Forum Thermomix
Welcoming Center, Management and General Chat => Chit Chat => Topic started by: Amy :-) on May 01, 2012, 07:47:20 am
-
That subject line sounds a bit weird, but hopefully my example below will make it clearer.
I am interested to know how creative and economical people can be with leftovers. I would love to know some more tips and tricks to stretch food as far as it will go, as I am on a tight budget at the moment.
My best food-stretch has been with rice. I cooked 300g in TM, some of which accompanied a curry. There was leftover curry and rice for the next night, and still leftover rice to make fried rice the night after, which was still good the next day for lunch. So that's a four day, four meal stretch, which I am pretty happy with.
What have other people managed to do?
-
Lol I have 7 people in my family ;D what's left overs?
-
Hi Amy,
I add a tin of lentils to bolognese sause - no one knows it's there and it does help it go that little bit further.
Also chick peas and kidney beans added mashed to rissoles or meat loaf help cut down on the meat content and is that little bit healthier and more economical.
-
I always make more rice than I need for a meal as I can use them the next day or freeze some to use later on. The other useful 'stretch' food is chicken- I make a roast chicken one night and then use the carcass to make a chicken soup later. Half of the chicken meat then gets shredded to mix with mayonnaise and then in lunch boxes for wraps etc. I can get at least 4-5 meals out of one chook!
-
Does it count if you make roast chicken and then keep the skin and carcass to make tenina's stock powder which you then use in other meals?????? This stretches a long long way. Not exactly a meal though. Ha ha.
-
Yep, Twitterpatted - absoloutely counts. Stretches that chicken much further.
-
I add grated vegetables to the meat when i cook hamburgers for the kids (carrots, zuchinni, onions) :-))
-
Yes same here Bluesed, try to make it go as far as possible, and add extra hidden veggies is a bonus :)
-
Found this thread (http://www.forumthermomix.com/index.php?topic=5535.msg76965#msg76965) that might be of interest to you Amy seeing that you are on a tight budget at the moment.CarolineW seems to be able to stretch 500g of mince into three recipes ;)
-
Confession tIme. I love KFC. I know. Disgusting but I found a use for the soggy chips. I never eat them on the day. Next day day I put a small onion in the TMX, chop, add the even more disgusting soggy chips , a couple of eggs, some leftover chicken chopped ,or bacon or what ever, some chilli ( a must for me) and anything else you want to get rid of . Blend it all together. Pop a fry pan on the stove with butter and oil. Press the disgusting mixture into the pan until it hits the edges. Cook or a few minutes then pop it under the grill until brown.
Yummy. Like a hash brown with flavour .
Ok shoot me.
Gert
-
I recently got 3 meals out of 500g of mince for a family of 4. I made a bolognaise sauce with loads of veges. I went through the fridge and used( I think) 2 onions, celery, 3 carrots, 2 capsicums and a zucchini. These were all chopped up into small pieces and sautéed with garlic and a couple of anchovies in a little oil. After the browned mince was added, I also put in a tin of tomatoes and a bottle of passata as well as a swig of red wine and some herbs from the garden.
We had that with pasta the first night.
The second night I combined half a cooked, puréed cauliflower to a white/cheese sauce made with 500ml milk. I then made up 2 lasagnes which we ate with a green salad over 2 nights.
I know that this is stating the obvious as everyone makes spaghetti bolognaise, but it really yummy and none of my family realises how many veges have been used to bulk out the meal.
I also make lots of soup in winter which also manages to stretch over a number of meals. I usually soak beans of some variety and cook them with a ham hock and whatever veges I've got handy.
I also freeze any leftovers in single serve portions and I take them to work for lunch and reheat them in the microwave.
-
Like Merlin we make a roast chook go a long way. leftovers get used in fried rice, sandwiches, pasta bake, omelette
-
Link is not working CC.
-
Blast!! Thanks Judy :-* :-* iPad playing up should be sorted now :)
-
Well we had roast chook tonight and there is not one teeny weeny little bit of meat left on the bone. No left overs here :(
-
Confession tIme. I love KFC. I know. Disgusting but I found a use for the soggy chips. I never eat them on the day. Next day day I put a small onion in the TMX, chop, add the even more disgusting soggy chips , a couple of eggs, some leftover chicken chopped ,or bacon or what ever, some chilli ( a must for me) and anything else you want to get rid of . Blend it all together. Pop a fry pan on the stove with butter and oil. Press the disgusting mixture into the pan until it hits the edges. Cook or a few minutes then pop it under the grill until brown.
