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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsPeople Are Lapping Up This Yucky 'Garbage Soup' To Save Money
The basic premise: Over a period of weeks or months, you toss any leftover bits of veggies, meat, poultry, rice, mashed potatoes, or gravy into a bowl or bag in the freezer.
And it certainly keeps your dinner partners guessing. By definition, each batch is unique. It can never taste the same way twice because its ingredients vary so widely.
Heres how you work with potage de garbage: Pour some stock (homemade or canned) and seasonings into a pan, with some canned tomatoes if you like. Simmer for 15 or 20 minutes, then add the contents of the freezer bag. Heat thoroughly and adjust the seasoning.
Dinner is served.
http://www.businessinsider.com/what-makes-up-garbage-soup-2012-6
lunatica
(53,410 posts)Throw in all the ingredients that must go out of refrigerator or they'll go bad.
Some of the most delicious meals I've had are mustgo meals. My son is a veritable chef of mustgo.
FarCenter
(19,429 posts)In the refrigerator they tend to become green and fuzzy.
lunatica
(53,410 posts)tsuki
(11,994 posts)NightWatcher
(39,343 posts)And here's a shocker.... It was good.
I guess I never saw being raised poor as garbage. You just do what you gotta do to survive.
MNBrewer
(8,462 posts)and it was better in terms of flavor and nutrition than any canned soup could ever be.
Modern people kill me!
They will happily call soup some HFC concoction with god-only-knows-what-part-of-the-chicken-that-is bits, a tablespoon of actual vegetables, ingredients no one can pronounce, and a lot of salt, canned by strangers in a roach and rat-infested plant.
See, I call that garbage.
(But they have better commercials.)
Akoto
(4,267 posts)It seems like a fairly sensible concept to me. So long as the ingredients are kept in a safe, sanitary fashion until use, what's the harm?
Luminous Animal
(27,310 posts)MattBaggins
(7,904 posts)and put them in the freezer for making soup later on. I do the same with freezing celery and what not that might go bad. I also take herbs, chop them up, wet and freeze them in ice cube trays to pop into dishes.
I just described the same concept without using loaded words like garbage.
On a side note about celery. I can not understand why people throw the leafy middle part away. The first thing I do is grab that yummy leafy middle part. Am I alone in this practice?
Tsiyu
(18,186 posts)I like the leaves for soup and stock. Or chopped in salad - any kind.
OffWithTheirHeads
(10,337 posts)I throw it in a pot and boil it till all the meat falls off and then use the stock to make soup. I'm not poor, I don't do it because I'm frugal, I do it cause it makes great soup or beans or whatever.
MatthewStLouis
(904 posts)xxqqqzme
(14,887 posts)I recently made a pasta salad w/ all the leafy bits tossed in the mix.
And I take all the veggie trimmings, toss them in the freezer an use them to make vegetable stock by simmering them down. What is left after straining the stock goes to the compost.
I love making soup. A bowl of soup w/ a slice or two of my home made oatmeal bread....I wish the weather was cold, I'd make soup tomorrow.
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)Odin2005
(53,521 posts)Look at the source, this is a "lets make fun of poor people" article. aimed at well-off folks
drm604
(16,230 posts)Cheap, filling, and nutritious.
NYC Liberal
(20,136 posts)Sure, it is if you use food that's months old and has gone bad. But otherwise, why not?
msongs
(67,433 posts)Wait Wut
(8,492 posts)...Chop Suey came about? I was very young when my dad told me the story, but apparently Chinese restaurant workers would save all the pieces and stir fry them together. They couldn't afford to eat what was actually served.
Voice for Peace
(13,141 posts)because it's from Business Insider, and maybe business insiders don't eat leftovers.
OKNancy
(41,832 posts)toddwv
(2,830 posts)The right seasonings and it's not much different than any other stew?
Sounds like a great idea since we as a country toss out billions in wasted food.
Cali_Democrat
(30,439 posts)It's entirely possible that the combination of leftovers could result in something disgusting.
malthaussen
(17,216 posts)"What goes into a good gumbo?"
"Everything!"
-- Mal
AsahinaKimi
(20,776 posts)its not like you are dumpster diving .. Its all food you have bought and used, and had left over. I do that all the time. I always have packets of Miso or those packets from RAMEN left over to use as flavoring. There was one point when I totally ran out of food and had to use ketchup packets, and soy sauce packets to make a soup.
