3 things you should know about leftovers

I’ll admit, since marrying and moving in with the Mr., I don’t have nearly as many leftovers to worry about. My extra steak that used to be saved for the next day’s salad or sandwich often ends up on his plate, and he can always make room for 1 more taco.

But, sometimes, I intentionally make extra food for the sole purpose of leftovers (and wrap it up as soon as I fix our plates). I love having some extra meat for the next day’s lunch — after all, since I work from home and the Mr. works 3 minutes from home, we eat lunch at home quite a bit. (Though it’s important to note we don’t do this every day. I require a couple of midday outings a week and strongly recommend at least weekly lunches out for other telecommuters. It’s good for your sanity and productivity to be amongst the 3-dimensional people on a regular basis.)

Since leftovers save time and money (and who doesn’t want more of both?), I thought I’d share a few tips for making the most of them in tonight’s blog post.

No. 1: You don’t have to eat the same way twice.

Leftover steak can be added to salads, sandwiches, tacos, nachos, quesadillas or breakfast burritos. Leftover ground beef from last night’s crispy tacos? Make soft tacos, burritos or nachos the next day. Leftover brisket can top baked potatoes, leftover chili can top Frito pies…the possibilities are endless.

No. 2: Put extras in the fridge immediately.

As soon as your meal is over (or even as soon as you plate your meal), wrap leftover meats up and put in the fridge. There’s no need to let them cool to room temperature first — that’s an old wives’ tale.

No. 3: Don’t hang on to them too long.

Eat leftovers within 3 days (or 3 months if you put them in the freezer). And, if you have any doubt they may no longer be good before then, please throw them out. If it doesn’t look, smell or taste good, there’s no need to eat it.