Solving The Leftover Dilemma

By Bob Lipinski

When your friends and relatives have finally said goodbye (and left you in peace), there’s the task of cleaning up; everyone’s least favorite thing to do. If you have a few pieces of cheese, a bottle or two of wine, and a half-dozen corks remaining… here are some helpful suggestions.

Cheese

Avoid reusing the original plastic wrap the cheese came in, because the fine coating of oil left on the wrapper will prevent an airtight seal. Instead, wrap the cheese in new plastic wrap, waxed paper, or aluminum foil.

Wrap cheeses individually in tight-fitting plastic wrap to avoid the mixing of different types of cheese.

Most cheeses will keep well in the refrigerator for two weeks to three months if they are wrapped airtight. Store them in the bottom part of the refrigerator.

Here’s a great idea for leftover cheese(s).

Cheese Spread

• 1 pound leftover cheese, any type (even mixed cheeses), diced.
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 3/4 cup dry white wine, sake, or dry white vermouth
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

In a food processor, mix all ingredients and process until creamy. Remove and place into a tightly covered container and refrigerate until needed; then serve with crackers.

Wine

I’m amazed how many people keep bottles of leftover wine sitting on the counter, after it’s been recorked. You wouldn’t do that with a hamburger or piece of fish, so don’t do it with wine. Take the leftover bottle of wine or wines, firmly replace the cork, and place it into the refrigerator standing up. This includes white, rosé, and YES, even red wine. When stored at colder temperatures, the chemical aging process slows down, including the process of oxidation that takes place when wine is exposed to oxygen. Now, the following day, remove the red wine from the refrigerator several hours before dinner so it will warm back up to room temperature.

Another suggestion is to have several empty screw-cap half-bottles (12.75 ounces) on hand. Using a funnel, fill the half-bottles from the larger one, then refrigerate. The volume of oxygen in the smaller bottle is far less than in a regular larger bottle.

You can purchase a sparkling-wine stopper, a device that fits over the top of the bottle and clamps down to seal it, online or in a wine shop. This device will keep the “bubbly” fresh for several days.

As an alternative to re-corking, freeze leftover wine—white, red, or rosé, in ice-cube trays, then store the cubes in plastic bags so you will always have a few on hand for flavoring soups, stews, or marinades. If you put a large toothpick into the cube just before it completely freezes, you will have a wine ice-pop to suck on while watching television! (It works for me!)

Corks

Cork is the outer layer of the bark of a Mediterranean oak tree that grows principally in Portugal and Spain, although it also grows in Algeria, Sardinia, and Sicily (Italy), Corsica and Provence (France), Morocco, and Tunisia.

Corks are excellent fire-starters for fireplaces or wood-burning stoves. To use, take a cardboard roll from paper towels (or any other cardboard roll) and fill it with corks end-to-end. If you have no cardboard, take a single sheet of newspaper and line about a dozen corks end-to-end. Loosely roll the paper and crimp the ends so the corks don’t drop out. Add some small pieces of kindling and light the newspaper (or cardboard) from both ends. Then add smaller, thinner logs as the fire takes hold. If the fire appears to be dying down with still some un-burnt logs, add several corks around the log and watch the corks burst into flames.

If you don’t have a fireplace or wood-burning stove, the corks can be made into a corkboard or be given to friends who specialize in arts and crafts.

Happy Leftover Day!

Bob Lipinski is the author of 10 books, including “101: Everything You Need To Know About Whiskey” and “Italian Wine & Cheese Made Simple” (available on Amazon.com). He conducts training seminars on Wine, Spirits, and Food and is available for speaking engagements. He can be reached at www.boblipinski.com OR bkjm@hotmail.com