Do you recycle leftovers?

[Rosyrain]

After some meals we all have leftovers that usually end up in the refrigerator only to be reheated or thrown away. Are there any creative ways you have found to use your leftovers, like in a new imaginative dish? What are some of the ways you recycle your leftovers?

 

[Berties]

Always use leftovers at home ,some say cold roast beef minced makes the best mince for cottage pies!
Any veg and potatoes goes to bubble and squeak
But not a lot left over in our house with my sons eating for queen and country!

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

We don't have left overs. We only cook enough veg for that day. Anything else is not considered a left over, but usually a planned decision to eat the same meal two or even three nights in a row. So no leftovers ever. So tonight is a new night for food, and we will be cooking very shortly. What we have tonight will have veg added to it and then will also do tomorrow night reheated. It isn't a leftover because it is expected and planned and we always eat that way.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Sometimes.
Most of the time, I eat them up anyway to just get rid of them before starting something new.

 

[welsh dragon]

We don't have leftovers. Sometimes we cook too much of something so that we can do something else with it the next day, like potatoes and sprouts. Mix them together and fry them and you have bubble and squeak as its called in the UK. Add a fried egg, and say pork chop and you have a meal.

 

[Rosyrain]

We don't have leftovers. Sometimes we cook too much of something so that we can do something else with it the next day, like potatoes and sprouts. Mix them together and fry them and you have bubble and squeak as its called in the UK. Add a fried egg, and say pork chop and you have a meal.

That sounds good! I wonder if left overs is more of an American thing in which we cook and prepare too much food. I have left overs a lot, and half of them ended up going to waste until I started to get creative. It could be that you all are just much more smart than me with cooking portion control.

 

[Pat]

I use what leftovers we have to make soup. I do try to cook only what will be eaten for two days. I do like to have something the guys can warm up for themselves but not a lot of food in the refrig to be trown out. When there are a few days of food available I do not cook until it has been eaten.

 

[thegrey]

We have 6 people in our house, so not a lot of leftovers! LOL The most we have are on holidays, leftover ham, turkey, etc. I just throw the turkey into a baking dish with a few more ingredients, and make a big pot pie. The ham I put in a big pot of pinto beans, to make beans and ham. Yum!

 

[ChanellG]

Gosh, there are so many variations on this theme, lol. For instance, if I make a big thing of sauteed vegetables, I may use the leftovers the next morning for breakfast tacos. Especially if I have a tin of black beans on hand. I might also add cheese or shrimp or... as I said, so many possibilities.

 

[Morning Glory]

Usually my son or partner eats the leftovers next day as a snack. But recently, I discovered a wonderful way to use up left over roast lamb (should you ever have any!). Left over lamb is not that good eaten cold. It tends to be too fatty (at least, the cuts I use, do). The answer is Shepherds Pie! Left over lamb makes the best ever. Soften some chopped onion in oil. Cut the lamb into small dice. Add to onions. Sprinkle with flour and sautee a few minutes. Add stock (your choice) until you have thickened the mixture. Put in baking dish and top with mashed potatoes. Bake at 180 c for 25mins. The taste is so much better than when using minced lamb.

 

[Morning Glory]

We don't have leftovers. Sometimes we cook too much of something so that we can do something else with it the next day, like potatoes and sprouts. Mix them together and fry them and you have bubble and squeak as its called in the UK. Add a fried egg, and say pork chop and you have a meal.

Bubble and Squeak is brilliant stuff. Couldn't agree more. It needs that green element though - cabbage/sprouts etc.

 

[Berties]

Bubble and Squeak is brilliant stuff. Couldn't agree more. It needs that green element though - cabbage/sprouts etc.

Bubble and squeak is the food of legends! It's become a food staple,we make them from scratch at work ,with passed seasoned mash potato ,pancetta lardons and Savoy cabbage ,shape them with a ring cutter and then shallow fry them ,on the plate with a bed of baby spinach and some reduced stock add a perfect poached egg and garnish with a crispy bay leaf,

 

[Morning Glory]

Bubble and squeak is the food of legends! It's become a food staple,we make them from scratch at work ,with passed seasoned mash potato ,pancetta lardons and Savoy cabbage ,shape them with a ring cutter and then shallow fry them ,on the plate with a bed of baby spinach and some reduced stock add a perfect poached egg and garnish with a crispy bay leaf,

This sounds very similar to the way I make it (minus the pancetta). I love the ida of the crispy sage leaf. Why do you pass the mash, though, Berties? I find the 'stiffer' the mash, the better, otherwise I the bubble and squeak 'cakes' tend to fall apart.

 

[Morning Glory]

Sorry, Berties. I misread 'crispy bay leaf' as 'crispy sage leaf'. I've used crispy sage leaf in other dishes but I've never come across crispy bay leaf. Does crisping it up make it edible?

 

[Berties]

Sorry, Berties. I misread 'crispy bay leaf' as 'crispy sage leaf'. I've used crispy sage leaf in other dishes but I've never come across crispy bay leaf. Does crisping it up make it edible?

Any herb is edible ,and a sage leaf done ,in the same way is gorgeous but they do shrink more because of their high water content,deep fry quick drain and lightly salt ,Rosemary is nice as well !i use bay a lot as I have a massive bay tree
Another thing I deep fry are the wild garlic flowers but I run them through a little tempura