Food - Drink
How Ina Garten Keeps Leftovers Exciting
By KAREN GRECO
Ina Garten loves dinner parties and cocktails, but not leftovers — "It's never as good. It's never as well seasoned; And I'm bored with it by then," said Garten. Her aversion led her to come up with a trick for repurposing leftovers by using the remnants of the first meal to make an entirely different meal the following day — which she calls a "two-fer."
On Instagram, Garten posted an example of a two-fer where she used her leftover tomato and eggplant soup in a baked pasta dish. She’s also repurposed Thanksgiving leftovers, using the turkey to make a pot pie, or to make a Thanksgiving sandwich piled high with bits of the remaining bird, stuffing, and cranberry sauce.
Garten's two-fers are not only tasty, but they're also safer, as the risk of food poisoning increases each time leftovers go in the microwave. Building a second meal is a great way to use excess food without risking a trip to the ER; just make sure to pop your leftovers in an airtight container immediately.