Leftovers

Did you know... if your refrigeration air temperature is 39 degrees F. or lower, you can safely store leftovers for up to seven days? The 39 degree air temperature creates a 41 degree food temperature.

Here's an idea to keep track of the leftovers in your refrigerator: Have a magnetic note pad on the refrigerator. As you add a leftover, write it on the pad with its "use by date". For example, today is October 15th and I'm storing leftover meatloaf in the refrigerator. On the note pad, I'll write: Meatloaf by 10/22. As I add more leftovers, I'll add them to the list. As leftovers get consumed, they get crossed off of the list.

Sometimes, when I've accumulated a variety of leftovers, I'll create a restaurant style menu and present it to the family. Each person gets to choose a menu item. See an example to the right.