I don't like to waste food but I don't want food poisoning either. If something has been in the fridge too long out it goes, or it may go in the freezer. I do freeze foods if I think the food has been in the refrigerator too long, I try to freeze it and save it a bit longer.
It is sad to know that a large amount of food is being wasted and is not even reaching people in hunger In my home whenever we have leftovers my mom put in separate boxes and give it to the maid daily. At least it is not wasted and it helps her poor children who are hungry and waiting for the food that her mother brings from our home. My mom never throws any excess food and give it to people who couldn't afford to buy a meal for themselves.
there is a practice here where many persons may cook a certain amount of food and store some in the refrigerator to last for some time during the week in order to avoid the cooking routine when they get home from work. There are some instances when all the leftovers are not consumed and this usually ends up in the garbage.
I try as much as I can not to throw the left-over food. For those we can feed the dogs, cats or birds, we will feed the animals. If we can use them for compost, then we will do so. Of course, first of all, we try not to cook too much and have left over. I agree that there are always too much excess food from the restaurants, and some of us actually can bring them home and serve for our next meal, instead of just throw them away.
We have always had pets ever since I was young, so we are used to just giving the leftovers to them. Even our leftover bread that is very hard, the dogs still eat them. The cats though are more finicky. If the fish has been stored a for a long time already in the ref and it doesn't smell nice already, then they won't eat it anymore.
@Nakitakona My Mum used to make a dish called 'poor man's goose'. It was a dish made out of the left over Sunday roast pork dinner. So, of course, we used to eat it on a Monday! The dish was quite tasty and was made as a casserole style in the oven. Using the left over chunks of pork with potatoes and herbs. It is a warming kind of dish and we all used to love it.
@janemariesayed "Poor man's goose" dish is the first time I have heard this. We have similar kind of food preparation for the roasted pork left-over. In our dialect we call it "Paksiw". The unconsumed roasted pork was recooked with vinegar and mixed it with spicy. As we eat it in the following, the food is tastier than before it was prepared. This is of food preparation is what we always long for when we were kids. Now we're all grown up and with respective family of our own, we do still use to prepare pork left-over especially pig's feet.
I eat left overs all the time, it's the best because I have the feeling I am saving money and work because I can eat and I don't need to cook haha. So no way I am throwing away perfectly good food, I eat it as it is or use it to cook something new.
@Nakitakona I cannot bear to think about pigs feet in a casserole. But it is true that food eaten the next day will have a better taste. Especially if it is something like Poor man's goose or Paksiw. The herbs and spices marinade into the meat and give it a wonderful flavour. I think the meat is a better texture when eaten the next day as well.
I always try to cook just enough but if there are leftovers I store them in the refrigerator and they are eaten with the next days meal. Sometimes leftovers, taste better the second time around.
@Nakitakona At our home we used to keep left over food for cow and dogs. I do go personally to feed cow and dogs for the same. We have made some place outside our home for watering animals and for feeding them. So we can use that for sure. Throwing food is surely not good idea. At least animals can have them.
