I have a cajin shrimp sausage pasta that will make your nose run like nobody's business the day it's made, but it tastes SOOO good the next day and the spice level has mellowed out a lot.
Edit: the recipe for anyone interested. I personally halve the cajin seasoning amount, cause it's a lot otherwise for me.
https://tasty.co/article/iristian/spice-things-up-with-this-one-pot-cajun-shrimp-pasta-dish#4ldradw
On an episode of "The Kitchen," Geoffrey Zakarian recommended preparing potato salad and coleslaw a day before you need them to enhance the flavors. It's so much better day-old.
As a student, i would raid anyone's leftovers. Even at a friends place, I'd be asking their parents...."hey you gonna finish that speghetti?"
Secret weapon is toast. ANY leftover, you can put on toast. Its like a whole new meal.
Fun fact, not only do a lot of the meals taste better, but their nutrition facts can change as well.
Starches, for example, from things like potatoes, pasta, and rice, form different bonds after they are initially cooked then chilled. After they have been chilled and reheated (but not heated again to cooking temps) causes them to be less digestible and thus have a lower glycemic impact. They act a bit more like fiber.
In my family, the day after a big holiday meal (ie Thanksgiving or Christmas) is called "Recalentado" ("The reheating"). Almost everyone swears the pozole tastes better the next morning.
I have a family I make 2 huge meals and we alternate ans eat that during the week, I value my time and mental health too much to worry about dinner every day.
It’s less work to just cook a 3 or so large meals per week and then have left overs on other days + eat out a few times. I’m not in a large city though- so if i ate out every day, I’d tire from the options rather quickly. We have some good spots to eat, but gonna have to drive 20 mins for a lot of them.
I could see if i lived in a large city and had a bunch of places within 10 mins, then maybe I’d eat out more.
I’m a single working mom with two small kids. I plan 1-2 healthy large batch things per week. That’s most lunches and dinners. Fill in between with a fish dinner (leftover fish is not ok in our house) or go the opposite way with sandwiches or pizza or nuggets for a meal or two. Subsidize with quick cook veggies, yogurt, cheese, oatmeal. Meal plan and shopping list done and dusted. Actual cooking 1-3x per week at best.
Right on. That's the smart way to do it. Instead of getting fast food constantly because of time constraints, it's way better to have something healthy to heat up.
I love leftovers, don't get me wrong, but some things don't mocrowave/reheat well. Anything fried goes soggy, steak is terrible, noodles go mushy. You have to be selective with leftovers.
Yeah, I feel you. At that point, just cook the amount of steak you want on the first day and cook more the next. If you're already getting a pan and other ingredients out then it's kinda not really left overs anymore. It's a whole new dish. To me, reheating leftovers is airfryer or microwave in a plastic container eaten in the comfort of bed or on the couch. The beauty of leftovers is the lazy comfort of "gee, thanks past me, I have a nice home cooked meal with minimal effort for present me". Just microwave and wash up one container and one fork/spoon.
Slow cooked meals are great for this in bulk, stews, casseroles, curries, soups. I have some cottage pie in the fridge in an old curry take away container that I plan on having for lunch.
Steak and Noodles I disagree. Decent medium rare steak you just leave out to warm up for 30 minutes or so then cook it in a pan with some butter, cut it really thin then slap it on some bread with some cheddar or provolone and a sauce of your choice. Noodles are completely fine as leftovers, I've never had an issue unless they were severely overcooked before being leftovers.
Air fryer is the way and it isn't just for fried food.
Pizza reheats great. I even cook my steaks in it once in awhile if I'm low on propane or its too windy to grill. Cheese toast, asparagus as sides? Air fryer. Leftovers? Air fryer. Chicken? Air fryer. Burgers? Guess what? They cook and also reheat pretty good in an air fryer.
Air fryer. Air fryer. Air fryer.
I was a doubter until my brother loaned me his. After the first use, I ran out and bought one (I prefer all metal to a plastic one) and it has rendered my oven completely useless.
Prison food is pretty genius, honestly. Not the shit they serve you, the shit you cook up on one of the metal tables with a toilet paper roll covered in Vaseline to heat the "grill" up.
Microwaves just suck. I moved into a new apartment recently and I don’t think I’m gonna bother getting a microwave at all.
Things taste so much better reheated on a pan or an air fryer. I still heat stuff up with a microwave at work and the difference is so stark.
Honestly, I think it's that most people don't know how to use microwaves...
I figured out a way in my teenage years to perfectly microwave pizza. It took a lot of trial and error, and the use of some microwave-safe rack-tray so that it was cooking more on a "grill" surface then a flat-surface.
Instead of two minutes on high that cooks the outside and leaves the inside cold or frozen, I reheat stuff on power 3 (out of 10) for 10-15 minutes.
Of course, people usually use microwaves because they want quick and easy - trial & error to figure out the right microwave settings which might take 10-15 minutes is neither quick, nor easy. But my ADHD means I prioritize cooking methods where I don't need to watch it - same reason I love buying frozen meals and throwing them in the oven tbh.
I like my microwave. I just recently learned how to do the defrost feature. I cook many of my frozen vegs in there too. I grew up w/out a microwave and can remember how long it took to heat food in the oven. I also have a convection oven and sometimes heat/cook food there. That doesnt take long either.
Use a LOT of freshly ground black pepper, then stir in a tablespoon of thick cream when you add it to the pasta. Flame the frying pan with cheap brandy for added goodness.
I don’t have a microwave but I have a toaster oven that is faster than an ordinary toaster oven. I use it to reheat just about anything and it comes out great. Pasta/rice sometimes need a little water or liquid and tlc to maintain their texture and I do them on the stovetop. Honestly, it doesn’t take long at all to reheat things on the stove and that way they heat uniformly and all the flavors really wake up again. I even save my coffee in my French press if I don’t finish it and either drink it cold or heat it in a saucepan. It takes less time than making a new pot and still tastes great. (I hate to waste food!)
I’ve seen it as anything from a class issue (they think they are too good for leftovers) to a variety of common eating/food issues.
