On the subject of leftovers

[expatgirl]

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.......

 

[blissful]

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.

 

[GotGarlic]

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.

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.

 

[blissful]

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.

 

[GotGarlic]

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?

 

[blissful]

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.

 

[expatgirl]

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..........

 

[GotGarlic]

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.

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

 

[GotGarlic]

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.

 

[Caslon]

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.

 

[Uncle Bob]

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.

 

[rodentraiser]

A one-serving pork roast is a pork chop

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

 

[Addie]

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.

 

[expatgirl]

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

 

[CharlieD]

`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.

 

[expatgirl]

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

 

[expatgirl]

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

 

[expatgirl]

`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..........

 

[CharlieD]

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.

 

[CharlieD]

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.