What's so bad about leftovers???

DefyGravity

Mon, Jan 22 2007, 7:06 pm

I've seen this on Imamother and many other forums:
people throw away perfectly good leftovers from Shabbos.

I don't understand, if it's good enough for Shabbos, why is it suddenly tainted a day or so later? Is it some type of psychological thing that you feel the food is "bad" if it hasn't been cooked within 24 hours?

I'm 100% positive that if you went somewhere for a meal, and were served leftovers on the sly, that you wouldn't know the difference.

It's all in your head!!!!

I love Shabbos leftovers. Generally I'll make extra for shabbos so I don't have to cook so much during the week.

greenfire

Mon, Jan 22 2007, 7:52 pm

I do not in general like leftovers but I think it depends on exactly what it is. for example cholent never ever - chicken or meat or whatever we usually eat for Sunday dinner. Pasta I could eat anytime during the week and I'd be fine. But in general I do not like wasting food.

el2cg

Mon, Jan 22 2007, 8:17 pm

I guess we're spoiled. we can get fresh food anytime. actually, I grew up eating leftover shabbos food on sunday plus franks. I serve leftover chicken soup, kugel and gefilte fish. soup I always make for two days of the week. cutlets and pasta too!

SZ mother

Mon, Jan 22 2007, 8:31 pm

I agreee with greenfire....
Cholent for ME is a NO!!!! But sometimes my husbands asks me to put away for during the week, when it tastes delicious and there is a lot left....

But the rest oft he food is fine, for one or two more days.

mumoo

Mon, Jan 22 2007, 10:57 pm

SZ mother wrote:

I agreee with greenfire....
Cholent for ME is a NO!!!! But sometimes my husbands asks me to put away for during the week, when it tastes delicious and there is a lot left....

When there is a lot, I freeze it. Erev Shabbos, I plop the frozen block into the crock pot. Sometimes after a week it tastes even better than last time.

dr pepper

Mon, Jan 22 2007, 11:04 pm

Who wants to cook every night??? I always make at least double portions so we have enough to eat a day or two later.

I've been known to serve something for dinner, then give it to dh the next day for lunch, and then the day after that for dinner again. Some would say I'm cruel, I say I'm thrifty!

anon

Mon, Jan 22 2007, 11:47 pm

DefyGravity wrote:

I love Shabbos leftovers.

I don't love the taste, but I love not having to cook another supper. Therefore....

DefyGravity wrote:

Generally I'll make extra for shabbos so I don't have to cook so much during the week.

I do this as well. And lucky for me, dh will eat shabbas leftovers until the following Thursday night LOL

However, it usually won't go past monday night. [/quote]

Ruchel

Tue, Jan 23 2007, 6:45 am

I think it can be psychological, but sometimes leftovers just aren't as good as fresh food... and I don't like eating the same thing again and again...

mimsy7420

Tue, Jan 23 2007, 10:02 am

Dh happily eats leftovers, thank g-d. So it's less cooking for me. But some of my friends husbands REFUSE to eat leftovers. What

DefyGravity

Tue, Jan 23 2007, 10:04 am

I just don't understand not eating leftovers. If you make a large lasagna, you can only eat it that night? The next night it's tainted? You can never cook anything a few days in advance? Dinner always has to be cooked fresh that same day?

gryp

Tue, Jan 23 2007, 10:11 am

defy

I'm with you on that one. I used to throw out leftovers and it was terrible baal tashchis embarrassed

. now I make extra for shabbos to last into the week. and I try to make a double supper one night and freeze it for another.
now I love having leftovers because it's an easy lunch for my kids the next day, I dont have to prepare anything.
and leftover pasta is great- dump on sauce and cheese, turn it into a kugel or pasta salad. there are tons of things you can do.

chocolate moose

Tue, Jan 23 2007, 11:08 am

I don't know - my parents only cooked a couple nights a week to have leftovers.

In our house it's taboo and I end up freezing it or eating it for lunch.

It's hard way to live.

TzenaRena

Tue, Jan 23 2007, 11:22 am

my kids sometimes complain,because they want something different. but really, everyone loves leftover chicken soup. Between the leftover soup, chicken, kugels, fish and salads, I put together two suppers. By Tuesday I need to cook again. sometimes Monday.

farmom

Tue, Jan 23 2007, 6:21 pm

I try to repackage it so noone knows it's leftovers.
leftover chicken becomes a quick chicken stir fry or salad
leftover potatoe kugel becomes fried potatoes and eggs
leftover challah becomes french toast or croutons
leftover salmon goes into salad, etc

Of course, there's a limit to how many times you can recook something differently. and some things just don't go

My delicious mashed potatoes became potatoes patties, and when that didn't go over too well,
I was warned that they are not allowed to reincarnate again

sarahd

Wed, Jan 24 2007, 4:34 am

farmom, you sound like my mother. She always tried reincarnating leftovers - sometimes it just DID NOT GO. (She called them "cook-aheads", not leftovers, btw.)

My husband will eat leftovers for one day, max, then he thinks it must be spoiled already. I try to cook exactly what I think I'll need for Shabbos and will usually have enough leftovers for half a Sunday supper. During the week I freeze the leftovers and serve them another week.

I don't believe in throwing away edible food. (I have a SIL who throws away almost everything that comes off her table - salads, dips, kugels, fish, everything except maybe for deli meat. We were there for Shabbos a few weeks ago and I felt sick just watching her. My MIL, who suffered starvation and malnutrition during the war has an even harder time - and it's her daughter!)

shopaholic

Wed, Jan 24 2007, 10:19 am

Defy - I'm with you. I definitely think it's psychological. Cholent, ok, it congeals, but lasgna, chicken, hamburgers, meatballs. I almost always have leftovers. I made meatballs last week from 2lbs of meat, fed 3 adults & 3 kids & still have 19 meatballs leftover. that's what we're having tonight.

Before DH went on his diet, he would eat all the leftover salads from Shabbos (always my biggest leftover) but now I just make a couple of salads.

I can't imagine throwing away so much food. And I never make exactly enough. Never know when someone will want doubles, or someone has a friend over.