“I don’t like leftovers,” I flippantly said ten years ago when I was a footloose and fancy free lady who ate out every night.
No kids, no husband, no budget. Just me and lots of pennies to spend.
“You will” said my older, wiser, married-with-children sister.
Oh, how right she was.
I now appreciate the inherent beauty of a meal already made.
The ease of answering “what’s for dinner.”
And the simplicity of clean up with limited pots and pans.
But while all those reasons are really good ones, that’s not why I’ve had a “left-overs epiphany”
I like leftovers because we don’t have a microwave.
That’s right.
My name is Sharon, I’m thirty-eight years old, and we don’t have a microwave.
Don’t get me wrong – I have nothing against microwaves. In fact, I would like to have one so that I could reheat my coffee, melt my butter and defrost my chicken breast.
But I would never again use it to reheat leftovers. Because, in my humble opinion:
Instead, I have found that an oven or stovetop do a MUCH BETTER JOB.
Pizza, Chicken, Pies, Quiche, Casseroles — 350 degrees for ten minutes. The oven wins, hands down.
Pasta, Mac and Cheese, Lasagna, Rice, Beans — put them in a sauce pan with some water (or EVOO) for five minutes… Good as new - better than new sometimes.
None of that gross, chewy, rubbery-nes that happens when you microwave them. YUCK I say.
Step away from the microwave.
You might be surprised on how GOOD your leftovers are.
This is linked up to Works for Me Wednesday
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
Hello SITSta! So, I agree with you, but I am guilty of using the microwave just out of convenience. *sigh* Go ahead and judge me. LOL
I adore leftovers. I love trying to "hide" the fact that it's last night's meat in a whole different meal. For instance, beef tips over rice becomes philly steak sandwiches with cheese on toasted day-old french bread when the rice runs out. A penny saved is a penny earned!
I am so with you on the leftovers! Especially now with the new baby. People have been blessing us with delicious dinners and the leftovers are the best the next day! I could not live without my microwave…chicken nuggets only take 1 minute for my hungry boy
My husband refuses to use it and heats everything by stove/oven.
Thank you so much for your kind words about the baby! We are all doing well
How funny that you posted this! A friend and I were just talking about this Sunday! I am a microwave user and she is a stove user. I like your perspective, though, and may have to just give it a whirl!
I am not a fan of the microwave either. We do own one, but I don't do leftovers in it. I use ours for my morning coffee, and occasional popcorn. I reheat everything in the oven. I usually add a little water, put a lid on the dish, and I am done.
Thanksgiving is one of my fav's because of all the leftovers.
The microwave is always one of the first appliances we plug in when we move. LOL I love my microwave popcorn. *shame*
Leftovers would never get a second chance in my house without a microwave. That is because each person heats up whatever it is they want to eat! I don't want to wash out all the extra pans. (Needless to say I should be a better mother and have them wash their dishes; but that's another story.)
I have thought that my mom was better able to stretch out the leftovers by heating them on the stove; they did taste better.
I love leftovers! There aren't always a lot of them here at my house, but usually enough for my lunch.
I can't believe you don't have a microwave!
I feel you completely on this! Well, we have a micro, but leftovers are WAY better heated up on the stove or in the oven. We were just talking to our friends about this the other day. Pizza especially, heat it in a pan with the cover on and you get melty cheese AND a crispy crust!
This post made me smile.
Okay, first, until I saw your comment on SITS today I thought it was Thursday. Sleep deprived? Noooo….
Anuway, I'm for using the micro for defrosting, and popcorn, and some rheating, but I do think we're entirely too dependent on it. A good convection oven can do wonders.
I wholeheartedly concur. I love leftovers~heated up the "old fashioned" way…
Witch Princess Are You?
I never did and still do not, like left-overs. Maybe it's the microwave's fault. I'll have to give your method for left-overs a try and see if it changes my mind.
Thanks for the tip!
Life is fine without a microwave.
I used to boil water on it and every other possible thing (even eggs once, but it wasn't very smart idea).
I had one years ago and when it broke I felt like life ended
Now I've been living without it and I even don't dream about having microwave. A lot of things seems irreplaceable when we use them, but it's often deceptive.
I thought we were the only people who didn't have a microwave! If one is not reheating leftovers, why would one need one? And we do not reheat leftovers, so therefore we need not a microwave.
What's an EVOO?
P.S. Love, love, love my microwave & am going to go give it a hug right now so that it knows it!
Hi Mary Beth! You put a smile on my face… Glad to know your appliances are getting the appropriate loving care!
Sorry for my laziness… EVOO is Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I'm reading too much Rachel Ray!
I definitely LOVE leftovers. I rarely have enough for us to get an additional dinner out of them (except maybe Thanksgiving), but we do like them for lunch. I will have try the saucepan method. My daughter eats leftover macaroni and cheese more than I care to admit and it sure looks gross reheated in the microwave.
Leftovers is a daily reoccurring theme over here at our home and (gasp!) we use the microwave oven for the reheating. We don't defrost meat or boil water or cook any meal in the microwave. The main use of our microwave is to reheat LEFTOVERS! LOL! However, we always place a well soaked (with drinking water) paper towel over the food. We usually reheat the food in a very conservative timing – 30 seconds for the first round. Another 30 seconds if it needs a bit more heat, so the food is not "overcooked" and we could have lunch in a relatively short time. Just for the record, I am 47 and I have owned my microwave for 22 years – a baby shower gift. Hahaha! It is a huge brown Litton brand, not sure if they still sell that model anymore… You can see it on my recent post, next to the red plastic tumblers.