Yummy. Like a hash brown with flavour .
Ok shoot me.
Gert
;D ;D
We love KFC as well, just too expensive to feed us all :(
-
Gert, that must be heart attack meal. :o
You guys are great, there is 3 of us, roast chicken, breast gone with veggie, yes sometimes use the bones. The other meat gone thenext day for lunches fo dh & ds. Ds loves to take drumsticks for lunch.
Sometimes, I think its cheaper for us just to buy chicken breasts.
H :)
-
Gert, I can't imagine you in KFC - you should sell your recipe back to them ;)
-
Gert, I can't imagine you in KFC - you should sell your recipe back to them ;)
Not me it is DH. Absolutey awful stuff I have to have at least 3 times a year.got a sort of meal deal thingy and it lasts in several disguises over a few days. a good break from cooking. tomorrow I cook for guests.
Gert
-
Amy, have you seen this (http://tna.europarchive.org/20100929190231/http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/asksam/keepingfoodsafe/asksamcooking/?view=printerfriendly#A220063) re cooked rice? It is from the British Food Standards Agency and they recommend that you shouldn't keep cooked rice for longer than a day as you could get food poisoning.
I don't know if this is just our government being over protective (it often is) but just thought I should point out the article to you.
JB
-
Lol I have 7 people in my family ;D what's left overs?
LMAO DITTO :D :D :D
Amy, have you seen this (http://tna.europarchive.org/20100929190231/http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/asksam/keepingfoodsafe/asksamcooking/?view=printerfriendly#A220063) re cooked rice? It is from the British Food Standards Agency and they recommend that you shouldn't keep cooked rice for longer than a day as you could get food poisoning.
I don't know if this is just our government being over protective (it often is) but just thought I should point out the article to you.
JB
I had heard this about rice and put mine straight in the fridge to cool and then the freezer. It takes nothing to get out and reheat :)
-
Wow, I always cook extra rice, read this & went straight to the fridge & binned 2 day old rice. I cant believe I give this to ds. He loves rice & I always cook extra to last him a couple of days, but no more.
What about pasta?
H :)
-
I have know for a while now that rice is the # 1 on the list for food poisoning, i told myself must be, caused by poor hygiene and not been refrigerated. I am not going to read the article until i have finished the rice i have in the fridge :-))
dont know about pasta H and i really dont what to know.
-
I knew about the dangers of rice and was just abuot to post on here about it, so thanks, JB, for doing that. I think most people think of rice as a fairly benign food, but that's simply not the case.
-
Amy, have you seen this (http://tna.europarchive.org/20100929190231/http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/asksam/keepingfoodsafe/asksamcooking/?view=printerfriendly#A220063) re cooked rice? It is from the British Food Standards Agency and they recommend that you shouldn't keep cooked rice for longer than a day as you could get food poisoning.
I don't know if this is just our government being over protective (it often is) but just thought I should point out the article to you.
JB
.......... :o
Oh dear... Thank you for bringing that to my attention JB. Luckily, nobody got sick that time, but maybe I shouldn't do it again. Just in case.
-
Well we had roast chook tonight and there is not one teeny weeny little bit of meat left on the bone. No left overs here :(
:'(
I think I will have a go at the chicken idea. I must confess I have never roasted a chook and then used the carcass to make stock. It usually just goes in the bin. The weather is very cold here at the moment, so a good time for experimenting with meals like roasts and soups :D
I might have to make some TM bread to go with the soup. What a shame! ;)
The second night I combined half a cooked, puréed cauliflower to a white/cheese sauce made with 500ml milk. I then made up 2 lasagnes which we ate with a green salad over 2 nights.
THAT sounds like a great idea EmeraldSue. I would never have thought of that :-))
-
@ CC
Thanks for the link! I have saved the page into my favourites and am planning to write up that recipe after breakfast :)
@ Gert
The KFC idea is certainly...creative ;D
-
My leftover rice goes to the dogs with some stock and veges in it. Cheap dog food ;D
Lots of mashed potato, pasta or rice under saucy meals. With lots of veges on the side. Rice, pasta and potato are good tummy fillers. Means more leftovers in the freezer to reheat again.
-
Is Tenina's recipe for chicken stock available online or only in her book. We often buy a BBQ chicken and chips from the charcoal chicken place on a Saturday for a treat lunch between sporting commitments. We are not good at getting all the last bits from the bones etc because we are all a bit precious with our meat eating so there is normally quite a bit left on the bones - I'm thinking we could put it all in the new 5 in 1 and make stock or depending on Tenina's recipe could I make the stock powder?
