8 ways to get creative, with leftovers

Recipe developer Zena Kamgaing and food writer Sam Gates talk easy, low-cost meals, plus how to turn leftovers into lunchbox specials

-  Sam Gates

1 CREATE LEFTOVERS WITH PURPOSE

Sam: "I hate waste and having things left in my fridge. So, I'm a big fan of using leftovers. When you batch-cook, you create leftovers for the sake of it, purposefully. I look at it as cook once, eat thrice."

Zena: "It's a fun little challenge. You get into your fridge and it's like, okay, you've had this great meal, how can you turn it into something even better and different and cool?"

2 COOK WHAT YOU WANT, BEFORE YOU WANT IT

Sam: "Batch-cooking is about cooking the food that you want when you have the time to enjoy it. Then, when you come home and you're exhausted at the end of the day, you have something to eat that you actually want. Set aside a few hours at the weekend and put a great podcast on and really relax and enjoy the cooking process, rather than having to just be in a frenzy after coming home and trying to feed the kids."

3 COOK AS A TEAM AT THE WEEKEND

Zena: "I love making dumplings, but I don't have time to make them after work on a Thursday, so I'll batch-cook. In fact, I'll get the whole family involved. It requires quite a bit of effort, so spend a Saturday making dumplings together, or spring rolls - something that you can then store in the freezer for whenever you need dinner fast."

4 BATCH-COOKED BREAKFASTS