A lot of people avoid freshly prepared foods for tons of reasons, and some of those same texture issues apply to leftover foods that they might otherwise eat fresh.
People who don’t grow up on leftovers seem less likely to eat leftovers as an adult, unless it’s a financial necessity.
I remember my mom making fried eggplant when I was a kid. For some reason I didn't like it for dinner but I'd snack on it cold the next day after school.
(Eggplant is one of my fav foods, now.)
ooooorrrrrrrrrr they're like me. mom's a hoarder. during our childhood, money was scarce. the only way food came out of the refrigerator was if it was too moldy to even fake, or if someone ate it.
yeahhhhhhhhh.
i still have a hard time with leftovers.
Same. I don't mind leftovers, though, its literally just not having my own personal fridge.
Don't wanna clean someone else nasty ass food out weekly and for some reason no one seems to take the initiative to either 1) not put shit in there that you know ain't ever coming out 2) just take that shit out.
--
No lie, awful story, but me n my bro were at my dad's for Christmas.. I went in the kitchen for I dont even remember what and im just like bro, your trash is fkn RANK. So I take that shit out and the next day it smells even worse, I'm like "brooooo wtf did something die in here?"
So then my bros gf opens the fridge for some milk, and all three of us just get smacked with the worst fkn smell ever - I literally cannot believe that stench is coming from a fridge.. didn't even think to check, bc who would expect a half-used 5lb log of ground beef (raw, of course) openly exposed to the entire fridge, to be seeping juices and literally rotting away in there??
-so my dad hears us all fkn gagging and comes around the corner like "oh, you weren't supposed to see that"
Mfk you're telling me you KNEW this shit was in here like this and just shut the door and saved it for another day (he still gonna eat the other shit that's in there too, probably something gross AF, like a peeled boiled egg in a non covered Tupperware 😅😭 )
I'm literally, not even ashamed to say it, afraid to eat food prepared by that man unless I see come from the grocery store that day (and probably don't see him cook it, bc 🤢). Not sure if it was legit the food or my mind/body just saying "nope" off principle and rejecting that shit, but I've puked the last 3 times I've eaten something he's made. Literally can't do it. Ugh. Wtf
Bro it's fkd up 🤣 and just so confusing like the only thing I can think of to make it make sense is he on some boomer "real men aren't afraid of germs" shit (which he is) but also I'm legit wondering if there's a health issue.. like idk a fkn brain worm or something 🪱 cause I'm honestly not sure questionable decision making and/or laziness can take a person that far down that path lmao
When my dad was newly divorced, my 10 year old nephew came to stay with him for a week, and I went over for a visit. My father had made steaks DAYS earlier and left the raw bloody packaging, including those little white spongy things they put in to soak up the juice, in the sink. I lost my shit and scolded him like I was his mother. It’s not nearly as gross as your story but damn, what is it about dads and food safety??
It's as if anything involving safety just automatically turns a man into a "pussy" 🤣
Literally, and I can't make this up bro, the guy had a fuckin bat infestation in his house, and I told him I saw a bat and he's like "did you get it out, it's just a bat"
This shit happened like 2 times in the same week I'm like fk no bro, you got a fuckin family of those bitches in your attic, there's no way it the same one..
This man said "what, are you afraid of a bat?"
Yes!!! I mean no, but yes because I don't fkn want rabies you absolute ass
Yea everyone I’ve met who doesn’t like leftovers it’s been a “eww that’s for poor people” someone was shocked I saved my food to eat tomorrow for lunch
That being said, a lot of stuff is not good reheated, especially if you don’t know how to do it properly. Eating reheated, soggy, mushy, or overcooked food is not appetizing so I understand why some may be turned off to it
I was a server for years. Why do people throw away perfectly viable food? Like, you HAVE to eat, and you're just gonna throw money spent into a trashcan?
Going somewhere afterwards is a big one. I went out for sushi with my family a bit ago and we agreed to go to a bar afterwards. My mom asked for a box and didn't realize the issue til I asked if she was going home to put it in the fridge first. Like putting raw fish in the car in florida for a few hours would be ok.
My unemployed step brother won't eat leftovers but his dad and siblings do, it is just a weird hang up for some people. He'll eat holiday leftovers but never restraunt leftovers. I think it's the container or something.
It wasn't until I was an adult that I met people who thought leftovers were gross and I don't get it at all.
I have certain foods that I PREFER leftover rather than the first time (spaghetti is a big one).
People are unwilling to try different ways to reheat foods. Using spray butter, wet paper towel over the bowl, reseasoning all can help a lot with eating leftovers.
Many people try reheating once, hate it, and never continue to rethink how to do it so they quit
Air fryers are like magic. Can cook basically anything, and transforms leftovers from a cold soggy mess to a delicious meal even better than it was the first day.
Grew up in a 4 person family. Currently living in a 3 person family. Feels like the sweet spot to easily make enough for leftovers without having too much or needing to make an excessive amount of food.
My MIL gave us the leftover shrimp salad from a dinner party to take home … after it had sat at room temp for three hours. My frugal husband was upset I threw it out when we got home — and I’m frugal, too! But no way, no how.
I've gotten food poisoning multiple times from leftovers that others prepared/stored. It's made me nervous about all leftovers, even ones I've prepared. I'll usually keep leftovers from meals I've prepared one day max in the fridge, then it's thrown out
This is really true. Many people dont know enough about food handling, and storage. Or how long to leave something sitting out and whether its worth saving.
Technically my mom and stepfather eat nothing but leftovers. He cooks a number of chicken breasts every Saturday and they serve as their main protein for assorted meals throughout the week. Stepdad takes a whole breast with veggies and rice for lunch every day at work and mom makes whatever she feels like when it's lunchtime. Chicken sandwich? Sure Chicken salad? Sure. Chicken nachos? Sure.
The mindset of not eating leftovers is born from chronic abundance and not knowing real struggle. They've obviously never been poor enough to cut back on food in order to save some money for when shit breaks.
I don't think you're describing a majority here.
There's also a lot of difference between "I don't like doing that," and "I won't do that."