I never throw out left overs.. I simply find a way to store them and use them again within the next couple of days. In this economy only an idiot would throw out left overs, you know like .. rich Republicans.
notadmblnd
(23,720 posts)a lady I work for recently gave me two huge slabs of fresh salmon. It had to have been 10 lbs. She was going to throw it out. I took it home, divided it in portions and now have enough salmon to last for a couple of months. I know I'd never spend 100.00 on a 10lbs bag of salmon.
MattBaggins
(7,904 posts)The concept of leftovers is most likely a quaint notion to them.
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)Aerows
(39,961 posts)It's simple, economical, and often comes out fantastic. I am not too proud to eat leftovers and leftover soup even in the good times.
Retrograde
(10,151 posts)The texture seems off for a soup - but mix with eggs and maybe bread crumbs and they make passable potato pancakes.
Otherwise, it seems like just another lunch chez Retrograde: we particularly like using small bits of leftover meats and veggies in ramen. They'll also do for pizza toppings.
I don't see what's yucky about it: it's not like the ingredients were scraped out of the garbage can. It's how our peasant grandmothers around the world and through the centuries cooked.
magical thyme
(14,881 posts)in a cream-based soup. Eg, cream of mushroom, cream of potato, cream of tomato, cream of leftovers...
GoCubsGo
(32,086 posts)It's essentially cold mashed potatoes with leeks and broth. I doubt the snob who wrote it this article would know the difference between vichyssoise from scratch and "garbage" potato soup.
WorseBeforeBetter
(11,441 posts)The Chefs daily creation
$9.00
With "Chef's daily creation" meaning "whatever is leftover from the day before," including potatoes and leeks!
WorseBeforeBetter
(11,441 posts)that had been frozen, and it was surprisingly good. I wouldn't have served it at a dinner party, but it suited me just fine for a day or two. Who knew I was eating garbage?
Luminous Animal
(27,310 posts)WorseBeforeBetter
(11,441 posts)Kidding... still can't believe how dumb this article is!
AsahinaKimi
(20,776 posts)Clam Chowder. (New England style.) I couldn't finish it so I put the container back in the fridge. Tonight I steamed a Potato. I also reheated the Clam chowder in the steamer, added a touch of real butter and let it melt. Later I just poured the chowder over the broken up potato. It was amazingly delicious!
WorseBeforeBetter
(11,441 posts)sort of a twist on chowder in a sourdough bowl. Soup and starch!
Luminous Animal
(27,310 posts)xmas74
(29,675 posts)Think of cream soups as a great place to add a bit of mashed potato. A hearty, heavy stew could also be served over a bit of mashed potato-place in bottom of bowl and add stew. It thickens up the stew and allows the stew to act more like a gravy.
Marrah_G
(28,581 posts)wandy
(3,539 posts)Like you said mix with eggs, maybe some bread crumbs, what else do you do with leftover bread but make bread crumbs.
If you want to get fancy, toss a can of creamed corn into the batter.
Yes I know potato pancakes are best made with fresh riced potatos.
But ricing potatos requires effort.
Leftover mashed potatos just seem to occur naturally.
slackmaster
(60,567 posts)Leftover stew is nothing new.
Gidney N Cloyd
(19,846 posts)TwilightGardener
(46,416 posts)leftover odd chunks of meat with, say, leftover cheesy broccoli, leftover sweet potato fries, etc. together mushed up in some broth. Why not just eat the stupid leftovers as they are? Or just buy broth, rice and a can of veggies if you want soup. If you are able to combine various bits and pieces of prior meals together like that, you must be preparing all your food steamed or boiled, with no seasonings, sauces or breadings.
Lars39
(26,110 posts)Luminous Animal
(27,310 posts)go great together... most were grilled as we tend to grill with our neighbors several times a week:
Asparagus with olive oil, lemon, & lemon zest.
Slow cooked onions with olive oil & balsamic
Portabela mushrooms with olive oil and a dash of soy sauce
Corn on the cob
Red bell peppers, peeled and sliced and mixed with green onions and caraway seeds
Beer can chicken
Roasted potatoes with paprika
We also made a wonderful remoulade sauce (for oyster po boys) that would go great in the soup.
Add a little rice and it would be delicious.
