Keeping cool when it comes to leftovers.

Christmas time. You may have heard it’s a place for mistletoe and wine. With logs on the fire and gifts on the tree. And I agree it’s a time where everyone treats people a little nicer, we all smile a little easier.  So I hope you had a very merry one.

With the New Year rearing its head you’ve probably got a lot of food leftover. We always seem to overstock during the holiday period and we often use way too much. You don’t have to throw it all away. Santa would be very upset don’t you think?

You can still take advantage of leftovers and there are a few things you can do to extend the shelf life of your products:

• Remember, freezing food keeps food safe for a long time. A 4 star rated model such as the Bosch GTM30A00GB chest freezer can preserve your turkey, chicken or beef for up to 12 months. Just remember to let it cool naturally and then store in a tightly sealed container.
• Anything left overnight in the open should be thrown away. Bacteria will have all the time they need to grow and multiply on any food that’s left out. If you want to keep it, then it must go in the fridge or freezer.
• Remember to slice any meat off of the bone before storing. This makes it much easier to handle (plus it’s not as messy!)
• If you’re freezing something, and your freezer has a quick freeze setting, then activating this could preserve your food a little faster.

75% of the people asked say they organise their fridge so certain foods are stored in certain places. This is a good thing. Meat is best stored at the bottom as it’s usually the coolest place. If you have efficient and effective multi level cooling, like in the Samsung RL58GREIH, then all areas of your compartment will be just as cool (but it’s still a good idea to keep your meats at the bottom!).

Some ideas for your food when it is time to tuck in include:

• Take two buttered Italian rolls, sprinkle some garlic salt on. Fill with turkey and a little dab of gravy. Voila! A sandwich St Nicolas would be proud of.
• Tasty turkey casserole dishes can be created by adding leftover rice and meat. Simply add some stock and bake for 20 minutes at around 170 degrees until the it bubbles. Quick and delicious.

Remember, waste not, want not, so let your fridge freezer take care of you in the new year.