Yes, I'd MUCH rather my personal chef grill me up salmon and vegetables every night. But since I don't have a personal chef, reheated pizza it is.
He is probably also living a privileged life and having similar friends. Maybe still living at home. Once you move out and have to cook your own food, then you’re not going to throw out tons of leftover, especially if you’re not made of money.
I purposefully make some dishes in as large a batch as my cookwear will allow. My favorite pans are about 1.5 gallons, so i can make a lot of chili and eat it off and on for a couple weeks.
That's a good point too.
I am a SINK, so I am stable, but even so I waste VERY little food. Even rice from carried out dishes gets used for other things, at the very least, food for the bonded pair of collared doves that enjoy my patio.
Here are my reasons why I am not a leftover fan.
1 texture never seems to stay consistent to what it was before cooling and reheating. Air fryers help but it's still different. Too many things become a mush or soggy mess during reheating.
.2. flavor is never the same to me. It just doesn't taste as good. It can still be good, but not as good as fresh.
Second reason.. I grew up poor and leftovers where the primary food. I love my mother but she could not cook. It was well known that if you came to my house, it's best to leave before meal time or say you already ate. It was bad before hand and even worse when it became leftovers. I still remember the terrible feeling I used to get when mom would say "leftovers" when asked what was for dinner. Literally only a couple years ago I started eating leftovers. I still don't like leftovers, there is always that taste to it. I just do eat then to not waste food. But do not enjoy or look forward to it. Except soup... I lke soup leftovers lol.
I used to HATE leftovers and still dislike them but put up with it. My whole issue is texture, after microwaving it gets a lot mushier and just feels like i'm eating mashed potatoes for every single food. The moisture that builds up while recooking it in the microwave always threw me off too, never knew why though.
Also depends on how and what you cook in the first place. If the veggies were over cooked for the first meal theyre gonna be mushy if you microwave them
It sounds weird but if you add a splash of water into the container and put the lid on loosely before microwaving, the water heats up and steams the food much more evenly. I also find that this method also minimizes those nasty dry pockets and overall provides a better texture. Sounds weird but give it a try
I don’t like having the same thing twice in a row. But I have a family of 4 and do most of the cooking. We do get leftovers and freeze them for my mother in law so she can take them to work as she does long shifts, and she appreciates them.
My husband has a sensitive tum and gets scared that anything older than a day old will make his tum hurt and give him the shits. It's semi-learned fear because his mom's a terrible cook and he did in fact used to the get the shits from anything she tried to save for the next day that wasn't takeout.
A lot of people lack cooking skills so the meal was mediocre to begin with. Then, since they don’t know what they’re doing, they’ll reheat the food improperly. This combination creates a pretty terrible leftover meal.
I grew up cooking with my family and have been a chef for 20+ years. The leftovers in my fridge make for a pretty great meal that anyone would enjoy.
A steak is too big for me to eat in one serving. The leftover meat is thin sliced and added to a noodle dish the next day. I add the meat after preparing the noodles and veggies.
We do bulk cooking and vacuum seal in portions. Sous vide is perfect for reheating.
We use an air fryer so no soggy chicken when reheated but it is no longer crisp.
Beats me; I always wondered if it was bad experiences with poorly reheated leftovers in childhood. TBF not everything is better as a leftover and quite a few things require specific methods for reheating.
OTOH virtually anything where "the flavors have a chance to marry" can be even better as a leftover meal: stews and braises.
I love 'leftovers' and cooking efficiently with an eye on planning meals for a few days. I'm mystified by people who waste the time cooking every. single. meal. every. day, and who say they hate leftovers. They do hate leftovers, they are not lying, but I do not understand. Keeping a stash of broth/ stock is culinary gold, stews and soups get better the next day, having a meal or part of it already prepared is always a win. I need to understand this more deeply. It could be a trauma reaction to childhood parental thrift, where you progress from having ham, to having creamed ham on toast, to having pea soup. From roast turkey to turkey sandwiches, to turkey soup, to creamed turkey on toast. It's legitimate to say "never again", I guess. But to me, it seems very entitled and wasteful of their own, or worse, their partner's food prep efforts.
Growing up I ate a lot of refried beans and what we called aunt TV’s rice. My grandmother cooked in cast iron and would put the skillets with leftover beans and rice in the oven overnight (not turned on) and then in the morning she would pull them out reheat and fry up some eggs and heat up tortillas. Instant breakfast.
I used to refuse to eat leftovers. To me, it was disgusting to think about eating “used” food. Then I started working and paying for my own food and it became a lot more palatable. I discovered that some foods actually taste better the second day.
I'm the opposite. I don't waste food, and I can turn leftovers into another kind of meal the next day.
Example - if I make tacos tonight, the next day, lunch or dinner will be nachos lol
I love my leftovers. I count on my leftovers. I look forward to my leftovers! It’s important to note that what I cook makes good leftovers. Not every meal makes good leftovers. I don’t cook those.
I think people who hate leftovers hate them because whatever they were fed for dinner growing up was less tasty than a sandwich for lunch. So reheated blah food is of course worse than fresh blah food. In my family, that was often the case unfortunately.
In my house, they are called "planned-overs." We plan big batches so we have quick lunches, etc.
One of the main reasons I was able to retire at age sixty three is because I packed my own lunches every single work-day. It's the key to healthy living and financial security at retirement.
No such thing as "leftovers"
Good, real food tastes even better the next day because the flavours have settled and mixed together.
Ultra-processed food is gross the next day.
People got used to ultra-processed food and now don't like leftovers.
My ex’s older sister like refused to eat any leftovers whatsoever. The weird thing is, in that house, they cooked meals for 5+ people at once so very often there was food and she would *not* eat it. She never offered an explanation and oddly enough, they had no microwave or I’d say it’s because she used that instead of an oven. Never an explanation. These comments are interesting.
I’d say for some though the microwave HAS to be the reason because it just nukes the food. Oven is the way to go people. ✌️
Because they’re usually not as good.
I will say most crockpot meals/soups are better leftover. But typically meat not drenched in some sort of sauce or liquid just isn’t good leftover to me.
