Use it up! Don't throw it in the bin!

mumoftwo

OrkneyStar wrote: »

I do think we should be taught to clean our plate, the important thing is that the plate not be over-filled in the first instance. I hate waste and this is why I have joined this thread. I too don't like it when people over-fill. I remember one time being out for a meal and there were shared starters, this one girl took a heapful on to her plate and then proceeded to eat two bits and leave the rest. Noone really wanted to take off her plate but if she had left them on the original serving dish one of the group would have eaten them! Sure she is entitled to her share but not to waste it!

It is funny you should say that, when I was growing up in Holland, our meals got served in serving dishes and then we all helped ourselves, a little at a time, so if were still hungry you could take more.
When I came to the UK as an adult and went to people's houses for dinner I thought it was strange that the hostess plated everything up and then put the plate in front of me, totally full, very generous but sometimes very hard to finish. My future mother in law did this as well. I got used to it though and funnily enough I did put weight on.
I have children of my own now and I think because of my weight issues, I don't make them eat everything, but that does mean, not asking for food half an hour later. And I put small portions on their plate and they can have seconds.

sorry to report: had to throw away 3 horrible potatoes, but determined not to let that happen again!

wyebird

I always get people to serve themselves now, means you can take what you need and a little more if you are still hungry,then, you can always use leftovers another time. You can only really give them to the dogs if they have been on someone's plate

Annie021063

Just eaten a bowl of stewed apples and pears with LF nat yog (yummy) The apples and pears were past their best and I would normally have thrown them - thanks to OP for that tip. Another portion in fridge for tomorrows pud.

ceridwen

mumoftwo wrote: »

It is funny you should say that, when I was growing up in Holland, our meals got served in serving dishes and then we all helped ourselves, a little at a time, so if were still hungry you could take more.
When I came to the UK as an adult and went to people's houses for dinner I thought it was strange that the hostess plated everything up and then put the plate in front of me, totally full, very generous but sometimes very hard to finish. My future mother in law did this as well. I got used to it though and funnily enough I did put weight on.
I have children of my own now and I think because of my weight issues, I don't make them eat everything, but that does mean, not asking for food half an hour later. And I put small portions on their plate and they can have seconds.

I also find "plating up" of meals strange - and I am British. But then....I have learnt a lot of what I know about cooking and entertaining from people of a variety of countries.:D

To me - serving food up in serving dishes to guests is commonsense - no waste, they dont get given anything they dont like and I know they have had plenty to eat (as there's always enough left for my dinner the next day).

Gers

Today I made some sort of chicken concoction! Filleted thighs from the deepest recess of the freezer, assorted veg from the salad drawer of the fridge, sesame oil with BB date of 2007, rice from indeterminate BB date and a can of asparagus tips with BB Feb 2006 - simply lovely. Two portions for eating and 4 portions for the freezer.

Loving it....

Olliebeak

purpleivy wrote: »

HI
I do this with my chicken/meat bones. I also have a bag in the freezer for veg stuff, so that I don't need to add 'new' veg for stock. THis is usually the tops and bottoms of carrots, sometimes the peel, onion scraps and peelings, the bottom root of the celery and the leaves sometimes. Last time it was the outsides of the leeks as well. You should have seen my SIL'S face as I carefully stashed these into a bag and then the freezer!

Hey - at last a use for my veggie peelings/scraps :T! Many thanks for that one, purpleivy. Can't believe that I've never thought of doing that one before!

My mother always said that if I had half as much common sense as brains, I would be dangerous :rolleyes: .

miecherox

hello, been lurking on here a couple of days - (have had a moneysaving sebbatical- but i'm back because I'm skint!

Love this thread. It inspired me to make a concoction of tired veg with black eyed beans, bacon lardons and stock and it was delicious all four of us had it for tea with whoopsied bread and i'm going to whizz up the leftovers with extra stock to make soup for tomorrow lunch again with whoopsied bread Yummy!!

(oh and i've just realised i'd better change my user cp!!!!!!)

EssexHebridean

That sounds nice miecherox - not surprised you enjoyed it!

Last night's dinner was a fry/grill-up using up the end of a pack of rather nice bacon, the last three eggs in the box (two for him, one for me, but I got the extra rasher of bacon!), a pack of reduced price potato scones from the freezer, some mushrooms and half a pack of sausages. Then I threw the other half of the pack of sausages into the slow cooker and followed them with an onion that wasn't going to last much longer, a leek (ditto), the other half of the pack of mushrooms, some beans and a tin of chopped toms. A bit of water to top it up, and some oatmeal to thicken (A good tip for making any sort of stew go a bit further and thicken up nicely - a good handful of oatmeal thrown into the pot). Switched the SC on this monring before I left for work and boy oh boy did the house smell yummy when I got home tonight! :T

Tomorrow is a veg box day, so what we're having for our team I won't know until we get home!

*edit* - a scout through the larder revealed four cooking apples and two eating apples - al a bit close to death, plus an elderly orange. All now cut up and stewed with some cinnamon, cloves and a little brown sugar and smelling GORGEOUS! Thanks to the OS'ers for all the inspiration you're giving me!

OrkneyStar

ceridwen wrote: »

I also find "plating up" of meals strange - and I am British. But then....I have learnt a lot of what I know about cooking and entertaining from people of a variety of countries.:D

To me - serving food up in serving dishes to guests is commonsense - no waste, they dont get given anything they dont like and I know they have had plenty to eat (as there's always enough left for my dinner the next day).

I would use serving dishes for guests but for me, DH and DS I tend to plate up as I am pretty confident how much they eat (and I often ask DH if he is happy with amount and he always gets more than me).

wyebird

Decided to make rosti with some tired potatoes, but have grated them first and now all of the recipes say to par boil first. Do you think it will matter too much?
thanks