Kitchen Hacks – Reheating and Storing Leftovers

“It's not leftovers that are wasteful, but those who either don't know what to do with them or can't be bothered.” - Julian Baggini

With appetites becoming erratic a perennial challenge for chefs is to ensure that no food goes waste. In such a scenario a home chef skilled at re-using leftovers is a gem in the kitchen. 

Besides grandma’s trick of repurposing rice, pizza toppings and grilled chicken into casseroles and frittatas; here are some re-heating and storage hacks to facilitate leftover re-use -

• Place a cup of water in the microwave while reheating pizza or baked goods (to keep them from drying out)
• Save leftover cakes from drying out by pasting a slice of bread to the exposed portions with toothpicks
• Shape the leftover pasta into a donut on a plate to ensure that it is evenly reheated in the microwave 
• To re-use all types of bread set the microwave to a low power setting, and wrap them in a moist paper towel
• Use an ice-cube tray to freeze fresh chopped herbs in water, olive oil, or stock for later use 
• Cool down a fresh glass of wine or a fancy cocktail by placing a few frozen grapes in your glass
• Posit a piece of wax paper over ice cream before putting it back in the freezer to help prevent freezer burn
• Freeze shelled nuts to preserve their natural oils 

Kitchen Hacks – Reheating and Storing Leftovers

“It's not leftovers that are wasteful, but those who either don't know what to do with them or can't be bothered.” - Julian Baggini

With appetites becoming erratic a perennial challenge for chefs is to ensure that no food goes waste. In such a scenario a home chef skilled at re-using leftovers is a gem in the kitchen. 

Besides grandma’s trick of repurposing rice, pizza toppings and grilled chicken into casseroles and frittatas; here are some re-heating and storage hacks to facilitate leftover re-use -

• Place a cup of water in the microwave while reheating pizza or baked goods (to keep them from drying out)
• Save leftover cakes from drying out by pasting a slice of bread to the exposed portions with toothpicks
• Shape the leftover pasta into a donut on a plate to ensure that it is evenly reheated in the microwave 
• To re-use all types of bread set the microwave to a low power setting, and wrap them in a moist paper towel
• Use an ice-cube tray to freeze fresh chopped herbs in water, olive oil, or stock for later use 
• Cool down a fresh glass of wine or a fancy cocktail by placing a few frozen grapes in your glass
• Posit a piece of wax paper over ice cream before putting it back in the freezer to help prevent freezer burn
• Freeze shelled nuts to preserve their natural oils 

With global stats claiming that 1 in 7 people remain hungry; and one-third of food being wasted… the need of the hour is maximizing every morsel.