I need to limit the amount. If I cook something I really like, all I want to do is eat it till its gone. I make soup pretty often. I like soup, but not obsessively. It'll last 3 days.

OTOH, I make cereal a bowl at a time, because it sogs.

I prefer fruit pie when it reaches the soggy stage. As a teen, sometimes my mom would bake two pies for occasions and the second pie would only get half eaten. By day 3 of 4, the blueberry or apple pie was soggy and no one else in our immediate family would be interested in eating anymore.

That's when I'd sit down with a fork and go to town!

…is the best part of pie. And I vastly prefer the top crust to be on the pale side.

When I watch the The Great British Baking Show and hear the judges comment that a pastry is “underbaked,” I know I would think it was just right.

soup, meatless lasagna, and tacos, about 5 days. I haven't gotten sick yet!

…in a row, maybe more. I don’t require variety.

Is this any different than having a favorite sandwich that you make every day? Mine is smoked salmon on a Brownberry slim with just enough mayo and lots of capers. And I can eat potato chips every day.

or do you mix it up?

…just traditional salt or salt and black pepper. I don’t go for all the dill pickle, jalapeño, onion, etc varieties. I’ll take mine “straight no chaser” so to speak.

Current fav is Kettle brand crinkle cut with Himalayan pink salt. Costco has a 2 pound bag which lasts a few days - 😋

Although it depends on the dish.

I never cook every day.

Last edited Tue Feb 10, 2026, 10:14 AM - Edit history (1)

…”My favorite thing to make for dinner is reservations.”

We just found a takeout only Thai restaurant conveniently near by that serves with a very generous hand, and we typically get 3 meals out of a single dish. Shrimp pad thai 3 days running is just fine with me. Bring it on!

The thing is I am a very good cook. I also know exactly what’s in the food I cook.
I do like eating out but I love my own cooking.

Example. One of my siblings only buys sea salt. So do I, but her cupboard is full of celery salt, garlic salt, etc. none of which include sea salt.
I only use fresh garlic and grate or blend fresh celery.

If a recipe calls for 2 cloves, we will use at least 6.

I like Himalayan pink salt. I mix it 50/50 with regular Morton's salt to make sure we're getting iodine.

I only use sea salt

Most meals I make last 3 days. But I could eat some of my dishes longer but my wife likes more variety.

My chilli with our local beef I could eat just about every day.

My wife disagrees.

When I was a kid we once lived without a refrigerator for a year. My parents had to make sure we wouldn't have leftovers that required refrigeration. That usually meant cooking a little less of the main meal so that all of it was eaten, and then if we were still hungry we'd have foods that did not require refrigeration, for example bread rolls and cheese. When we had pigs dealing with leftovers was easy.

It’s one of my favorite times in cooking. I liken it to jazz…variations on a theme. Cooking for two leaves a lot of room for leftovers…keeping it interesting is the hard part. But in answer to your question probably 3x … 2x if some sort of casserole. Soups we don’t consider leftovers so as many dinners and lunches as we can get….usually make about 6-7 quarts of various soups.

I don't mind having the same exact dish a few days. So when I cook, I usually plan to have enough lunch or dinner for 2-3 more days. If I can't make a smaller portion of the recipe, I just give half of a big pot of soup or half a casserole to someone from work.

I bring my restaurant leftovers home and use it to make other things. Sometimes I'll have 4 or 5 go-boxes in my refrigerator after a road trip. French fries make a good hash, I cook some garlic, serano, onion and other veg, add some meat, leftover fries, top it with cheese and when the cheese melts into the slop, I put a fried egg on it. It's good with mexican or italian seasonings and cheese.

So then if I use the same leftovers for 2-3 days, I'm not having the exact same dish

If I make a soup, ratatouille, vegan shepherd's pie, chili, etc., then I'm content with leftovers for lunch for a few days, but I'll usually fiddle with spices or add another little something on the side to change it up.

Even if people aren't fond of the taste or texture, it's one of the best names for a dish, IMO. Thanks to the French!

Generally, we freeze the leftovers.

can go 4 days easy with chili. Leftover turkey from Thanksgiving, 3 days max.

After that, I'm pretty tired of the leftovers.

Anything over two meals gets frozen or cooked into something different.
I love food. I love to cook. I really love to eat.
It's every other step in the prep, clean, cook, clean, eat clean, sequence I could do without.

I can make pizzas and leave them in the fridge to grab and reheat-then-eat for days. Yum. Also, things like salsa and oven roasted cherry tomatos, but a dish? You are quite right--it is boring. When I make a lasagna or some other dish that will certainly be too much to eat, I freeze it in individual portions.
When the day has been busy and there is little time or energy left to prep a meal I can reach in the large freezer and grab from a variety of choices.
Perhaps your wife doesn't mind repetition?