How many times can you eat leftovers?

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Ns1

No Lifer
Jun 17, 2001
55,420
1,600
126
No. By day 3 I would need carnitas. By day 6 I would need Asada.

Why do you guys hate your taste buds so much?
 

rh71

No Lifer
Aug 28, 2001
52,844
1,049
126
Since I work from home and am too lazy to go out in the afternoon, every lunch is leftovers. Saves a lot of money. I can't do the same meal for more than 2x straight though. So if there are still leftovers, it's partial dinner for the rest of the family and I won't touch it.
 

zinfamous

No Lifer
Jul 12, 2006
111,857
31,346
146
I basically eat the same thing all week, most weeks, when I spend most of Sunday cooking. It gets old fast, but leftovers don't bother me within the first 3 or so days.
 

NetWareHead

THAT guy
Aug 10, 2002
5,847
154
106
I eat it all until its gone. Those ingredients, energy consumed to cook the food and your time to prepare it all translate into in $$$ spent to cook and you just going to toss it in the garbage?
 

SKORPI0

Lifer
Jan 18, 2000
18,481
2,418
136
Till it's gone, I'll eat it first before any new food is cooked.

Just threw a bag of bread (10 pieces) that started to have molds in them. o_O
 
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mikeymikec

Lifer
May 19, 2011
20,992
16,237
136
As a kid I once ate bread that was well off. First of all I asked my parents, "is this bread OK? It seems to have cobwebs on it", to which whichever parent gave me an exasperated response which probably implied "as if" along with, "stop being such a baby and eat it", then they later admitted that bread was off.

Nothing sickly happened afterwards.
 

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
60,041
10,528
126
I eat it all until its gone. Those ingredients, energy consumed to cook the food and your time to prepare it all translate into in $$$ spent to cook and you just going to toss it in the garbage?
I make small quantities as much as possible. Can't always do it, but I prefer not eating the same thing more than twice.
 
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Feneant2

Golden Member
May 26, 2004
1,418
30
91
We plan our meals to have 1 day of leftovers... anything more we freeze or throw out. Some things like pizza I can eat 4-5 days in a row but something like stew, chili, etc. no thanks.
 

Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
40,874
10,222
136
Its not always the bacteria that makes you sick its the toxins they leave behind that the microwave can't kill that make you sick.

I wouldn't go that far but I'll leave stuff in the fridge for over a week and still eat it. I rarely throw left overs away. I'd feel like a terrible person if I threw away a feast because it was 3 days old.
Well, I don't literally feel terrible throwing away food, but I don't do it often. Most Americans throw away much much more food than I do. I literally have some stuff in my refrigerator that's been in there over 10 years! :D Some stuff just never seems to go bad. Like I say, I can't remember ever getting sick eating my food. I ignore expiration dates, most of those are just there because they are required to put them there (I think they are required). If it looks and tastes good and doesn't make me sick, why toss it? I bought past date yogurt a lot (don't have source for it now), and it was always fine IIRC.

The best thing about leftovers is it's already prepared. As long as you enjoy it, it's reasonably good for you, isn't going bad, won't make you feel bad, I say go for it.
 
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Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
40,874
10,222
136
That's one of the biggest reasons I have a vacuum-sealer...most people get tired of eating the same stuff over & over again. Vac-seal it & throw it in the freezer for when you're in the mood for whatever it is again!
I bought a vacuum sealer for over $100 and extra bags but have never used it. I do freeze a ton of stuff (don't have a separate freezer, though), but haven't bothered to use the sealer. I freeze stew meat all the time (in plastic bags), gets a little frost on it, but so what?

Maybe because I live alone, it doesn't really make sense, a sealer.
 

TeeJay1952

Golden Member
May 28, 2004
1,532
191
106
My son and his wife come over to take me shopping every 2 weeks. We cook and stash into Ziplocks. I make plates (3) out of each. I have the tyranny of precooked food and cannot Doordash as much as I would like but I am grateful to them.
 

Thebobo

Lifer
Jun 19, 2006
18,574
7,672
136
It was run through my young mind when you don't finish your food that kids in ethiopia are starving. So everything was saved and nothing went to waste.
 

Exterous

Super Moderator
Jun 20, 2006
20,569
3,762
126
It was run through my young mind when you don't finish your food that kids in ethiopia are starving. So everything was saved and nothing went to waste.

My grandma was one of those so maybe thats still part of my mindset. Always had to finish all the food on our plates. She dried paper towels and other things along those lines but she also grew up during the Depression
 
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BarkingGhostar

Diamond Member
Nov 20, 2009
8,410
1,617
136
Having leftovers the next day is OK in my mind, but beyond that I'm usually feeding the rats in the land fill.
 

Thebobo

Lifer
Jun 19, 2006
18,574
7,672
136
If it's in the fridge sealed depending on what it is it can last a long time why only one day?

Think about it, you get a gallon of milk last you 2 3 4 + days. You take one drink and throw the rest away a day later?
 

Ns1

No Lifer
Jun 17, 2001
55,420
1,600
126
If it's in the fridge sealed depending on what it is it can last a long time why only one day?

Think about it, you get a gallon of milk last you 2 3 4 + days. You take one drink and throw the rest away a day later?

I don't stop eating leftovers because it goes bad, I stop eating leftovers because I can't eat the same thing 4 days in a row, 5 out of 7 days, etc
 

Carson Dyle

Diamond Member
Jul 2, 2012
8,173
524
126
No limit. Not one that I've encountered, anyhow. I live alone, so I just try to avoid cooking 12 servings of a dish for dinner. Or when I do, it's because I plan on freezing 3/4 of it for the future.

There are any number of foods I could eat just about every day. I could easily eat a turkey sandwich every day. Thanksgiving? Cook the biggest bird you can stuff in the oven and I'll eat turkey sandwiches for a week and a half.
 

BurnItDwn

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
26,353
1,862
126
Eating same leftovers day after day is suck.

But, leftover meat has endless possibilities. Pulled pork omelette anyone? Pulled Pork + any veggie stir fried, Pulled Pork Pot Pie, mmmm. Pulled Pork in a box, Pulled Pork with a fox.
 

Platypus

Lifer
Apr 26, 2001
31,046
321
136
I'm good with certain things a few times in a row, but usually don't cook so much that there are leftovers. I just buy what I need the day of and make something fresh.

Noted exception are big pots of soup like pozole, which I could eat on forever <3
 

AznAnarchy99

Lifer
Dec 6, 2004
14,695
117
106
I hate leftovers. It's a ticking clock for bacteria, and then I'm compelled to eat them whether I want to or not. If I have leftovers for more than a day, I really screwed up.

You got a weak stomach. Technically, all the meal prepping people do now are left overs for the whole week.