Retrograde
(10,151 posts)Spend enough years cooking and experimenting and you start to get a feel for what does and does not go together. You also learn to taste as you go along and make alterations as needed. Cheesy broccoli and meat scraps? Make a broth with the meat, add the cheesy broccoli and maybe some more cheese for a broccoli cheese soup. The sweet potatoes? Probably not in the same dish with the broccoli, but with same broth and a handful of carrots they might make for an interesting soup.
When you cook a lot you find you tend to use certain herbs and spices more than others, which is also going to help with combining. My best never-to-be-duplicated chili was made from some leftover ribs which turned out too dry and leftover baked beans. The spicy rub on the ribs complemented the sweetness of the baked beans: with some additional dry chiles and some vinegar to offset the sweetness it turned out great.
Lars39
(26,110 posts)They don't freeze well as baked beans, but they make a great addition to chili.
davsand
(13,421 posts)Heat it up and put it in the food processor. Finish with a bit of cream if you like. The sweet potatoes thicken it just like white potatoes thicken other soups and stews.
Last night I did a cold bean soup using leftover refried beans and a can of black soybeans. I put in some beef broth, tomatoes and onions and a lot of chili powder and cumin. Whizzed that all up in the blender and served it with a drizzle of sour cream and a bunch more diced tomatoes and onions as a garnish. Not bad.
I find that the leftover meats are not nearly as much of an issue for me to get used up but the produce is. I really have to think about how to get some of it turned into meals before it goes bad. I finally came to the realization that pretty much anything I can think of works just fine when cooked in a broth and whizzed in the blender or food processor. Instant soup minus all the salt and chemicals!!!
Laura
Codeine
(25,586 posts)Why waste perfectly edible food? Why is "leftovers" a dirty word these days?
grilled onions
(1,957 posts)It was a bonus to find meat or poultry in it too. As for the mashed spuds leftover fried spuds will work well(mashed often turned it into a thickener). A handful of rice,noodles etc was also added if available or if company was comin'! The basic broth of decades ago was made with veggie scraps anyhow from the skins of onions to the tops or bottoms of celery. At that time many grew their own, non sprayed veggies so they knew it was safe. The onion skins also added color. SO does a "grab" of spinach or other greens.
MattBaggins
(7,904 posts)It's what gives real chicken broth color and flavor.
Luminous Animal
(27,310 posts)Blue_In_AK
(46,436 posts)Why waste leftovers?
Warpy
(111,329 posts)and it's an offshoot of Mulligan Stew that has sustained tramps for decades, bits of this and that gleaned from garbage cans and kind people giving handouts, mixed into tin cans and boiled over a campfire. Yum.
Garbage soup is usually pretty good unless it combines duck a l'orange and garlicky spaghetti sauce with peppers. Then it actually does taste like garbage. Orange peels, garlic and peppers do not play well together.
kestrel91316
(51,666 posts)I suppose 1%ers would consider it beneath their dignity, but the hoi polloi are wise to do this and NOT WASTE FOOD.
yawnmaster
(2,812 posts)and this is a great way to save money!
In addition to stew and soup, depending on the ingredients, one can also stir fry the leftovers with some added noodles.
It's a great and often delicious way not to waste.
Enrique
(27,461 posts)if people are scraping their plates into the bag after dinner, then it's yucky. But I don't think that's what they mean.
Arkansas Granny
(31,525 posts)REP
(21,691 posts)Leftover rice, beans and mole get topped with a fried egg and wrapped in a tortilla. My husband LOVES them.
Chicken bones and skin are frozen to be used to make stock. If I have celery bottoms, the go in the stock.
Usually don't have leftover vegetables for long because they get eaten.
OffWithTheirHeads
(10,337 posts)wandy
(3,539 posts)That turkey carkes or ham bone can be wrapped up and set in the freaser until you feel like making soup.
Looking in the crisper, you're likley to find some celery or carrots you almost forgot about about.
Wooo Huuuu! kind of like free dinner.
XemaSab
(60,212 posts)From all the veggies left at the bottom of the vegetable bins.
GoCubsGo
(32,086 posts)I suppose if you are wealthy and can afford to throw out/waste what you don't use right away, it' "garbage". Spoiled assholes.
Auntie Bush
(17,528 posts)They probably called it stew.
LeftyMom
(49,212 posts)This is not news.
Starry Messenger
(32,342 posts)arcane1
(38,613 posts)Yum!
PoliticAverse
(26,366 posts)libinnyandia
(1,374 posts)flavor.
