S/O: How do you feel about leftovers?

[alien_host]

And what about your significant other? I swear my DH can't stand leftover night! I mean he'll eat it but I sense that he isn't thrilled. I try to skip one or two nights before serving again.

I personally am generally OK with leftovers (heck I'll eat the same thing for lunch the next day even if I had it for dinner, if I really like it).

Leftovers generally consist of something I made a big batch of or maybe restaurant leftovers (like chinese). I try to maybe serve it a slightly different way - like the salsa in a crockpot chicken....one night with rice, the next time with torillas.

So how does your household feel about leftovers?

[egoldber]

We eat a lot of leftovers. DH does not like pasta as a leftover, but other than that he's OK. In fact, I think many foods taste better the next night, especially soups, stews and chilis.

[lizzywednesday]

Without leftovers some nights we'd have starved.

We'll also take leftovers as lunch food in a pinch.

I figure if I'm cooking enough food for 4 or 5 people, but it's only DH and I, wasting the cooked food is silly.

[WatchingThemGrow]

DH and I are fine with them. DS1(2) won't touch them the second night. DD(3.5) won't eat them the first night, but will the 2nd.

[AnnieW625]

grew up with them, they don't bother me at all. DH now he sometimes likes something different each night if he's eaten the prior night's meal for lunch earlier in the day. I understand that 100%. I can get like that too. Lasagne to me always tastes better the second or third night.

[Moneypenny]

I used to hate leftovers. Now, as a WOHM, they are my salvation and my entire meal plan revolves around them. DH and DD will eat pretty much anything, so that helps.

[fivi2]

I hate restaurant leftovers. hate them.

I used to dislike home-cooked leftovers, but I have mostly gotten over that. I still think some things are gross the next day, though.

I am most okay with soup, pasta (red) sauce, and casserole leftovers. with meat leftovers, I prefer to rework them, as you mentioned.

In my perfect world, I would eat very few leftovers. Dh is fine with them, for the most part.

[boolady]

I love leftovers. DH will take or leave them.

[C99]

hate them. eat them very rarely. my DH will eat them. but I try to make just enough that we're all full and there's nothing left over.

[alien_host]

I hate restaurant leftovers. hate them.


I feel like this sometimes too....when you see the congealed oil/butter it really is not appetizing! DH and I sometimes try to split a meal at a restaurant (like a pasta dish) and get an appetizer/salad so we don't have to deal with the leftovers.

I hate to waste food, but sometimes I can't face a leftover for a third night!

[SnuggleBuggles]

I tend to make just the right amount of food lately so don't have many leftovers. That is a good and bad thing. Too many leftovers don't get eaten (like 30%). But, I do eat them for lunch and dh eats them on the nights I have meetings.

Beth

[infomama]

We eat left overs (we don't eat out much at all so this pertains to home cooked meals) all the time and we like them. I try not to make more veggies/salad than I need for one meal because they don't go over well on leftover night..I tend to make fresh veggies/salad the next night.

[pinay]

I don't mind eating them, but DH tends to "forget" the leftovers (I think he just doesn't want to eat them!). I usually have leftovers for lunch as long as I liked it the night before and it's easy to transport to work.

[gatorsmom]

I will eat ANYTHING (well, except watermelon, horseradish or cucumbers). So, yes, I love leftovers. DH and the kids are ok with leftovers as long as it reheats well and it was something they really liked to begin with.

[infomama]

I will eat ANYTHING (well, except watermelon, horseradish or cucumbers)
Funny...I don't think my life would be the same without watermelon. That being said I know some people can't live without sushi or salmon and I cringe thinking about eating that stuff.

[pastrygirl]

My husband would prefer not to eat leftovers, but that's not an option right now. I cook three times per week. The first two meals last two dinners plus a lunch for me. The third meal is something quick and easy, and usually only leaves enough for me to have lunch the next day.

We used to cook every night, but I can't do that with two kids, and he doesn't get home early enough to make dinner anymore.

[mousemom]

We love left-overs here and normally plan for them. Most times when I cook, we get at least two meals out of it. Often, we'll eat something the first night it's made, have something else the next night for variety, and then eat the leftovers the following night. One thing we like to do is to get a frozen turkey or a ham when they are on sale (usually after the big holidays) and cook it on a random weekend. Then we'll eat it for a couple of meals and cut up and freeze the rest for future meals/recipes. Works great for quick dinners during the week.

[Corie]

Not a fan of leftovers.

[slworld]

DH will pretty much eat anything and I am lazy & don't like to cook so we do eat a lot of leftover (though I don't really like them. We rarely had leftovers growing up. My mom used to cook morning & evening even when she was WOH ... of course there is no way I can pull that off).