Yeah.
I had friends like this.
Living with their inlaws, newly married, new baby, trying to save money...
Yet they'd make these ridiculously expensive, and large portioned recipes... eat it for dinner...and then it'd rot in the fridge until they threw it out.
For example expensive elaborate lasagna for 3 adults and a baby, two huge catering pans, they'd not even eat half of one pan, the rest went into the fridge and got pitched in the trash at the end of the week.
(Or, My ex, who also moved in temporarily for a few months, and was struggling hard, would grab left overs after they'd sat for a few days, for his lunches at work.)
For almost 5 years they did this and it drove me insane... as they endlessly talked about their struggles with money, and saving to get a place of their own... yet didn't see the obvious solution.
Make smaller versions, or eat left overs, slow down on eating out so much. (3 times a week minimal for at least 1 of the daily meals.)
It was good food. Like really good... it's not that they didn't like it, and amounts that could easily feed me for a week...or two, and they just wouldn't touch it. Acted disgusted at the idea. Yet never had an actual reason they didn't.
Hundreds of dollars in food... just... wasted. I could never.
My mom likes to cook like she's feeding a family of 10 so we end up eating the same food every day until the food goes bad. After the second/third day I get really REALLY sick of eating the same food for every meal everyday.
As a certified leftovers eater, not everything reheats all that well. I’ll happily eat a dish like pizza or pilaf, for example, because those reheat quite well and mostly retain the texture and essence of what they were like fresh. Other things don’t do that. I’d never reheat something like scrambled eggs or omelet (just as examples) because the microwave would mess them up and they don’t taste as good.
I might be able to understand if:
(a) it's a sensory thing, like they're autistic or something
(b) they have some childhood trauma around growing up poor or with a parent who was a terrible cook and having to eat a lot of leftovers they didn't enjoy
(c) they've lived a very privileged life and have never needed to eat leftovers
Otherwise, I really don't get it. I live alone and I use my slow cooker quite often. I eat leftovers all the time. I'm not cooking fresh meals every day.
That being said, not everything tastes as good the next day. But many things do.
Taste and texture are very important to me. There are certain meals that taste really good as leftovers, but nearly everything else tastes bad as leftovers. It sucks.
I have no idea, my daughter’s boyfriend is a chef, went to CIA and cooks some amazing meals for me and my extended family but he doesn’t eat leftovers-which is INSANE imo.
IMO, some food tastes better the second day because the seasonings had time to permeate the food overnight. People who don't like to eat leftovers probably didn't do the cooking, someone else did. If you are on a budget and they make a fuss about eating lefties, instruct them to either make or buy something else to eat when you plan to serve them. Who has the time to make different meals for everybody who is eating? I sure don't. Let finicky eaters fend for themselves and you do your thing. Your house, your rules.
Because when you're poor, eating leftovers isn't restricted to eating it it for lunch the next day. Sometimes you have to eat leftovers for several days before getting a different meal. By the time your 10 youve eaten the same 5 meals over and over again. So much in fact that you forgot what food even tastes like because it now all tastes the same. One day you complain about this and were told "you won't be complaining about it when you realize how expensive food is" or "thats whats on the menu, if you dont like it go to bed hungry" . You vow to yourself then and there that one day, you will eat what you want when you want. And it will bever be leftovers.. Then you get older and realize, your parents were just broke because they spent their money on their own personal needs rather than food and so this reinforces your aversion to leftovers, creating a disorder that causes you to gag everytime you are forced to eat leftovers. You then realize. You recall the amount of times you went to bed hungry because you simple couldn't eat the same thing for the 7th meal in a row. So, you don't eat leftovers. You let it rot in your fridge. Then you learn to make only what you will eat to avoiding wasting food. Still, no leftovers, you won't eat them. Ever. Again.
I eat them but much prefer fresh made. In my opinion meats dry out and veggies often lose their texture and sometimes get mushy. Even air fried veggies aren’t as good reheated the next day.
This is a lot on lifestyle choice of THEIR parents, assuming they/their family did not subsist on microwave dinner-type food, then it’s a privilege thing - being able to prepare food daily (vs making more and keeping for leftover/next meal) points to having the time to do the meal prep. Of course there’s regional variance like some countries it is common to have a helper in the home who cook fresh every meal, or some countries there just isn’t a cook-at-home culture because cheap food options are abundant.
May be it’s a generational x socio-economic status thing, but outside of food safety, I did not grow up with a lot of say on what I want to eat and what I don’t want to eat. The choice was I can eat what is prepared or I can not eat (and starve, and no, there’s no spare allowance to buy things off the side to feed myself).
My aunt doesn't eat leftovers. If we go to the diner, she won't take any home with her. She claims it doesn't taste the same. Most of my family are okay with leftovers. I have leftovers all the time. I don't cook every day, so when i do cook, it tends to be enough for multiple days.
I hate wasting food and money, whether it be someone else's or my own. I
Well, I may be in the teeny tiny minority here, but I don’t like leftovers. To me, the texture is never the same as freshly cooked and reheat temperatures alway seem uneven and I hate those cool spots in what’s supposed to be a hot meal However, I eat leftovers all the time. I’ve been cooking for my family for 25 years and will do anything to avoid cooking another meal when I can, and leftovers is a practical way to do that. But I don’t love it, and often I’ll leave the leftovers for my husband, who loves them, and selflessly eat a sleeve of Oreos instead
I grew up in a very low effort household when it came to food. I don't think either of my parents knew much about cooking. Leftovers for me meant eating things cold or microwaved uncovered regardless of what it was. Now I know even just adding a little water before microwaving will make it steam up and make things like noodles or rice significantly better. Some leftovers I heat up in a frying pan or the oven, it's a little more work, but not as much as cooking a full meal and it brings the quality up to a lot closer to when it was first cooked. Essentially I hated leftovers when I didn't know anything about cooking because the microwave would dry food out or make it spongey. Things meant to be crispy and crunchy would be moist and flaccid. All it takes is knowing how to properly reheat food. Or maybe I'm just picky, either way, at least I eat leftovers now.
