Why do leftovers look unappetizing the next day?

[wolram]

Quite often i cook some thing up and can not eat it all ,so i say to my self i can have some later, but when later comes the food looks awfull and i can not bring my self to eat it ,even though the first time round it tasted very good, so it ends up in the bin and i feel guilty for wasting it, so what is it when the eye says no?

 

[turbo]

Hard to say. I'm that way with a few foods - just don't like them left-over. Some stir fries that I made up with peppers, onions summer squash and sausage were VERY good hot out of the wok, but take some of that stir fry out of the fridge the next day, and the flavors have all blended together, and the textures of the vegetables have declined. Even a quick heat-up in our little convection oven (instead of the microwave) can't resurrect them. I eat the left-overs anyway because being the son of Depression-Era parents I was always taught to be frugal with food, but with foods like this, I am making an effort to cook only enough for a meal.

 

[Andre]

Indeed the never-spoil-any-food culture of our childhood needed creative redesign of the former days food like making soup of it or so. Later on my baby brother solved the problem. Never have seen somebody eat so much. yet he is still slim as a lamppost

 

[Math Is Hard]

The crows help me with leftovers sometimes.

 

[wolram]

Indeed the never-spoil-any-food culture of our childhood needed creative redesign of the former days food like making soup of it or so. Later on my baby brother solved the problem. Never have seen somebody eat so much. yet he is still slim as a lamppost

Mom had a lodger who was thin as a rake, if he ate a potato one think he should look pregnant but no, he must have had a tardis belly as he could eat more than anybody i know.

 

[wolram]

The crows help me with leftovers sometimes.

A bird ate some of my bread pudding, i saw him walking next day.

 

[Evo]

I love leftovers, some food actually tastes better the next day. Living alone, I do have a problem with most of my favorite recipes that make at least 8 servings. I tend to get tired of eating the same thing every night. I never seem to have the energy any more to put little single serve portions in the freezer.

Another issue is making smaller versions of a recipe. If I'm going to go to the trouble of making something like moussaka, I'm certainly not going to make a small portion. <sigh>

 

[turbo]

Fair enough, Evo. There are certainly things that I will gladly eat as left-overs because they actually get better with a little age. Most soups made with black beans, lentils, or peas are like this, as well as New England style baked beans. I like warmed-over lasagna, too. When we make potatoes, now, we generally boil them (unpeeled) with an onion and a few cloves of our strong Russian garlic, drain, and mash everything with a little butter, salt, and pepper. It's nice to have extra potato left over. The next morning, make thin patties of it, dredge them in a bit of flour, and pan-fry them in butter. Those patties are killer with fried eggs. I leave the yolks soft so I can put the eggs on the patties as they are served, and when you cut them with a fork, the yolk ends up as a sauce for the patties. On the side, I have a 50:50 mix of my hot chili relish, and catsup. Mmmm.

 

[JasonRox]

Hard to say. I'm that way with a few foods - just don't like them left-over. Some stir fries that I made up with peppers, onions summer squash and sausage were VERY good hot out of the wok, but take some of that stir fry out of the fridge the next day, and the flavors have all blended together, and the textures of the vegetables have declined. Even a quick heat-up in our little convection oven (instead of the microwave) can't resurrect them. I eat the left-overs anyway because being the son of Depression-Era parents I was always taught to be frugal with food, but with foods like this, I am making an effort to cook only enough for a meal.

How do you feel about like cooked chicken or something of the like?

For sausages, I cook extras. Put the leftovers in the little oven to warm them up the next day.

 

[turbo]

How do you feel about like cooked chicken or something of the like?

For sausages, I cook extras. Put the leftovers in the little oven to warm them up the next day.

Cooked chicken, turkey, pot roast (New England boiled dinner) are all ripe targets for hash, sandwiches, etc.

 

[Evo]

Cooked chicken, turkey, pot roast (New England boiled dinner) are all ripe targets for hash, sandwiches, etc.

Cold chicken is yummy all by itself. Leftover cold fried chicken, heavenly.

 

[JasonRox]

But like turbo-1 said, stir fry is the worst.

I'm trying to think of other things that are bad for leftovers. I don't like leftover french fries. That's definitely not my thing.

 

[Andre]

One of the dishes that ought to be consumed the second day for sure is http://www.coquinaria.nl/english/recipes/Dutchpeasoup.htm. One should boil at least a gallon at the time. Have one or two portions to go into the fridge and deep freeze the rest for later consumption. The taste will be greatly improved when warming up those "left overs".

