using up leftovers for dinner: cottage pie
By Kelli M
@spiderdust (14761)
San Jose, California
August 29, 2021 7:30pm CST
My coworker sent me home with 4 quart-sized containers of beef stew this past week that were culled from the hot bar. This means they were entrees that had been out for customers to buy but had been pulled from the self-service hot bar after 4 hours. It's still okay to eat, but we can't sell it after that point and it was destined for the trash.
I've posted about work culls a few times. The amount of food that is thrown away on a daily basis in groceries stores is horrifying and I try to take home what I know I can use. Not only does it keep food from being wasted and ending up in the landfill, but it also helps keep my grocery budget down. Day-old pastries, bread, eggs, gallons of milk close to the sell-by date, cereal, yogurt, bruised apples, grapes that fell off of the stems... so much food that we can use.
But I digress. I remade some of the stew into shepherd's pie/cottage pie for tonight's dinner.
I took 2 of the containers of stew, added some frozen mixed vegetables to it (because many of the veggies had been picked out by customers while on the hot bar), put it in a casserole dish, and topped it with mashed potatoes and shredded cheese. It's in the oven right now and will be a lovely dinner.
I'm still trying to think of what to do with the rest of the stew this week. Maybe cook some pasta and make it into a ragu?
What was your dinner tonight? How do you remake leftovers?
(Not my photo)
15 people like this
13 responses
@rofiq28 (9)
• Indonesia
30 Aug 21
I like your favourite.
Becausr we are same.
Last night i was having coffee and visiter by my friends
@spiderdust (14761)
• San Jose, California
30 Aug 21
I'm not quite sure what you're trying to say here.
4 people like this
@DaddyEvil (137257)
• United States
30 Aug 21
@spiderdust I'm not sure, either...
The last line looks like he had coffee with a friend.
2 people like this
@Vikingswest1 (6304)
• United States
30 Aug 21
That looks scrumptious. I could eat that once a week lol.
An idea for the rest could be pot pies baked then frozen for future meals.
The waste in America is obscene.
I can't think of a solution other than employees taking it home.
Liability risks prevent any resale or transfer to those that could really use it.
One would think that this issue could be addressed and a solution could be found but I guess not.
I had the leftover pork loin with potatoes and onions with a salad and homemade blackberry pie for dessert.
4 people like this
@Vikingswest1 (6304)
• United States
30 Aug 21
@spiderdust
That's good to know that some things aren't waste anymore.
In 1989, I worked maintenance for a chain of 16 McDonalds and seeing the everyday waste made me sick.
Literally, a 55 gallon drum was filled every day. In. Each. Store.
I guess the same rules still apply to prepared foods being waste after being pulled for time.
3 people like this
@spiderdust (14761)
• San Jose, California
30 Aug 21
We do send a lot of things from the store to the local Second Harvest food bank, but we can't send things like the beef stew or the rotisserie chickens (also pulled after 4 hours).
3 people like this
@spiderdust (14761)
• San Jose, California
30 Aug 21
@TheSojourner One chicken will take care of 2-3 meals for my household, one of them being soup, but we have quite a few more people.
@RasmaSandra (79648)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
30 Aug 21
That sounds so good, Enjoy. I never have any leftovers now I make very little for myself.
4 people like this
@spiderdust (14761)
• San Jose, California
30 Aug 21
I'm afraid I would have the opposite problem. I have a hard time making smaller amounts, I'm so used to cooking in large batches.
3 people like this
@spiderdust (14761)
• San Jose, California
30 Aug 21
Not a bad idea! I'll have to get some pie crust dough (because I am not very good at making it from scratch).
2 people like this
@NJChicaa (119515)
• United States
30 Aug 21
@spiderdust I'm not good at pie dough from scratch either. One of these days I'll try Bravetart's Flaky All-Butter Pie Crust.
2 people like this
@spiderdust (14761)
• San Jose, California
30 Aug 21
@NJChicaa Until then, Pillsbury is just fine!
2 people like this
@kobesbuddy (78882)
• East Tawas, Michigan
30 Aug 21
I fixed baked chicken tonight, with leftover casserole and Swiss chard.
