Come Boxing Day, there is one thing that we can pretty much guarantee – many homes will have fridges bursting at the seams with leftovers from the Christmas celebration the day before.
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Invariably, we all eat too much but we also cook too much and buy too much. So Boxing Day now has a new name – National Leftovers Day. Why, because we waste so much food and at no time of the year is this more evident than it is at Christmas.
So how to avoid the leftover problem … the simple answer is not to buy so much in the first instance. Unless you are literally feeding an army, don’t cater for one.
Share the catering around so everyone does a bit and emphasise that they don’t need to cater for an army each either.
Nonetheless, there is a good chance there will still be leftovers. So, what to do with them?
Reuse your Christmas staples. Turkey, ham, chicken and vegetables can be easily reused in sandwiches, quiches, omelettes, pizzas and salads. This is fine if you are staying at home or not starting your post-Christmas diet. The alternative, in this case, is to freeze what you can, so that it can be eaten in January or February.
Storage is always an issue with keeping food so make sure you store your food properly. Putting your festive leftovers into clear airtight plastic containers will help to make the food last longer in your fridge or freezer. Things like the Christmas ham, if handled correctly, also lasts for several weeks. Once you've removed it from its plastic wrapping, store it in your fridge below five degrees in a cloth that's soaked in water and vinegar.
If you are going to freeze leftovers – think about how you intend to use them - freeze as you intend to defrost. When we put leftovers into the freezer, we often tend to freeze them in one big amount. However, it's far more efficient to freeze your festive leftovers in smaller portion sizes. This makes them quicker to cool and you only end up defrosting what you need. Don't forget that you can also freeze leftover wine and cheese. These can be used as future ingredients and stale bread can be frozen to be toasted at a later time.
Be food safe. If you are not sure how to best store a particular type of food then check with the Food Safety Information Council. When reheating leftovers, they need to be reheated to at least 75 degrees in the centre — you can use a food thermometer to measure this.
Once you've finished cooking and eating, you need to get your food to the fridge as fast as possible. The council recommends that your fridge is kept at or below 4-5 degrees as a guide.
At this temperature, food is good for two to three days. For more details, check out their fridge and freezer safety tips.
Just remember a well-planned and presented Christmas meal that minimises leftovers is the best approach – so eat, drink and be merry without the waste.