The food season is here! It starts with Thanksgiving with the beautiful spread of Turkey, pies of all kinds, and it only carries on through Christmas and into the new year. You are always hard-pressed to walk through a room without a glass of eggnog or a plate of mince pies being offered to you – it isn’t polite to turn down your host more than once.
But what happens when our eyes are too big for our bellies? There is always a large amount of food that remains on the table, no matter how much everyone in the home eats collectively, and no one ever knows what to do with it.
This is where leftovers come in. In this piece, you will learn how to store them, so nothing goes to waste!
Why Save Your Leftovers?
It is estimated that around 40 million tons of food is sent to landfill each year in America, making it a substantial contribution to waste.
One of the main reasons that food gets thrown away is due to spoilage, however, a lot of the time if it is stored correctly, this food will be fine to consume for days after cooking, giving you plenty of time to eat it.
People all over the world – even in your own neighborhood go hungry at all times of the year, but this is felt especially hard at Christmas, so donating to the Red Cross can help everyone get a meal they deserve this Christmas.
Bread
Bread is a staple in almost every household, but, indeed, it doesn’t have the longest shelf life when it comes to staying soft and tasty. Either store your bread in a bread bin, which can help bread stay fresh up to 7 days past the best before date or freeze it! Freezing bread will give it around six months and is great for toast too. Just be sure to wrap it tightly in aluminum foil or a freezer-safe bag first.
Casseroles
Casseroles are a brilliant hearty winter meal that is great to have on hand at all times. Sometimes we don’t have the time to make one from scratch after a long day, and other times we have made enough to feed the family three times over. For a quick and easy dinner in the future, freeze your casserole into individual portions in freezer-safe containers, which will help your dish last an extra six months!
Chicken
A meat loved by many, chicken can be easily be saved for later. For those who are prepared, it can last in the fridge for up to 3 – 4 days, and with chicken being as versatile as it is, there are so many recipes that you can create for those following days! However, if you feel like you’ve had enough of chicken for now, then strip the carcass and put all the meat in a freezer-safe container which will last up to 9 months. Be sure to keep hold of the carcass in a freezer-safe bag too, as you can make stock with that later!