Who does not know: Christmas days are over, but the remains of the holiday are piling up in the mountains. Despite the holiday, the refrigerator is full. Raw or cooked, salty or sweet – leftovers are never thrown in the trash! At least the good food you only treat yourself to at Christmas.
exaggerated
For larger quantities of raw meat or fish, soups or sauces, it is often easiest to freeze them. That way, leftovers can be stored for several months and then thawed when you really need them.
Casserole or gratin goes well with all leftovers: Whether savory or sweet, nothing goes wrong when baked in the oven. For the savory version, mix leftover pasta, potatoes, bread or rice with vegetables and meat or fish, sprinkle with cheese and cook until golden brown.
The sweet version is perfect for consuming eggs. With some milk or cream, dry white bread, plaited bread or stolen and a few leftover fruit, you can make a wonderful warm dessert or dinner.
What to do with …?
vegetables
Vegetable soup, vegetable stew, baked vegetables, ratatouille, veggie omelet – the list could go on and on. Almost nothing is easier than raw vegetables. Health-conscious people can add spinach, kale, celery sticks or even lettuce to their smoothies. If the vegetables are already cooked, they taste great cold in a salad, pureed to make a soup or sauce.
fruit
Fruit, berries and juice can be quickly turned into a beautiful smoothie with a blender or blender. With vanilla or fruit ice cream, the smoothie becomes a frappé or sweet cream, you create Bircher muesli out of leftover milk, yogurt, quark and fruit.
chocolate
Whether it’s in the shape of Santa Claus, coins, pinecones or hearts – there is a lot of chocolate every year! Chocolate melted in a water bath can be used to make muffin or cake batter. This also works a few weeks after Christmas, when the chocolate is no longer fresh and you can no longer taste it in cake.
meat and fish
Roast, goose or smoked fish scraps are enjoyed as a sandwich topping with thinly sliced and some toasted (dried) bread. If the meat or fish is still uncooked (eg leftover fondue chinoise), you should consume it as soon as possible. Now you can use it to cook stews, stews or even pasta sauces with vegetables.
bread
Dried bread slices can be moistened and fried to make them edible again. All loaves of bread can be baked a second time in the oven. If the bread is completely dry, you can cut it into small cubes and fry it in a pan with some butter and herbs to form crispy croutons. Hard white bread or plait tastes as great as a slice of pussy with cinnamon and sugar.
Cookies and pastries
There are also ways to recycle broken Christmas cookies, dry gingerbread or Christmas stollen. Crumbs crumbled and mixed with a little butter make a great base for pies or cheesecakes.
Be careful when storing!
Of course, leftovers should be consumed as quickly as possible. When it comes to storage, choosing the right material is still important.
Salty and sour foods should never be wrapped in aluminum foil. For example, cut citrus fruits or sausages start to react with the metal after a while, so that harmful substances pass into the food.
Care should also be taken with plastic foil or plastic Tupperware. In a humid environment, microbes quickly form under the film. And if the plastic is heated – in the microwave, for example – dangerous plasticizers or microplastic particles can enter the food.
Glass containers are safer and more hygienic. These are washed in hot water, absolutely sterile and guaranteed not to release any toxins.