[mariza]

I think we would both prefer to not eat leftovers, but that is simply not possible in our house. We are all home together on Sundays and have a nice meal or go out to dinner. Mondays I am home and cook for me and the kids, DH gets home late so eats what is left. Tuesdays I generally spend several hours in the kitchen preping meals for the rest of the work week. I work Tues-Sat so generally I will make a big pot of chilli, chicken broccoli & ziti, lasagna or something else relatively easy that reheats well. Then I freeze half of what I make and serve the frozen half whenever I am not in the mood to cook such bulk dinners. So basically, half of our week we eat leftovers but if the kids don't want them they get spagetti or chicken nuggets instead. In the summer one of us will grill a big plate of chicken or beef have it for dinner, then the rest gets cut into strips and frozen. Then I will make other dishes with the leftovers (after thawing of course). Throw it over a salad or into some pasta, etc. then at least I only have to cook a little.

[mikeys_mom]

In our house everyone is fine with them. We always plan for leftovers. We eat home cooked meals pretty much every night and it is not realistic for us to cook a new meal from scratch every night.

I make foods that will taste fine for 2 nights in a row, so we typically cook 3 nights a week. It's never a big deal for us. Sometimes I will add a fresh vegetable, usually something steamed, if we finish all the veggies the first night.

DH loves taking leftovers for lunch. I prefer sandwiches for lunch.

[mommylamb]

We end up doing leftovers for lunch, but rarely dinner.

[MoJo]

DH loves leftovers, and I cook extra on purpose to have leftovers on hand. (He doesn't even think they need to be re-heated; if I offer to do so for him, he says, "I'm a guy!" I think that's gross!)

However, leftovers are rarely a future night's dinner, unless we just have too many leftovers that need to be used.

He loves leftovers for lunch (because he doesn't like high school cafeteria fare, which is the only option if he doesn't bring food from home.) And he frequently wants to eat when he arrives home, which is when I am just leaving for work, and dinner is a minimum of 3, usually 3 1/2 - 4, hours away.

As for me, many times I'm happy to have something available that can just be reheated, especially if I suddenly feel hungry. But I'm particular about textures, so there are some things I won't eat the next day.

So far, DD eats just about anything, and her preference is for anything that she doesn't have to wait for!

[bnme]

I mostly eat the leftovers for lunch. DH is not a fan so I try to avoid having too much leftover. Lasagna and pot roast are things we always have as leftover dinners. If I were working he would have to get used to leftovers more often.

[sunshine873]

Restaurant leftovers are almost always disgusting. Bleh. As for home leftovers, I hated them as a kid and still am not a huge fan. But, I'll eat them. Soups, lasagna, spaghetti are all fine leftover. I often try to re-purpose the leftovers into a different kind of meal. Then I feel like I'm eating something brand new! (a little self-psychology never hurt!)

[doberbrat]

I only cook 2x a week 3 at the very most. So we eat alot of leftovers. I also eat the same thing for lunch & dinner. So, generally, I cook on Sun, and eat that for lunch & dinner on Mon and Tue. On wed, I cook again and we eat that through Fri.

gets tiresome sometimes, but its cheaper and more time efficient so thats what we do. dh wont eat the same thing for lunch/dinner days on end so generally he doesnt eat lunch.

[smiles33]

as a WOHM, they are my salvation and my entire meal plan revolves around them. DH and DD will eat pretty much anything, so that helps.

:yeahthat: except that DH does all the cooking so I can focus on other tasks around the house. I grew up with a WOHM so we'd eat leftovers for lunch and dinner for 2 days straight sometimes.

ETA: I posted at the same time as doberbrat but that's exactly DH's cooking schedule. Saturday, Monday, and Wed. are his big cooking days.

[MamaSnoo]

I really like to cook, and prefer to eat at home. However, I don't have time to cook every day, so leftovers are essential. DH cannot cook beyond reheating, so it is a good thing that he does not mind leftovers. In fact, I might not have married him if he did not like leftovers! His only request is that we have the same meal as each other, which gets tricky if only 1 serving of something is left!

[m448]

Love 'em even restaurant leftovers. However I do tweak how I reheat stuff so I don't end up with dried up, charred leftovers kwim? It may seem fussy but if I can enjoy leftovers tasting just as fresh as first made then I'm willing to fuss.

I make many meals where the main protein is douled (like sauce for pasta, soups, etc.) where we keep family sized leftovers in the freezer in a foodsaver vacuum bag. If there is only enough left for a few individual sized servings I put those in the freezer also in foodsaver bags but smaller portions. Those are super handy to have for lunch or even a random night I don't want to cook. Hubby and I also love to have hot leftovers for lunch although the kids aren't crazy about them. I don't typically serve leftovers two nights in a row, usually revamp it with a different side dish another night.

[wendibird22]

We eat leftovers every week. We try to plan to cook a big meal on Saturday and Sunday that will give us leftovers. And pretty much everything is a candidate for leftovers...even pasta. We do less leftovers in the summer when we are grilling a lot. But in the fall and winter it's all about casseroles and crock pot dishes that get us several dinners and sometimes lunches too.

[crl]

I'm okay with leftovers but DH and DS aren't. And that makes me feel like the garbage disposal for food that isn't good enough for them. So, I try not have much in the way of leftovers. (I do make big batches of things sometimes and freeze most of it, but that's not quite the same as leftovers, yk?)

