How Andrew Zimmern Easily Transforms Boring Leftovers

Leftovers are both a bane and a blessing. They are wonderfully convenient, ready-made meals that save time and money; however, when they pile up in the fridge, you may not know what to do with them. Luckily, Andrew Zimmern does, and he is dropping his leftover knowledge and wisdom for the rest of us so we can transform our dishes of yesterday into magnificent meals for today. While at the New York City Wine and Food Festival, Daily Meal asked how the "Field to Fire" host makes use of his leftovers to be more exciting. Zimmern revealed that he reimagines them into a pot pie or turns them into something that can be served over rice or noodles.

Zimmern explained his approach is pretty much the same regardless of whether it is a typical week or a special Thanksgiving Day. He said, "I do the same thing essentially with all of my leftovers. Sweat vegetables heavily in butter, add a little bit of flour, [and] cook it down so you have a few tablespoons of roux surrounding that vegetable package."

This thick gravy-like vegetable package serves as a thickening agent for sauces, and gravy is the foundation of many different meals. A roux is required for everything from chicken Alfredo to seafood gumbo. To add flavor and texture to this thickening agent filled with veggies, Zimmern uses some basic staples you may have in the pantry.

Andrew Zimmern further explained what he uses to change up the taste of a roux, saying, "Then add wine, stock, a little cream in that order, and then put in your leftover turkey [or] ham," adding, "Make a creamy, wine-y, mixture that goes over rice or noodles or sits inside a container that you can put some crust over and make a pot pie."

While turning leftovers into a creamy filling or topping works with some foods, Andrew Zimmern also notes that he has a slightly different approach when dealing with meat. "If it's pork, chicken, or seafood, sometimes I'll wok cook it with a simple soy and sugar glaze: Dark soy [a] little bit of sugar, [a] little bit of rice wine, [a] little bit of chili oil, and call it a day with some [vegetables]."

So, if you have some leftover Thanksgiving turkey and green bean casserole, don't toss them out. Instead, take a page out of the cookbook author's playbook and repurpose them to create a homemade turkey pot pie. Leftover pieces of a chuck roast can be made into a beef stew with a little tomato puree, Worcestershire sauce, and stock to create a thick, flavorful gravy. Be creative as you want to be. This approach to leftovers has so many benefits. Not only will your family thank you for adopting these tricks for using up all of your leftovers, your pocketbook will, too.