Joe21
03-22-2009, 12:49 PM
I am the chief cook at our residence and but make no claims to possessing any unusual culinary skills. As most of you are well aware, there are always "leftovers" and I have an aversion to throwing out good food. If I plan to throw it out, I usually let it sit in the refrigerator until I run out of space. But, back to the leftovers. I reheat those dishes and serve them again. After a couple of times from the refrigerator to the table the leftovers are renamed "angel food" because they have been blessed so many times.
Now for "down-sizing". In one of our cabinets are what looks to be 50 - 60 plastic containers of various sizes. The left-overs go in one of these containers. Choosing the size that is just right for the amount of each particular left-over demands a degree of skill equal to that of a brain surgeon. But that's the easy part. Finding the lid to fit the container is somewhat akin to looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack. I estimate that it's at least 83.29% luck. Well, we've finished the next meal and there are still left-over left-overs. Now we can downsize to a smaller container and repeat the above process. If we can continue to downsize after every meal, that is a good indication the food was still good or the diners taste buds are no longer functioning properly. If, after a couple of meals, we discover there is no need to downsize, it's time to throw the remainder in the garbage disposal.
Storing leftover food items in the refrigerator requires some sort of system that will keep certain items out of sight and out of mind until they reach the stage that causes our sense of smell to jump off the scale. Here is how we accomplish this trick. Each day, as we place the leftover items in the refrigerator (the lower shelf is always the best one), we push the contents already in the fridge further to the rear. After several days the lower shelf is completely filled. With a little skill, I can use this system to hide stuff in the fridge that no one can ever find until age creates a stink.
Yes, cooking can be fun and further joy comes from sharing secrets from the kitchen with other culinary enthusiasts.
Now for "down-sizing". In one of our cabinets are what looks to be 50 - 60 plastic containers of various sizes. The left-overs go in one of these containers. Choosing the size that is just right for the amount of each particular left-over demands a degree of skill equal to that of a brain surgeon. But that's the easy part. Finding the lid to fit the container is somewhat akin to looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack. I estimate that it's at least 83.29% luck. Well, we've finished the next meal and there are still left-over left-overs. Now we can downsize to a smaller container and repeat the above process. If we can continue to downsize after every meal, that is a good indication the food was still good or the diners taste buds are no longer functioning properly. If, after a couple of meals, we discover there is no need to downsize, it's time to throw the remainder in the garbage disposal.
Storing leftover food items in the refrigerator requires some sort of system that will keep certain items out of sight and out of mind until they reach the stage that causes our sense of smell to jump off the scale. Here is how we accomplish this trick. Each day, as we place the leftover items in the refrigerator (the lower shelf is always the best one), we push the contents already in the fridge further to the rear. After several days the lower shelf is completely filled. With a little skill, I can use this system to hide stuff in the fridge that no one can ever find until age creates a stink.
Yes, cooking can be fun and further joy comes from sharing secrets from the kitchen with other culinary enthusiasts.