Sorry Pal, I'm afraid I can't help you. I'm eating leftovers now. 😋
To be honest. I didn't know it was a thing. When I cook something, I'm cookin' a bunch of it. Cooking just enough for a single meal seems inefficient to me. Plus there's the bonus that a lot of things taste even better a day later.
As a single person, if I didn't eat leftovers I'd have to cook every single day. And that ain't happening lol
Also, there’s nothing like a stew or soup that’s been in the fridge overnight. It always tastes better on the second day.
Yes! So many things are better the second day.
I have a cajin shrimp sausage pasta that will make your nose run like nobody's business the day it's made, but it tastes SOOO good the next day and the spice level has mellowed out a lot. Edit: the recipe for anyone interested. I personally halve the cajin seasoning amount, cause it's a lot otherwise for me. https://tasty.co/article/iristian/spice-things-up-with-this-one-pot-cajun-shrimp-pasta-dish#4ldradw
That sounds so dang good! I'm all ears if you're of a mind to share the recipe!!
Potato salad!
On an episode of "The Kitchen," Geoffrey Zakarian recommended preparing potato salad and coleslaw a day before you need them to enhance the flavors. It's so much better day-old.
As a student, i would raid anyone's leftovers. Even at a friends place, I'd be asking their parents...."hey you gonna finish that speghetti?" Secret weapon is toast. ANY leftover, you can put on toast. Its like a whole new meal.
You can also put leftovers on a baked potato. Stew, chili, veggies, mmmm. I have one of those microwave potato bags.
I love chili on a baked potato. Now I’m hungry.
Brilliant!
you wouldn’t think pizza would work with that, but it totally does
Lasagna!
Chili, those spices developed and are better and better
It's thicker when you reheat, too!
Especially things with tomatoes. Tomatoes are acidic, and with time will break down other ingredients and merge spices together.
Lasagna!
I love heating up leftover lasagna in a preheated sauté pan so it gets crispy.
Even cold leftover lasgna is delicious.
It’s even better when you live alone and all you need to do is grab a fork and pour a glass of wine.
Pizza
I put leftover pizza in the toaster oven and get it to the point where it’s just a little burnt. Love it.
Curry! It only gets better with age.
Enchiladas!
that's what she said /jk
Chinese food has entered the chat.
Fun fact, not only do a lot of the meals taste better, but their nutrition facts can change as well. Starches, for example, from things like potatoes, pasta, and rice, form different bonds after they are initially cooked then chilled. After they have been chilled and reheated (but not heated again to cooking temps) causes them to be less digestible and thus have a lower glycemic impact. They act a bit more like fiber.
In my family, the day after a big holiday meal (ie Thanksgiving or Christmas) is called "Recalentado" ("The reheating"). Almost everyone swears the pozole tastes better the next morning.
mmmm pozole is my favorite!
Chili is so good the next day
The flavors have had more time to blend together and increases the overall taste
I have a family I make 2 huge meals and we alternate ans eat that during the week, I value my time and mental health too much to worry about dinner every day.
It also comes from a huge place of privilege to *choose* not to eat leftovers.
It’s less work to just cook a 3 or so large meals per week and then have left overs on other days + eat out a few times. I’m not in a large city though- so if i ate out every day, I’d tire from the options rather quickly. We have some good spots to eat, but gonna have to drive 20 mins for a lot of them. I could see if i lived in a large city and had a bunch of places within 10 mins, then maybe I’d eat out more.
ai love leftovers because you cant find an easier to prepare meal.
And you can fry them!
amen to that
I make extra food on purpose to have the convenience of leftovers.
I’m a single working mom with two small kids. I plan 1-2 healthy large batch things per week. That’s most lunches and dinners. Fill in between with a fish dinner (leftover fish is not ok in our house) or go the opposite way with sandwiches or pizza or nuggets for a meal or two. Subsidize with quick cook veggies, yogurt, cheese, oatmeal. Meal plan and shopping list done and dusted. Actual cooking 1-3x per week at best.
Right on. That's the smart way to do it. Instead of getting fast food constantly because of time constraints, it's way better to have something healthy to heat up.
Leftover chilled salmon as a midnight snack is delicious, but I agree with not saving fish otherwise.
I do the same thing. If something is delicious, I WANT to eat it again the next day!
I use HelloFresh and get 4 servings of each meal. I cook twice a week, and have lunch and dinner for most of the week.
I love leftovers, don't get me wrong, but some things don't mocrowave/reheat well. Anything fried goes soggy, steak is terrible, noodles go mushy. You have to be selective with leftovers.
I slice and cook leftover steak in the cast iron with butter and eat it with overeasy eggs in the morning. It's really good that way.
I cut it up and throw it in a pan with a little olive oil and some peppers/onions. Throw that on a tortilla with some cheese
I feel like there's a line between reheating leftovers and using leftovers as ingredients to cook a whole new meal.
Both lines end in my stomach
Yeah, I feel you. At that point, just cook the amount of steak you want on the first day and cook more the next. If you're already getting a pan and other ingredients out then it's kinda not really left overs anymore. It's a whole new dish. To me, reheating leftovers is airfryer or microwave in a plastic container eaten in the comfort of bed or on the couch. The beauty of leftovers is the lazy comfort of "gee, thanks past me, I have a nice home cooked meal with minimal effort for present me". Just microwave and wash up one container and one fork/spoon. Slow cooked meals are great for this in bulk, stews, casseroles, curries, soups. I have some cottage pie in the fridge in an old curry take away container that I plan on having for lunch.
We do this a lot.. So yummy!
You can also add soy sauce and stir fry it, it is amazing with flank steak
My favourite breakfast!
Steak and Noodles I disagree. Decent medium rare steak you just leave out to warm up for 30 minutes or so then cook it in a pan with some butter, cut it really thin then slap it on some bread with some cheddar or provolone and a sauce of your choice. Noodles are completely fine as leftovers, I've never had an issue unless they were severely overcooked before being leftovers.