Catherine

[caleymama]

Love 'em. DH, DD2, and I are totally fine with them. DD1 probably wasn't fine with it the first time around, so she's even less fine with the leftovers. I agree with PPs that some stuff is even better on the 2nd or 3rd day.

[lmintzer]

Hate them! Only exceptions are soup and stew.

[mamicka]

I never realized that people could have such negative responses to left-overs until well into adulthood. So we don't mind leftovers at all.

[trentsmom]

We love leftovers. For some meals, I purposefully make more than enough since I think DH likes leftovers more than the meals themselves! :rotflmao: We usually don't eat leftovers at dinner, though, since we eat them for lunch and DH will eat them for a late-night snack. If I want to have a leftover dinner, I stick a note on it in the fridge so DH doesn't eat it.

[BelleoftheBallFlagstaff]

I eat them almost every other day. DH isn't loving it the 3rd night...

[MamaMolly]

I cook Mon., Tues, and Wed. we have 'leftover shmorgasboard' on Thursday and I'll either cook or we'll go out on Fri. or Sat. On Sunday DH will roast a chicken, so that means that one of my meals during the week is always left over chicken. Usually soup, pot pie, a casserole, what ever.

DH and I both think Leftover Shmorgasboard is kind of fun. I'd be perfectly happy eating cheerios for dinner, he's a meat-and-three kind of guy, so Thursdays we are both pretty happy with dinner.

This has been a supremely lazy cooking week for me. DH was out of town Monday night, his plane was so delayed he didn't get (chicken soup!) dinner last night, and tonight he came home to find both me and DD1 napping. He's cheerfully gone out to pick up something. I gotta hug his neck for this! :kisscheek:

[hillview]

Homemade left overs we like. DH is English, he's happy with anything :)
/hillary

[salsah]

dh doesn't like leftovers but since having kids, he's happy to have any food. he also doesn't like food going to waste so he would rather eat it than have it thrown out.

[s7714]

My DH hates leftovers. I don't mind them, except when I get stuck having to eat all of them because DH hasn't helped eat any! Actually leftovers are a friction point for me--I hate the fact we'll have loads of leftoevers in the fridge and DH will make himself something else for dinner because he doesn't feel like eating any of them. :irked:
ETA: It doesn't make much of a difference whether the leftovers are homemade or from restaurants--my DH still baulks at eating them.

[essnce629]

I LOVE leftovers!!!! I plan out three meals each week and the day after I've cooked a meal we eat the leftovers. So that's 3 meals, 3 days of leftovers, and then we usually go out or get take-out once a week. No way could I cook 6 completely different meals each week! Everyone in the family is fine with leftovers. If you don't like leftovers, what happens with the extra food? Does it just get thrown away????

[jgenie]

Both DH and I are fine with leftovers. There are a few things I prefer not to eat leftover but other things that I will eat repeatedly until they are gone. I didn't eat leftovers until after I was married. DH grew up in seeing true poverty first hand daily - he hates to throw food away so much so that he as been known to eat things I would have thrown out. After traveling to areas of poverty my views changed and I try not to be so picky about food.

[carolinamama]

Most things don't bother me and I like soups, stews, and chilis. But there are some dishes I just can't eat as leftovers. DH LOVES leftovers especially for lunch the next day. Things don't usually go to waste around here.

[JTsMom]

DH hates them, with very few exceptions, so usually I'll use them for lunch for DS and I. I don't love them, but can deal if it means not having to cook and mess up the kitchen! I can not eat re-heated chicken though, unless it's well hidden with gravy or sauce or something. Something about re-heating it makes it taste so strong or something.

[hellokitty]

Oh, leftovers are my best friend! I am a lazy mom. I usually cook dinners with extra to spare so that we have leftovers for lunch the next day. That way I don't have to sit there and wonder what we are going to do for lunch. There are few meals that I cook that don't taste well as leftovers, so it's never been a big deal, but I agree with others that restaurant leftovers taste gross, mostly b/c they use so much oil and butter that it just tastes greasy and soggy when you re-warm it. Oh and my DH loves leftovers! His mom is a horrible cook, so he loves that we actually have edible food around when he gets hungry he can poke around the fridge and have a meal if he wants to. My kids are ok with it too. To them leftovers is, "normal," b/c that's the way it's always been in our household. We actually do, "leftover buffet" sometimes in our household, when we have a lot of leftovers, and everyone just picks what they want.

[fivi2]

DH hates them, with very few exceptions, so usually I'll use them for lunch for DS and I. I don't love them, but can deal if it means not having to cook and mess up the kitchen! I can not eat re-heated chicken though, unless it's well hidden with gravy or sauce or something. Something about re-heating it makes it taste so strong or something.

:yeahthat: I always thought I was the only one in the world who thinks reheated chicken is terrible! I don't know what it is, but blech!

[DrSally]

I like em, if I liked the meal. Heck, I'll eat them for breakfast--fast and easy. I do know of people who just will not eat left overs.