 

[turbo]

I like my vegetables steamed al dente with good color and texture. I'm really not a big fan of left over greens, string beans, brocolli, etc. Left-over carrots and get chopped and pan-fried with any left-over boiled potato and some onion. That goes really well with eggs in the morning. Even better if you fry up a few pieces of bacon first then fry the other stuff in the bacon fat.

 

[Evo]

But like turbo-1 said, stir fry is the worst.

I'm trying to think of other things that are bad for leftovers. I don't like leftover french fries. That's definitely not my thing.

Ugh, leftover french fries are inedible, well, at least McDonald's french fries. You can't even reheat them.

 

[NeoDevin]

Ugh, leftover french fries are inedible, well, at least McDonald's french fries. You can't even reheat them.

Try the packageing at McDonald's, it usually tastes as good as the food (sometimes better), it's like getting two for the price of one (and I think it might be slightly more nutritious too).

 

[NeoDevin]

As far as reheating leftovers, if it was good the first time, then as far as I'm concerned it's good the second time*.

Stir-frys are great leftover: if you anticipate that you made too much, take some of it out of the wok before it's fully cooked, and put it in a container in the fridge. Leave only enough that you'll eat it same night in the wok to finish cooking. Next night just toss it from the container into the wok (or microwave if you were too lazy to wash the wok the night before), and in about two minutes you have a nice fresh stir fry (not quite as good as the night before, but pretty darn close).

*With the notable exception of a grilled cheese sandwich, which is delicious for the first 5 minutes out of the pan. After that it is inedible.

 

[Evo]

Try the packageing at McDonald's, it usually tastes as good as the food (sometimes better), it's like getting two for the price of one (and I think it might be slightly more nutritious too).

 

[wolram]

Try the packageing at McDonald's, it usually tastes as good as the food (sometimes better), it's like getting two for the price of one (and I think it might be slightly more nutritious too).

Kia and her bf love macDs, one day bf bit into a burger and the fat just streamed out like
a beer drinkers wee wee.

 

[Evo]

I don't eat at McDonalds. I can't even remember the last time I ate one of their hamburgers, it's been years. Here in the US, McDonalds is not considered to have good hamburgers.

When I was dating my second husband, he thought McDonald's Big mac's were good and he insisted that I try one (I had never eaten at McDonald's before). It was horrid, a wafer thin piece of something grey with reconstituted (previously dehydrated) onions on a soggy, greasy bun. Funny, he wouldn't be caught dead in a McDonalds now.

 

[tribdog]

speak for yourself. I love their double quarter pounder w/cheese.

 

[Evo]

speak for yourself. I love their double quarter pounder w/cheese.

Oh dear god. Have you ever eaten an angus burger from a place like Hardees? (Carl Jr's)

McDonalds beef doesn't even take like beef, it's unidentifiable.

 

[turbo]

I don't eat at McDonalds. I can't even remember the last time I ate one of their hamburgers, it's been years. Here in the US, McDonalds is not considered to have good hamburgers.

I ate at McDonalds every once in a while in college - my GF thought Big Macs were good. I preferred Giant Sub's Italian sandwiches, and in fairly short order, they became our fast food of choice (hers with extra pickles) so we could forgo the trips to McD. McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy's, etc make CRAP burgers. There was a restaurant in that college town that made a decent burger. It was called the Moose Burger, and it was huge, with tomato, lettuce, cheese, onion, mayo, catsup, mustard, pickles, etc. It was pricey for a burger, but we could split one and still leave full.

 

[wolram]

I ate at McDonalds every once in a while in college - my GF thought Big Macs were good. I preferred Giant Sub's Italian sandwiches, and in fairly short order, they became our fast food of choice (hers with extra pickles) so we could forgo the trips to McD. McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy's, etc make CRAP burgers. There was a restaurant in that college town that made a decent burger. It was called the Moose Burger, and it was huge, with tomato, lettuce, cheese, onion, mayo, catsup, mustard, pickles, etc. It was pricey for a burger, but we could split one and still leave full.

Turbo, this is not you for sure, that burger sounds evil.

 

[turbo]

Luckily, the Moose Burger was made by a restaurant with a REALLY fussy owner, and the quality was impeccable. Huge burger on oversized buns with all the trimmings. The Moose Burger came out on a plate on a bed of really good crispy French-fries. The restaurant was Governor's and it was just over the line in Stillwater. It was a pretty good walk from Orono, but worth the effort.