Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People are spoiled. If you grew up poor, you don't hate leftovers.

This. It becomes ingrained when hating leftovers is not an option.

I've found it's often the other way around. I've seen it as a knee-jerk reaction to being forced to do it as a kid so much that it's considered a sign of their new affluence that they don't have to do that any more.

This is my DH.

I guess a lot depends on your finances, how you were raised + also what type of food would be eaten.

Personally there are many foods that test great the next day (and the next!) like Thanksgiving leftovers. Also, I love leftover pizza too.

But certain foods just taste gross the second time around and I prefer to throw it down the disposal vs. eating it just do I am not being wasteful.

Like Taco Salad..Yuck.

I've learned the key to left-overs is to be inventive in the way you re-use them. Simply presenting them the same way as the original dish is not often terribly appetizing. I grew up on left-overs because my mother would never dream of throwing anything away - it was considered a sacrilege in my house to waste food! I never loved them, but I never thought about throwing them out and wasting them. I just ate them. However, my husband was born and raised in Italy and over the years I have learned so much (and been amazed) from his family and friends about ways to re-use leftover food. With my cooking abilities it tends to be a soup or stew, but it's still really good and doesn't waste anything.

The other thing people should be doing is simply cooking the amount of food needed for that meal. It might be hard to do for a large party or lots of people, but for your nightly meals you should be able to know how much should be prepared!

I love eating leftovers from a restaurant for lunch the next day. It sounds cheesy, but I think about the good time I had the night before, the people I was with, and what we talked about.

Anonymous wrote:Ha! Ya'll "no leftover" people are crazy. Did you know that some foods actually taste better after a day or two, after the flavors have had a chance to combine? For example gumbo, collard greens (yum, just made a big batch and have been eating them for the last several days), stews, soups, and the list goes on!

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Agreed. Chili or stew or lasagna. All better the second time around.

Anonymous wrote:I'm a DW and I cook a fresh meal for all meals or we eat out. Mostly simple stuff on weeknights though I do like cooking elaborate meals at the weekends. Leftovers are gross

This is a child's explanation. As an adult who like to cook for her family, can you please explain why they are "gross". I assume you use serving utensils and are not just eating straight out of the pan. I could see how that would make the leftovers (and the original meal) "gross".

But that aside I guess a better question is this. Do you right size your portions so you don't have leftovers or do you actually throw out food?

Anonymous wrote:If this is you, what gives? My friend told me today that even if there is left over food. She won't re feed it to her family. Is this common? Seems so wasteful.

With some rare exception, leftovers gross me out. Period. As a result, we try not to overcook things. My DH will eat just about anything, however, so if there are leftovers, I know he will eat it.

Most good tastes better the second or third day. I love leftovers

OP, your friend sounds like a snob who is married to a snob, raising snobs.
My DH and I work on leftovers for our lunches--saves $$ by us not having to buy!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting. I've noted in my own personal life that men seem to be the most adamant against leftovers. Seems to be that way here, too. I wonder if its a biological thing where women are more open to leftovers.

+1 the only people I know who are adamant about leftovers are men.

It's because they aren't the ones doing the #%^*%} cooking and cleaning up every night.

In our house I usually cook and dh cleans. When he cooks, I clean. He just appreciates and craves a freshly made dinner every night. He isn't being difficult or inconsiderate. That is just the way he has been since I met him. Even before we became an item I noticed that he would rather boil spaghetti noodles every night and stir in fresh jarred sauce than boil a big batch once and reheat the next night. He just is not a leftover type of guy. It's more of a quirk than anything else.

Would never consider not eating leftovers.

Anonymous wrote:Interesting. I've noted in my own personal life that men seem to be the most adamant against leftovers. Seems to be that way here, too. I wonder if its a biological thing where women are more open to leftovers.

My DH LOVES left overs. Nothing better than a meat loaf sandwich for lunch the day after having meat loaf for dinner. Or, heating up a yummy chicken casserole for another lunch or dinner. He even likes left over salad - with dressing on it. Will not allow it to be thrown away.
There is very little he will not eat, and I appreciate this as the main cook in the family. As a result, I make extra nearly every time I cook to get a 2nd or 3rd meal for us.

Anonymous wrote:Ha! Ya'll "no leftover" people are crazy. Did you know that some foods actually taste better after a day or two, after the flavors have had a chance to combine? For example gumbo, collard greens (yum, just made a big batch and have been eating them for the last several days), stews, soups, and the list goes on!

Coming here to post the same thing. Anyone who knows anything about food knows this.

Anonymous wrote:I will not eat leftovers after they've been sitting out for awhile. We hosted a Father's Day BBQ and my mom was aghast when I wanted to throw out the potato salad and cole slaw that had been sitting out. Same with the bowl of hummus. If it was her house she would have scooped it right back into the container and put it back in the fridge.

I will cook things specifically with the intent of having it to eat the following day as well. Soups etc work well for this.

Very different situation.

I am the poster with the Sunday dinner example. When I do a large party, I also don't put all the food out at once . I refresh food as the day/evening progresses. That way things stay safely in the fridge until required and CAN be safely kept. That is basic food safety.

Anonymous wrote:If this is you, what gives? My friend told me today that even if there is left over food. She won't re feed it to her family. Is this common? Seems so wasteful.

Me- it's gross to me, even if the container hasn't been touched. I am the same way with anyone drinking from my glass, even my kids or DH. You touched it with your mouth so you can have it - its yours. Irrational I know, but that's one of my quirks and I am okay with that.

Wasteful? I do my share of not wasting in other areas of my life.