Cooking with leftovers
Using leftovers was once simply an ordinary part of home cooking, but in some households the habit became less common as food grew cheaper and convenience increased. Interest is now returning. One reason is the desire to cut (1) ________ on waste. A small amount of cooked rice, vegetables or bread may not look useful on its own, yet it can often (2) ________ the basis of another meal. Experienced cooks recommend deciding what needs to be used first rather than following a recipe too (3) ________. This makes it easier to adapt meals to what is already available, while good storage should also be taken (4) ________. Food should be cooled and kept safely, and anything that is no longer suitable must be thrown away. Within those limits, however, creativity can still come (5) ________. Leftover vegetables can be added to soups, while old bread can be (6) ________ into crumbs. Learning a few flexible techniques may give people the (7) ________ to experiment, and over time they often become better (8) ________ judging quantities when they shop.