not going to say all fish is best reheated, but if you put it on a preheated hot pizza stone ``(with parchment paper) it's pretty good.........nothing to lose......\\\and `i agree with the rest


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## expatgirl (Sep 28, 2016)

CharlieD said:


> You lived in Egypt? Wow
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Discuss Cooking




We lived there for 7 years.........best 7 years of our lives........back in the 90's.........so much to see and do there it was unbelievable......and the local people were so nice and friendly...........if you even tried to mangle their Arabic which `i did and with finesse they were flattered....just caused you tried....   `i'm not sure it's the same anymore........`i've been told by others it's s= changed a lot............gawd, `i'm going to throw this computer away.......it's driving me crazy!  `i can tell you, the experience forever changed my children's lives.........they came in contact with children from all over the world, different cultures, languages, mores, etc........my daughter was so impressed that she studied Arabic in college.......`i will never forget the wonderful,  local friendly people we met........


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## Addie (Oct 1, 2016)

CharlieD said:


> Officially we never used your grain. Officially it was of inferior quality. Maybe only good for animals. Plans "of course we're successful " we used  to finish them in a year or two. We work so fast. The rest 3 years we did nothing. And got paid accordingly.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Discuss Cooking



I understand every bit, officially of course.


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## Mad Cook (Oct 14, 2016)

GotGarlic said:


> I came across this article about the history of leftovers, presented as a function of abundance. Before refrigeration was common, and especially for the poor, there was no such thing.
> 
> I always find it odd when I hear about people who don't like leftovers. I love them, for the most part. I eat them for breakfast or repurpose them for dinner.
> 
> ...


In the middle ages left-overs from the banquets of the rich were given to the poor. Today we throw them away (well, I don't but lots of people do). 

Something wrong there I feel, given that "the poor are always with us".

As I live alone and most recipes don't work when down-sized to a portion for one, I tend to make enough for two and have the dish for dinner one night and the left-overs/second helping for lunch the following day. If the recipe doesn't work for two I put portions three and four into the freezer.


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## dragnlaw (Oct 14, 2016)

I feel, as others have already stated, they are not "leftovers" if made with the intention, for example, of purposely splitting what was made to serve two (or more) meals.

It might be splitting fine hairs but perhaps you could call them 'leftovers' when you stare at them and say...  "hmmm, what can I make to finish this dish up..."


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