-
I did a search of her website for you Wonder but couldn't find anything. You will need to buy the book, you would not regret it as it is full of taste sensations.
In the meantime perhaps try Chookies method (http://www.forumthermomix.com/index.php?topic=2776.0) of using cooked carcasses for making stock.
-
l have roast chook and vegies one night
then take off meat to add to vegies and pasta the 2nd night saving some for soup
then third night make a chicken stock with carcass use the stock to make chicken and vegie soup
-
Amy an electric pie maker is the way to go with leftovers ;D
http://www.forumthermomix.com/index.php?topic=7266.300
-
I've prepared a double batch of the mushroom risotto for one meal.
I then recycled a portion of it with chicken for another meal, another portion was combined with steamed veggies, another was combined with leftover roasted pork.
For the final portion, I put it back in the TMX with a little more broth and turned up the speed to 5-6 while heating it. This produced a smooth gravy or sauce which I put over fried boneless chicken thighs to make "smothered" chicken which I served over split biscuits (American southern style biscuits, not cookie type).
-
left over risotto make great arancini
-
Amy an electric pie maker is the way to go with leftovers ;D
http://www.forumthermomix.com/index.php?topic=7266.300
Thanks for the link to that thread Uni :D I think we have a pie maker in a cupboard somewhere... its probably an old one but I'm sure it will do the job ;D
@ andiesenji
That sounds like a great way to get a few meals! Do you have any trouble fitting that much risotto in the TM?
I'm hearing a lot about these arancini things... I might have to try them soon :D
-
@ andiesenji
That sounds like a great way to get a few meals! Do you have any trouble fitting that much risotto in the TM?
A double batch fits as long as I don't add anything else to the risotto. After it has cooked, I transfer some to two, three or four smaller containers, depending on my future meal plans, then add the additions, meat, chicken, veg/fruits, etc., to the portion remaining in the TMX, sometimes with water, sauce or ? liquid and continue cooking till everything is hot.
I don't add raw chicken or meat.
-
I had heard this about rice and put mine straight in the fridge to cool and then the freezer. It takes nothing to get out and reheat :)
I agree faffa, I am sure rice is OK when frozen. I suppose the idea is if you want rice for future use, you just cool it asap (perhaps initially by putting it into a bowl, which is sat in cold water or ice), and then fridge and freezer. I am sure I have seen frozen, cooked rice in supermarkets for the lazy :D
JB
-
Who here has actually been sick from rice or ever heard anyone get sick from rice? Sure in restaurants would need to be vigilant but wouldn't be throwing away good rice in a home kitchen when you've been careful about heat and not letting chicken juice drip over everything. I was curious about sushi and find out bacteria hate vinegar.
I made a ultra tasty nachos the other night using a frozen black turtle bean and rice meal from months ago, mixed with spinach & lentil bolognese from a few days ago. Spread out on a large pyrex dish and heated in oven, then over that grated cheese, corn chips (what was left after waiting for the 'meat' part to cook, salsa, more cheese, cooked until melted then on top my avo/pea guacamole alot of green yumminess with half avocado. Best nachos ever.
Baked potatoes are another way to use up lots of bits and pieces like leftover coleslaw, baked beans, curry from 3 nights ago etc etc. We had them the other night, I forgot how satisfying something made from a whole lot of leftovers could be.
-
I don't think I've ever eaten rice that's more than 2 days old.
If you freeze it in a single layer it's super quick to heat up again.
-
Once when my kids were young (all under 12) I got sick of the 'won't eat this and that' regime so cooked about 2kg of spaghetti bolognese sauce. First night served it with pasta. Next night topped with mash and served as 'shepherd's pie', next night used in a lasagne, next night filled some pies with it. It took until night 5 for eldest DS to realise what was happening. Other two would have happily kept eating the stuff..... :-))
-
@ andiesenji
That sounds like a great way to get a few meals! Do you have any trouble fitting that much risotto in the TM?
A double batch fits as long as I don't add anything else to the risotto. After it has cooked, I transfer some to two, three or four smaller containers, depending on my future meal plans, then add the additions, meat, chicken, veg/fruits, etc., to the portion remaining in the TMX, sometimes with water, sauce or ? liquid and continue cooking till everything is hot.
I don't add raw chicken or meat.
Thanks for the tips :)
I suppose we are all just lucky that our wonderful thermomixes can whip up a batch of perfectly steamed rice in 20 minutes, so cooking it fresh is pretty easy anyway :D