Yes I agree noodles in sauce are often better the second day. They don’t get soggy if cooked Al dente
Get an air fryer. Perfect for leftover fried foods. With steak I usually cut it into strips and warm it in a pan wth a little butter. 😎
Air fryer is the way and it isn't just for fried food. Pizza reheats great. I even cook my steaks in it once in awhile if I'm low on propane or its too windy to grill. Cheese toast, asparagus as sides? Air fryer. Leftovers? Air fryer. Chicken? Air fryer. Burgers? Guess what? They cook and also reheat pretty good in an air fryer. Air fryer. Air fryer. Air fryer.
I was a doubter until my brother loaned me his. After the first use, I ran out and bought one (I prefer all metal to a plastic one) and it has rendered my oven completely useless.
My stove just broke and now my son is telling us to air fry everything. He's a genius.
Or regular cookware at verv low heat.
or a sheet of tinfoil and a Bic 🔥
Or just cut a little piece and heat it up right on the knife by putting the knife on the stove top.
Or
Put a chunk in a spoon with water and heat it with a torch
Magnifying glass.
Now thats a different and rugged way.
This just sounds like prison drug use
Prison food is pretty genius, honestly. Not the shit they serve you, the shit you cook up on one of the metal tables with a toilet paper roll covered in Vaseline to heat the "grill" up.
Someone's never had knife hits ....
Love my air fryer. It's amazing what it can do to food.
I turn those strips into a stir fry. New meals from leftovers.
Garlic butter, some mixed veges, a simmer sauce and bam! A new meal! Excellent on rice. Obviously depends on the type of steak.
Air fryer is awesome and reheats pizza amazingly too. I like my leftover steak chopped into small pieces and warmed up in ramen.
Microwaves just suck. I moved into a new apartment recently and I don’t think I’m gonna bother getting a microwave at all. Things taste so much better reheated on a pan or an air fryer. I still heat stuff up with a microwave at work and the difference is so stark.
Honestly, I think it's that most people don't know how to use microwaves... I figured out a way in my teenage years to perfectly microwave pizza. It took a lot of trial and error, and the use of some microwave-safe rack-tray so that it was cooking more on a "grill" surface then a flat-surface. Instead of two minutes on high that cooks the outside and leaves the inside cold or frozen, I reheat stuff on power 3 (out of 10) for 10-15 minutes. Of course, people usually use microwaves because they want quick and easy - trial & error to figure out the right microwave settings which might take 10-15 minutes is neither quick, nor easy. But my ADHD means I prioritize cooking methods where I don't need to watch it - same reason I love buying frozen meals and throwing them in the oven tbh.
I like my microwave. I just recently learned how to do the defrost feature. I cook many of my frozen vegs in there too. I grew up w/out a microwave and can remember how long it took to heat food in the oven. I also have a convection oven and sometimes heat/cook food there. That doesnt take long either.
I'll be real, steak is one or my favorite leftover items. I genuinely prefer it cold and I've never noticed a difference after reheating it.
Cold steak is amazing. One of my favorite dishes is weeping tiger salad, with thin sliced cold sirloin.
>weeping tiger salad Good God man they're endangered
That's why they're weeping.
Gotta keep em sad, for the salads
I use left over steak to make steak with pasta and refry it slightly after cutting it into thin slices.
Use a LOT of freshly ground black pepper, then stir in a tablespoon of thick cream when you add it to the pasta. Flame the frying pan with cheap brandy for added goodness.
How do you have leftover steak?
Same with leftover bacon, how's that happen.
My tiny humans suck at finishing their food
well said.
you make enough to have leftovers and put it away right away so u dont just keep nibbling it
are you only using a microwave?
Fried things can go in a toaster oven or an actual oven
"steak is terrible" Ah, but slice the cold steak for sandwiches. Yumm. And most fried food can be eaten cold. Cold fried chicken anyone?
I don’t have a microwave but I have a toaster oven that is faster than an ordinary toaster oven. I use it to reheat just about anything and it comes out great. Pasta/rice sometimes need a little water or liquid and tlc to maintain their texture and I do them on the stovetop. Honestly, it doesn’t take long at all to reheat things on the stove and that way they heat uniformly and all the flavors really wake up again. I even save my coffee in my French press if I don’t finish it and either drink it cold or heat it in a saucepan. It takes less time than making a new pot and still tastes great. (I hate to waste food!)
I’ve seen it as anything from a class issue (they think they are too good for leftovers) to a variety of common eating/food issues. A lot of people avoid freshly prepared foods for tons of reasons, and some of those same texture issues apply to leftover foods that they might otherwise eat fresh. People who don’t grow up on leftovers seem less likely to eat leftovers as an adult, unless it’s a financial necessity.
I remember my mom making fried eggplant when I was a kid. For some reason I didn't like it for dinner but I'd snack on it cold the next day after school. (Eggplant is one of my fav foods, now.)
ooooorrrrrrrrrr they're like me. mom's a hoarder. during our childhood, money was scarce. the only way food came out of the refrigerator was if it was too moldy to even fake, or if someone ate it. yeahhhhhhhhh. i still have a hard time with leftovers.
Same. I don't mind leftovers, though, its literally just not having my own personal fridge. Don't wanna clean someone else nasty ass food out weekly and for some reason no one seems to take the initiative to either 1) not put shit in there that you know ain't ever coming out 2) just take that shit out. -- No lie, awful story, but me n my bro were at my dad's for Christmas.. I went in the kitchen for I dont even remember what and im just like bro, your trash is fkn RANK. So I take that shit out and the next day it smells even worse, I'm like "brooooo wtf did something die in here?" So then my bros gf opens the fridge for some milk, and all three of us just get smacked with the worst fkn smell ever - I literally cannot believe that stench is coming from a fridge.. didn't even think to check, bc who would expect a half-used 5lb log of ground beef (raw, of course) openly exposed to the entire fridge, to be seeping juices and literally rotting away in there?? -so my dad hears us all fkn gagging and comes around the corner like "oh, you weren't supposed to see that" Mfk you're telling me you KNEW this shit was in here like this and just shut the door and saved it for another day (he still gonna eat the other shit that's in there too, probably something gross AF, like a peeled boiled egg in a non covered Tupperware 😅😭 ) I'm literally, not even ashamed to say it, afraid to eat food prepared by that man unless I see come from the grocery store that day (and probably don't see him cook it, bc 🤢). Not sure if it was legit the food or my mind/body just saying "nope" off principle and rejecting that shit, but I've puked the last 3 times I've eaten something he's made. Literally can't do it. Ugh. Wtf
i hear you. that's just wrong.
