Putting together meals from fridge scraps used to feel like a chore for me

Back in the 90s I would just throw leftover chicken and vegetables into a can of cream of mushroom soup and call it dinner. Now I actually look at what I have first and build a meal around it like a stir fry or a frittata. Has anyone else found themselves cooking more creatively as they got older?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_sam22d ago

Yeah I was the same way until I realized half the stuff in my fridge was going bad every week. Now I just grab whatever is left and treat it like a challenge - makes dinner way more fun and saves me money too.

angela_allen532mo ago

I read a piece in the New York Times a few years back about how people over 40 start cooking more from what they have because their palates get more adventurous. That article stuck with me. It makes sense, you get tired of the same old cream of something casseroles. For me, it was watching a cooking show where the chef just grabbed random veggies from the fridge and made a hash. That clicked. Now I do the same thing, just with whatever is about to go bad.

taylorlewis2mo ago

Honestly, I'm kinda side-eyeing that NYT take. Maybe it's just me, but I think people over 40 cook that way because they've got less patience for fancy recipes after work, not some big palate shift. @angela_allen53, your hash thing sounds good, but is it really that deep? I just chop up whatever's wilting and toss it in a pan with some eggs because I'm too tired to drive to the store.