This here is a column about leftovers. No, the column is not an old, recycled one. It's all brand new, 100 per cent guaranteed fresh. The topic today is leftovers, as in food left over in the fridge or freezer. Are you a big fan of leftovers? Or are you like me and can't stand them?
OK, let me rephrase that. I would prefer my food to be fresh and straight out of an oven. Of course, that is not always plausible. Sometimes one just does not feel like cooking. And one can't always afford to go out for a meal. So what are you left with? Leftovers!
As a bachelor living alone it can be tough for shopping and cooking, particularly with meat purchases. It's often hard to get a single portion of chicken or beef. Even if you did, if you're going to make a big dish such as chili or stew or stir fry (some of my faves), well, it's just natural to want to make a big meal and store some leftovers in the fridge or freezer for later.
We've all seen those perfect people on their perfect YouTube channels all about how they "meal prep" by making big meals on Sunday for the rest of the week. Oh that looks like so much work. Probably why I didn't become a world-class bodybuilder or fitness model.
Don't get me wrong, some leftovers can be very good. Leftover Chinese food or pizza from a restaurant is amazing the next day heated up in the microwave. It may even be better the next day. Any leftover given to you by a family member or friend is automatically pretty amazing. I could eat those all week long.
I'm talking about those mystery containers that sit in the fridge for weeks and you're really not sure what the contents are. Mystery meat indeed. So many questions: how long have they been there? Are they safe to eat? What is it? Is it supposed to be moving?
And why do my containers never have matching lids? And if they do, the containers are either really huge or super tiny. OK, that's a column for another time.
So yes, I'm not a big fan of my own leftovers but I have a hack for that. Try to spice it by adding a fresh salad or pasta or pasta salad. That way it's like eating a new dish. If that doesn't work just remember how much money you're saving and the environment too probably.
- Craig Lindsay is the reporter for the Mountain View Gazette