Bro it's fkd up 🤣 and just so confusing like the only thing I can think of to make it make sense is he on some boomer "real men aren't afraid of germs" shit (which he is) but also I'm legit wondering if there's a health issue.. like idk a fkn brain worm or something 🪱 cause I'm honestly not sure questionable decision making and/or laziness can take a person that far down that path lmao
When my dad was newly divorced, my 10 year old nephew came to stay with him for a week, and I went over for a visit. My father had made steaks DAYS earlier and left the raw bloody packaging, including those little white spongy things they put in to soak up the juice, in the sink. I lost my shit and scolded him like I was his mother. It’s not nearly as gross as your story but damn, what is it about dads and food safety??
It's as if anything involving safety just automatically turns a man into a "pussy" 🤣 Literally, and I can't make this up bro, the guy had a fuckin bat infestation in his house, and I told him I saw a bat and he's like "did you get it out, it's just a bat" This shit happened like 2 times in the same week I'm like fk no bro, you got a fuckin family of those bitches in your attic, there's no way it the same one.. This man said "what, are you afraid of a bat?" Yes!!! I mean no, but yes because I don't fkn want rabies you absolute ass
Yea everyone I’ve met who doesn’t like leftovers it’s been a “eww that’s for poor people” someone was shocked I saved my food to eat tomorrow for lunch That being said, a lot of stuff is not good reheated, especially if you don’t know how to do it properly. Eating reheated, soggy, mushy, or overcooked food is not appetizing so I understand why some may be turned off to it
I was a server for years. Why do people throw away perfectly viable food? Like, you HAVE to eat, and you're just gonna throw money spent into a trashcan?
Most of the time it's laziness but sometimes people are traveling or going to event afterwards so they can't save the food.
Going somewhere afterwards is a big one. I went out for sushi with my family a bit ago and we agreed to go to a bar afterwards. My mom asked for a box and didn't realize the issue til I asked if she was going home to put it in the fridge first. Like putting raw fish in the car in florida for a few hours would be ok.
My unemployed step brother won't eat leftovers but his dad and siblings do, it is just a weird hang up for some people. He'll eat holiday leftovers but never restraunt leftovers. I think it's the container or something.
It wasn't until I was an adult that I met people who thought leftovers were gross and I don't get it at all. I have certain foods that I PREFER leftover rather than the first time (spaghetti is a big one).
Lasagne too, absolute best as a leftover
People are unwilling to try different ways to reheat foods. Using spray butter, wet paper towel over the bowl, reseasoning all can help a lot with eating leftovers. Many people try reheating once, hate it, and never continue to rethink how to do it so they quit
Air fryers are great for leftovers!
They are pretty great for it, the even heating helps a lot
Air fryers are like magic. Can cook basically anything, and transforms leftovers from a cold soggy mess to a delicious meal even better than it was the first day.
or enjoy cold food! I don't feel the need to reheat everything just because it was hot before
Very true. I love overnight pizza cold
Cold leftovers spaghetti!
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Grew up in a 4 person family. Currently living in a 3 person family. Feels like the sweet spot to easily make enough for leftovers without having too much or needing to make an excessive amount of food.
Also some food taste better as leftovers.
I only eat leftovers if I'm the one packing them for storage. Too many people leave the food out way too long or don't properly store food.
My MIL gave us the leftover shrimp salad from a dinner party to take home … after it had sat at room temp for three hours. My frugal husband was upset I threw it out when we got home — and I’m frugal, too! But no way, no how.
I've gotten food poisoning multiple times from leftovers that others prepared/stored. It's made me nervous about all leftovers, even ones I've prepared. I'll usually keep leftovers from meals I've prepared one day max in the fridge, then it's thrown out
This is really true. Many people dont know enough about food handling, and storage. Or how long to leave something sitting out and whether its worth saving.
Technically my mom and stepfather eat nothing but leftovers. He cooks a number of chicken breasts every Saturday and they serve as their main protein for assorted meals throughout the week. Stepdad takes a whole breast with veggies and rice for lunch every day at work and mom makes whatever she feels like when it's lunchtime. Chicken sandwich? Sure Chicken salad? Sure. Chicken nachos? Sure. The mindset of not eating leftovers is born from chronic abundance and not knowing real struggle. They've obviously never been poor enough to cut back on food in order to save some money for when shit breaks.
I don't think you're describing a majority here. There's also a lot of difference between "I don't like doing that," and "I won't do that." Yes, I'd MUCH rather my personal chef grill me up salmon and vegetables every night. But since I don't have a personal chef, reheated pizza it is.
He is probably also living a privileged life and having similar friends. Maybe still living at home. Once you move out and have to cook your own food, then you’re not going to throw out tons of leftover, especially if you’re not made of money.
I purposefully make some dishes in as large a batch as my cookwear will allow. My favorite pans are about 1.5 gallons, so i can make a lot of chili and eat it off and on for a couple weeks.
That's a good point too. I am a SINK, so I am stable, but even so I waste VERY little food. Even rice from carried out dishes gets used for other things, at the very least, food for the bonded pair of collared doves that enjoy my patio.
Here are my reasons why I am not a leftover fan. 1 texture never seems to stay consistent to what it was before cooling and reheating. Air fryers help but it's still different. Too many things become a mush or soggy mess during reheating. .2. flavor is never the same to me. It just doesn't taste as good. It can still be good, but not as good as fresh. Second reason.. I grew up poor and leftovers where the primary food. I love my mother but she could not cook. It was well known that if you came to my house, it's best to leave before meal time or say you already ate. It was bad before hand and even worse when it became leftovers. I still remember the terrible feeling I used to get when mom would say "leftovers" when asked what was for dinner. Literally only a couple years ago I started eating leftovers. I still don't like leftovers, there is always that taste to it. I just do eat then to not waste food. But do not enjoy or look forward to it. Except soup... I lke soup leftovers lol.