FloridaJudy
(9,465 posts)From a Russian folk tale in which a canny drifter provided the stone, and the entire village threw in their left-overs.
Peasants have been making this for centuries.
Ian David
(69,059 posts)Because it had everything but the kitchen sink.
crunch60
(1,412 posts)Generic Brad
(14,275 posts)Money is not my primary consideration when making soup.
xmas74
(29,675 posts)encourages the use of all leftovers in her book An Everlasting Feast. She doesn't believe in throwing away anything, including veggie peels and onion skins, cheese rinds, etc.
EFerrari
(163,986 posts)lol
xmas74
(29,675 posts)We grew up on leftovers and the "in" thing right now is frugal cooking. I'd never have thought that someone would write something as dumb as this article.
Tsiyu
(18,186 posts)the more the Haves love to mock us.
Their money does not buy them any common sense.
Monk06
(7,675 posts)I reduce it for two hours every night while preparing my evening meal using some
of the stock for reductions. At the end of the meal the stock goes into the freezer
and I bring it out the next night and repeat. After a month or two or when the broth
gets half full of solids I mash and strain the broth and freeze it. Then start off with a
new batch.
That's not garbage It's traditional country cooking.
Luminous Animal
(27,310 posts)Odin2005
(53,521 posts)The Upper-Middle Class twits must think left-overs are below them.
The irony is that the world's great cuisines have their origins in poor folks being creative with what little they had.
wandy
(3,539 posts)Listen.
I had one of those jobs where frequently I didn't need a house or a stove or a fridge or my own bed for that matter.
A motel 6 gold card and a lifetime pass at MickeyDees were more the way of things.
The occasional hunt for leftovers is a joy.
And it gets better.
Soon their will be stuff in the garden.
The irony is that the world's great cuisines have their origins in poor folks being creative with what little they had.
My grandmother used to give us kids a roll of fresh bread and turn us loose in the back yard to forage.
I know how to bake bread.
Soon their will be stuff in the garden.
Texasgal
(17,047 posts)Famous "everything soup". It was damn good too!
NYC_SKP
(68,644 posts)HiPointDem
(20,729 posts)tips about how to save money that most normal people already know except for the clueless & wasteful ruling class.
Scootaloo
(25,699 posts)Okay, okay... I'm a single guy, and I make a living as a cook, so I know how to portion for myself.
Yeah, I grew up on leftovers, man. leftovers and subsistence. You never think you'll get sick of king salmon until it's all you eat for five months straight.
pansypoo53219
(20,987 posts)try not to freeze any leftovers w/ go in to die there.
Zalatix
(8,994 posts)wandy
(3,539 posts)This will be the night of the first real frost. Anything not brought in will go to waist so........
Almost ripe tomatoes go between two sheets of news paper. They will ripen just fine.
Green tomatoes go in curry or chutney.
Peppers can be frozen or hung in the attic to dry, later to become Italian potato chips......
Dried peppers flash fried in olive oil using a cast iron skillet.
Anything else like corn, zukiney, brussels sprouts, spinich, carrots go in the crock pot.
I'm not a vegetarian but who says soup must have meat.
datasuspect
(26,591 posts)famous at the hobo camp
GeorgeGist
(25,322 posts)NickB79
(19,258 posts)Only he throws everything into a pressure cooker and turns that stuff to mush.
Imagine this treat: butternut squash, cayenne peppers, year-old frozen cherry tomatoes from the bottom of the freezer, sweet corn, and a big old chuck of beef liver. Oh, and it's all homegrown on the farm.
He started cooking like this after the divorce, and he's never been healthier!
LynneSin
(95,337 posts)There was always one day that we had 'Surprise Soup' which was made by combining all the different cans of soup each of the girls would bring to camp that day.
So each year I went to this camp it was guarenteed that I would starve at least one day because they would serve us this nastyassshit soup made up of all the ramdom soups we would bring in. I would always bring either a can of Chicken Noodle or Tomato soup because that's the only soups I liked but you always had one girl bring in something really nasty like cream of baked beans or some other bad nasty soup.
But by the 4th year of going to this camp I finally wised up. The good thing is that the soup was only those cans brought in from your group and each group was made up of about 20 girls. So the 4th year I worked it with my group that everyone was to bring in a variety of Chicken Noodle soup. All but one girl listened and the one that didn't well we hid her can of soup so it wouldn't be used.