Why? Because it feels good to cherish our food
CRISPY CHRISTMAS
Potatoes are the world’s favourite vegetable. Brussel sprouts come in fourth from the bottom, not last. Wot. Election fraud…?
We’re so lucky to have all we have, especially at times like these. Food waste is also a serious biggie when it comes to looking after the planet, so we’ve got reasons a plenty to save the gravy. Let’s get our wizard hats on to make sure not one delicious morsel goes to waste!
We’ve got a few quick tips for you…but first, let’s do a virtual Christmas Cracker and pass around the naff jokes. Here’s ours: Who hides in the bakery at Christmas?
A mince spy. Sorry! But it’s tradition! Yours?
Right, let’s eat all our sprouts to help out…
The most important thing when saving your leftovers is not to leave them out on the side all day. When you’re done eating, get them into the fridge as soon as possible, otherwise nasty bacteria move swiftly in and have a field day.
You can freeze a lot of them. Get this. 7.8 million slices of turkey and 9.8 million cups of gravy get thrown out every Christmas! Not on our watch, right? Here’s a video on how to freeze your cooked turkey - even if it was frozen prior to cooking, just be sure it’s been cooked all the way through and cooled before you do. Hard cheese (who knew), cream and gravy do well. You can freeze leftover veggies, though they don't tend to reheat especially well.
Leftovers are great in all sorts of recipes. Can’t go wrong with a parsnip soup and who doesn’t love a bit of bubble and squeak? Good old BBC has a great selection of ideas for leftovers, always worth the licence fee.
Make a stock from the turkey bones. Chefs love this! You can then either store it in the fridge and use it within two days, or freeze it to use on a rainy one.
Make roasties as new. 11.3 million get thrown away every Christmas! There’s a million ways to save them but if you love your roasties straight up, the best way to reheat them is to put them in a dry frying pan or low oven vs a microwave to keep their crisp.
If you have particularly substantial leftovers did you know that you can also donate them to a family in need? Free My Meal is a wonderful service where you can connect with people struggling to make ends meet. We’re unsure what the COVID rules mean for this, but it’s always worth knowing about, year long.
And anything unopened, you can take to your local foodbank.
SAFETY RULES.
Leftovers shouldn't be reheated more than once. Portion them up if freezing.
Think of reheating food as ‘cooking again’ vs ‘warming up’. That’s the only way harmful bacteria that may have grown since you cooked it the first time, get killed. It needs to be absolutely piping hot.
When reheating in the microwave, make sure you stir dishes intermittently as food can be left hot in some places and still cold in others.
Ideally, you should defrost food in the fridge. That will keep it at a safe temperature while it’s defrosting.
With many thanks to…
Kate from The Full Freezer for her input and expertise this week. There’s nothing she doesn’t about freezing food and avoiding waste as well as maxing out freezer space.
You can also find her on Insta and Facebook. Thank you Kate!
We…
Aimee: Leftovers is an alien concept to me - I need no encouragement to eat everything in the house!! And bubble and squeak with a load of condiments is my idea of heaven!
Sonia: Sorting out my food waste is one of the things I’m most proud of this year. No more wilting salad in the fridge or limp celery into the food bin. But right now, I’m too full to comment. Move over and give me some room on the sofa please.
Have something to ask or share with everyone? Please post it in the box below. And…is there something you’re proud of, big or small (Christmas tree watered, upcycled Christmas crackers made )? Email us, so we can feature you on our Weekly Shout Out. Everyone loves it!
“Have yourselves a merry little Christmas,
let your heart be light...”