Rummaging in the fridge

I was bought a soup maker by DS and DDiL for Christmas a while ago. I've always loved making soup, but this present takes 5 mins to prep, 20mins to make from raw and pretty much self-cleans, so very little washing up

I often have left over rice as I live on my own but still think I’m cooking for the family. I cool the rice quickly and package it into individual portions and freeze it.

After big event there was big box of defrosted burgers going begging, I took it and made a meatloaf for my son and us. I mixed it and mashed it and added onions and spices etc but obv the quality/density of the meat just didn't work. It made two meatloaf shaped bricks that were totally inedible, just unpleasant and solid but I tried so hard!

That is interesting Menopaws because now I wonder what it is that is added to commercially produced burgers that holds them all so perfectly together when cooking. If I make my own burgers they look just the same as shop bought before they're cooked, but as soon as they hit the frying pan/grill/barbecue they start to get fragile. And once I dare to risk turning them over with a fish slice, no matter how carefully, they start to disintegrate. This never happens with shop bought - you can chuck them around in the pan or on the barbecue and they never break apart. Why?

I'm not very good at using up fridge stuff but my family love banana loaf and apple cake, so using up gone over fruit is never a problem.

Since living alone I find it economical to buy frozen rather than fresh. No waste. There is little that we cannot buy these days that isn't frozen or tinned or partial cooked, especially rice ,that takes but minutes in a microwave. Frozen jacket potatoes, take but minutes in a microwave , frozen omelettes very economical when I have bought half dozen fresh eggs to only use half the box before end of sell buy date. I am fussy about eggs. or maybe bought two potatoes and only used one before the other went soft.Frozen ready meals are cheap if there is only oneself to buy for. Although I would not buy a takeaway I can appreciate why so many do buy these, over the top priced meals which after a day at work need no preparation.

Search online "recipe (ingredients you want to use up)"

I am really hoping my DH does not go rummaging in the fridge, he will find stuff for the surprise family barbecue tomorrow, and his birthday cake!

Bathsheba, it should be possible to get your home-made burgers to stay in one piece whilst you cook them, if you form them then knead them together with your knife. I know it sounds odd, trying to get something to "hang together" by chopping it, but it does work.

When turning mine, I wait as long as possible, then slide the fish slice in under the one edge and push the burger with a fork from the other side of the burger up onto the fish slice. It isn't infallible but usually it works.

Left over meat is minced and used for shepherd's pie with chopped onions, and mashed potatoes. Vegetables are used up in omelettes, or put into much the same mixture as a Yorkshire pudding and baked in the oven, or used in soup, or in stir fry. We have never come to harm through eating left-over rice, which we steam until it is very hot, on the assumption that all left-overs should be warmed to boiling point to eradicate germs and preferably boiled for a couple of minutes.

My grannie made meat or vegetable pies with left-overs chopped up and put in a greased pie-dish with a puff pastry lid.

Very little goes to waste in my house, veg & salad bits go into a stir fry. I use veg up in soups/casseroles. Potatoes have the sprouts removed & are fried (I keep mine in a potato bag & they never go green!). Chicken is stripped down as much as possible & meat frozen, stock made from carcass which I use for soups/sauces. Cheese has mould cut off it, grated & frozen, great for topping dishes or cheese sauce.

I try to waste nothing but if I have anything including outer leaves on veg, fruit stones, banana skins, it all goes in my food waste bin which the Council collect each week, even bones can go in it + tea bags & eggshells

grandtante yes, I agree, there are ways and means and I do usually manage to just about get them to stay together, albeit a little misshapen sometimes. And I make mine in a burger maker, so they're well pressed together. But do you see? You don't need any of these shenanigans with shop bought - no gently teasing them onto the fish slice, no holding them together with two pieces of cutlery while turning them. You can just flip 'em over

As long as the veg are green not yellowing or not 'bendy' or green and sprouting potatoes, I, as others have said, make soup.
Many things past their sell by date (nothing of fur/feather/fin or shellfish are ok to use
I have successfully used whole tubs of unopened cream cheese more than 2 years past it's use by date which I used in a cheesecake and apples which are going shrivelled to put in apple turnovers.
Non-meat soup in plastic tubs is fine to eat months after the use by date.
I actually shop every day...well, 6/7 days as M&S and Waitrose are a short walk away and I know when they get deliveries, therefore I hardly ever have out of date food and as a vegetarian, I only eat fruit, veg and dairy which has, mostly, to be fresh or frozen though I never buy frozen veg anyway.
Making my own bread is easiest as it proves overnight but anything I don't use is made into croutons or sliced and frozen. Making it yourself means you can make whatever you like in the size you prefer.

Over ripe bananas freeze well and make delicious banana cake. Being over ripe gives extra flavour. Just remove skin and put in a container and freeze. When they defrost just mash with a potato masher using both the liquid and solids bits.

I also use "mature age" veggies for soups or stock.

Dry cheeses can be grated and mixed with breadcrumbs for topping baked dishes. I make breadcrumbs from stale bread in the blender and freeze them.

Leftovers? I’ll send my family round to help you - they never leave anything!

I always cook more rice than I need for a meal and then use the leftovers in a beef or pork stir-fry or add ham, cheese, onions, peppers to it and make it into a casserole. Add some soy sauce, some canned pineapple and some honey to that casserole and it will turn into a sweet/sour asian-type meal. I would much rather make a huge amount of rice, then divide/freeze it for use in other meals. Saves electricity (my stove's electric). I remake it into other dishes and then bake what I recreated, in a toaster oven because it's much cheaper than turning on the big oven in the stove. Every penny counts. :-)

I use sprouting potatoes - cut off the sprouts and cook. Now I read this is not advisable but I am wondering what eating these potatoes does to you? We don't seem to get any bad effects after eating them - this is a serious question, I am not being facetious!
(BTW I don't intend using sprouting potatoes any more.)

2 eggs, ageing banana, pinch of baking powder, a few drops of vanilla: half a dozen little pancakes.
Reduced price aubergines and courgettes, slightly softening tomatoes and red onions (outside layers discarded) with a jar of passata and a few herbs: ratatouille. Served with grated elderly cheese and whatever pasta is around (fusilli best!)
As PPs have said above, Spanish omelette, crustless quiche, tortilla, piperade make a good dush from all those small amounts of leftover veg and 'bottom of the salad drawer'.
When alone every so often I 'eat the fridge' or even the freezer, avoiding shopping until there is plenty of space in there. The freezer provides a few surprises ...

I have been cutting the sprouts off potatoes and cooking them for ages. I would be interested to know why one should not, too.

Showing off now - I've got a new fridge freezer and there are no ancient remains lurking at the back.
Probably will be soon.

I googled it. Apparently it is fine to just knock off the sprouts and cook the potatoes as long as they are firm and not wrinkled. Or green.

Daughter came home last night and put some things in the fridge just until she left later in the evening, as she left she said “ oh I can’t be bothered to take my stuff, you can have it”
Ok.
It was all lovely!

Phone call this morning, actually I will have my stuff, I’ll pop in tonight or collect it, I forgot the Chocolate Marzipan Roll and I am looking forward to that.

Oops.

Phew Greyduster - well done for googling sprouting potatoes - glad to know I can still eat them

sprouting potatoes - if you have a compost heap shove them in there and you might have some new potatoes for Xmas.

My problem is not with fridge leftovers... ( BTW Frittata or soup is my fav way to use up bits and bobs) but the freezer.. Have 2 overstuffed ones: for 2 weeks have been using up "stuff" in them...also OOD tins - concentrating the brain cells, but fun and interesting meals!