In almost
eight out of ten homes
(77%)
leftovers
from
Christmas
dinners
and
lunches
are recycled at the table and
reused in the kitchen also due to a growing sensitivity towards reducing waste for economic, ethical and environmental reasons.
This is what emerges from the
Coldiretti
/
Ixè survey
which shows that only 9% of families have nothing left over while 2% donate to charity and 1% say they throw the leftovers in the bin.
But there is also 11% who put uneaten dishes in the freezer to reuse them in the near future.
With the record of an average of 2.8 hours spent in the kitchen preparing dishes, according to Coldiretti, Italians spent almost 2.7 billion euros at the table on food and drink consumed between dinner on Christmas Eve and Christmas lunch between fish and meat including cold cuts (950 million), sparkling wine, wine and other drinks (550 million), desserts with the inevitable panettone, pandoro and bakery (300 million), vegetables, preserves, fresh and dried fruit ( 550 million), pasta and bread (200 million) and cheese and eggs (190 million).
To preserve food from the day before and avoid throwing it in the trash, Coldiretti has developed some advice, starting with the correct use of the refrigerator.
The dishes must not be inserted when they are still hot but must be adequately covered and not piled up on top of each other, to allow the cold to circulate.
The more easily perishable ones must also be placed in the lower part of the fridge.
When whole trays of food are left over, the freezer can be an excellent solution, but it is always better to divide them into small portions so as to consume only the quantities needed each time.
To defrost them you can use the microwave oven or the steam of a saucepan full of hot water, but the best solution, albeit slower, is to use the fridge,
where the temperature change is more constant.
Once defrosted, the dish must be consumed within 24 hours and cannot be frozen again.
Likewise, leftover food should not be reheated more than once.
A very common alternative is the use of leftovers to create new dishes, with the so-called cooking for the day after.
Meatballs or patties made with meat or fish tartare are excellent solutions to recover the food of the day before, but also omelettes using vegetables or pasta.