2 people like this
@kobesbuddy (78882)
• East Tawas, Michigan
30 Aug 21
@spiderdust I love venison sauteed in a tad bit of bacon grease. The next time I fix chard, I will do it with bacon grease, thanks!
1 person likes this
@spiderdust (14761)
• San Jose, California
30 Aug 21
That sounds really, really good! I'm a big Swiss chard fan, especially when it's sautéed with a bit of bacon grease
@Spontaneo (14700)
• United States
30 Aug 21
I make Crock-Pot french toast with stale bread. If you like, I can message the recipe.
3 people like this
@spiderdust (14761)
• San Jose, California
30 Aug 21
Ooh, in the crock pot? I'm very interested!
2 people like this
@Spontaneo (14700)
• United States
30 Aug 21
@spiderdust OK. Off to posting I go...
2 people like this
@m_audrey6788 (58472)
• Germany
30 Aug 21
Wow! I admire you for making left over food into a new dish. I can`t think of too much make over dish. That`s why I make sure not to cook more than what we can afford to eat. 
1 person likes this
@spiderdust (14761)
• San Jose, California
30 Aug 21
This was free food for us, but I didn't want to have it as just plain stew.
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (180366)
• United States
31 Aug 21
I forget the difference between cottage pie and shepherd's pie. I thought I was making a veggie burger and fries in the air fryer but it turned out to be a regular hamburger.
I guess it had been in the freezer for awhile
I guess it had been in the freezer for awhile
@LadyDuck (471272)
• Switzerland
31 Aug 21
@spiderdust You can take the potatoes out, I do not know if you have a use for the potatoes, re-heated potatoes are often not very good.
@spiderdust (14761)
• San Jose, California
30 Aug 21
I'm considering the ragu, although the stew is quite potato heavy. I suppose I could take them out and use the rest.
1 person likes this
@GreatMartin (23672)
• Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
30 Aug 21
We have 3 supermarkets here and 2 restaurants (that I know of) that give unused/uneaten food to the homeless pantries here!!
I never eat 'leftovers' because I NEVER have leftovers!!! 
I never eat 'leftovers' because I NEVER have leftovers!!! 2 people like this
@spiderdust (14761)
• San Jose, California
30 Aug 21
Our store gives a lot of the unused food to the food pantries, but we can't donate the leftover from the hot bar since they are technically "unsellable" at that point. We're supposed to throw it in the trash and write it off as waste.
@DaddyEvil (137257)
• United States
30 Aug 21
Your cottage pie sounds good... Will there be enough if Pretty and I show up to join you and your brood for dinner?
I sliced up strawberries into two bowls, sliced summer sausage into chunks and sliced some Colby cheese into chunks then yelled for Pretty to come eat...
I freeze leftovers in single serving sized Ziploc bags so we can just pull them out when we get hungry. I don't have to cook as often that way.
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (137257)
• United States
31 Aug 21
@spiderdust Hmm... we're making bok choy and beef tonight if you want to round up your kids and come over... We're making a lot so we can freeze the leftovers... or feed a troop of friends that show up unexpectedly tonight. 
Right now, you just have to be careful of the rain here. It started pouring about an hour ago.
Right now, you just have to be careful of the rain here. It started pouring about an hour ago.1 person likes this
@spiderdust (14761)
• San Jose, California
30 Aug 21
We still have some left! Come on over!
Sounds like you had what I call "snacky dinner". I usually have something like that for dinner on super hot days. I'm considering it for tonight, as it's very warm, the weather and air quality are bad enough that I don't want to grill, and I'm feeling largely uninspired to cook.
One of the drawbacks of working as a cook is I don't want to do it all over again when I get home. 
1 person likes this
@spiderdust (14761)
• San Jose, California
31 Aug 21
@DaddyEvil Oh, wow... that does sound good.
Could you send some of your rain this way too?
1 person likes this
@arunima25 (87772)
• Bangalore, India
30 Aug 21
I can't withstand food wastage. It's good that you bring them and use them.
2 people like this
@spiderdust (14761)
• San Jose, California
30 Aug 21
It's horrifying how much food gets wasted, especially in the United States. So many people could use that food.
1 person likes this
