HANDLE LEFTOVERS IN A HOT NEW WAY

 Diwali celebrations were on the go and nearing completion. The food prepared for the festival would have been many  on the menu. The most favourite and the one dish liked by all will no doubt be fully enjoyed and chances of leftover is very less.

This is not possible with all the dishes, few will end up as a large quantity of left overs. How to deal with it?  is the big question many face post the festive celebrations.

The extra food from parties, festive celebrations or of Sunday's supper that you store and eat on Monday is called leftovers.  Leftovers is most often used to describe extra food that gets saved and eaten later.

 Mostly Leftovers are surplus foods remaining unconsumed at the end of a meal, which may be put in containers with the intention of eating later. . Depending on the situation, the amount of food, and the type of food, leftovers may be saved or thrown away.

 Ideally only cook as much as you need but if you find you have leftovers, cool within one hour and store in the fridge. Eat within 24 hours, and if you're reheating it make sure it's piping hot throughout before serving suggests many elders. Refrigerate food below 5 °C as soon as possible.

*Throw away food not refrigerated within 2 hours.

*Throw away food that is more than 24 hours old.

* Reheat refrigerated food for at least 2 minutes to steaming hot before eating to avoid health issues due to food poisoning confirms health experts.

 To reduce wastage, if you are eating out, pack your food and take it home or give it to someone in need. If you are cooking at home, keep the party leftover food in the fridge and make sure you use it again; don't forget about it.

 Handling left overs:

 If food has been hygienically prepared, cooled quickly after cooking (or reheating) and stored cold, reheating more than once should not increase the risk of illness. However, prolonged storage and repeated reheating will affect the taste, texture, and sometimes the nutritional quality of foods.

Leftovers can be kept for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. After that, the risk of food poisoning goes up. If you don't think you'll be able to eat leftovers within four days, freeze them right away.

 Cover leftovers, wrap them in airtight packaging, or seal them in storage containers. These practices help keep bacteria out, retain moisture, and prevent leftovers from picking up odors from other food in the refrigerator. Immediately refrigerate or freeze the wrapped leftovers for rapid cooling.

Leftover cooked food may be stored in the refrigerator for up to three to four days. During this time, you can reheat the leftovers to 165 °F. Be sure to return any unused portion to the refrigerator within two hours to remain safe.

Add moisture (milk, water, olive oil, butter, etc.) to avoid dryness. In addition to using a vented container, give leftovers new life with a little bit of moisture. Add milk or cream to pastas before reheating. Provide proteins with a bit of olive oil or butter to keep them tender.

 Cook foods properly, and then refrigerate or freeze within two hours after cooking. In hot weather, that time limit is only one hour. Remember that the “safe” period starts after the food is cooked.

 One interesting point to note here is few people like leftover food and even feel that it taste better.

Do you know how? Food develops new flavour molecules, and for us, that means it tastes better. According to the study, proteins may further breakdown when the leftovers are reheated, producing new flavours which wouldn't have been there when the food was freshly cooked.

So don’t waste food.  Handle the leftover with care and consume safely.