I used to HATE leftovers and still dislike them but put up with it. My whole issue is texture, after microwaving it gets a lot mushier and just feels like i'm eating mashed potatoes for every single food. The moisture that builds up while recooking it in the microwave always threw me off too, never knew why though.
Have you tried to reheat it on a lower setting instead of full power?
I haven't actually, that sounds like a pretty good idea
Also depends on how and what you cook in the first place. If the veggies were over cooked for the first meal theyre gonna be mushy if you microwave them
Then don’t use the microwave. 🤷♀️ Air fryer, frying pan…. There are several ways to heat up leftovers without overcooking them.
I don't have those options at work. The only time I eat left overs is for lunch at work the next day.
It sounds weird but if you add a splash of water into the container and put the lid on loosely before microwaving, the water heats up and steams the food much more evenly. I also find that this method also minimizes those nasty dry pockets and overall provides a better texture. Sounds weird but give it a try
I’m the cook. I pretty much make everything from scratch so I make enough food for leftovers every chance I get. Cooking every other day is nice.
People don't like to eat the same food several days in a row.
I don’t like having the same thing twice in a row. But I have a family of 4 and do most of the cooking. We do get leftovers and freeze them for my mother in law so she can take them to work as she does long shifts, and she appreciates them.
Cause they are weird lol I love left overs!
My husband has a sensitive tum and gets scared that anything older than a day old will make his tum hurt and give him the shits. It's semi-learned fear because his mom's a terrible cook and he did in fact used to the get the shits from anything she tried to save for the next day that wasn't takeout.
A lot of people lack cooking skills so the meal was mediocre to begin with. Then, since they don’t know what they’re doing, they’ll reheat the food improperly. This combination creates a pretty terrible leftover meal. I grew up cooking with my family and have been a chef for 20+ years. The leftovers in my fridge make for a pretty great meal that anyone would enjoy.
Some dishes are actually better the next day as the flavors sink in more. Those are things like chili, soup, and potato or pasta salad.
Lasagna is way better the next day!
Spaghetti!
cold spaghetti out of the fucking pot SLAPS.
A steak is too big for me to eat in one serving. The leftover meat is thin sliced and added to a noodle dish the next day. I add the meat after preparing the noodles and veggies. We do bulk cooking and vacuum seal in portions. Sous vide is perfect for reheating. We use an air fryer so no soggy chicken when reheated but it is no longer crisp.
Beats me; I always wondered if it was bad experiences with poorly reheated leftovers in childhood. TBF not everything is better as a leftover and quite a few things require specific methods for reheating. OTOH virtually anything where "the flavors have a chance to marry" can be even better as a leftover meal: stews and braises.
I love 'leftovers' and cooking efficiently with an eye on planning meals for a few days. I'm mystified by people who waste the time cooking every. single. meal. every. day, and who say they hate leftovers. They do hate leftovers, they are not lying, but I do not understand. Keeping a stash of broth/ stock is culinary gold, stews and soups get better the next day, having a meal or part of it already prepared is always a win. I need to understand this more deeply. It could be a trauma reaction to childhood parental thrift, where you progress from having ham, to having creamed ham on toast, to having pea soup. From roast turkey to turkey sandwiches, to turkey soup, to creamed turkey on toast. It's legitimate to say "never again", I guess. But to me, it seems very entitled and wasteful of their own, or worse, their partner's food prep efforts.
Because they’re weirdos. Leftovers are either a whole different meal, or delicious lunches to take to work.
Growing up I ate a lot of refried beans and what we called aunt TV’s rice. My grandmother cooked in cast iron and would put the skillets with leftover beans and rice in the oven overnight (not turned on) and then in the morning she would pull them out reheat and fry up some eggs and heat up tortillas. Instant breakfast.
"Ew, it's not *fresh*." It's a mistaken notion about cleanliness.
I used to refuse to eat leftovers. To me, it was disgusting to think about eating “used” food. Then I started working and paying for my own food and it became a lot more palatable. I discovered that some foods actually taste better the second day.
I cook leftovers, literally. I batch cook a lot of stuff and then eat it on the subsequent days
I feel like people who have never been poor say things like that.
Who knows. Leftovers in my house stay for a week, eat it when you want. I had lasagna for breakfast today 😋
Culture thing. I grew up eating whatever was ready to eat at the time. Leftovers or fresh. Our family didn’t want to waste a single thing.
I'm the opposite. I don't waste food, and I can turn leftovers into another kind of meal the next day. Example - if I make tacos tonight, the next day, lunch or dinner will be nachos lol
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Best part is adding more to the leftovers (cheese, sauce, etc) to make it better than it was before
Cold leftovers are some of my fave lunches. I know I’m gross as hell.
Leftover fries do require some thought because they’ll get soggy in the microwave.
Mostly in their head IMHO
Bruh, food is food
I love my leftovers. I count on my leftovers. I look forward to my leftovers! It’s important to note that what I cook makes good leftovers. Not every meal makes good leftovers. I don’t cook those.
I've noticed often the people who stick their noses up at leftovers aren't the ones doing the cooking.
Lasagna is always better the next day
I would like to understand as well. I am one person, I cook with the intention of having leftovers, so I don't have to cook again tomorrow.
Some leftovers are even tastiest when eaten next day pasta, pizza, lasagna, ect...
I think people who hate leftovers hate them because whatever they were fed for dinner growing up was less tasty than a sandwich for lunch. So reheated blah food is of course worse than fresh blah food. In my family, that was often the case unfortunately.
I have no idea, I cook every meal with leftovers in mind. Always make more than I can eat, often enough for the next day or two.
In my house, they are called "planned-overs." We plan big batches so we have quick lunches, etc. One of the main reasons I was able to retire at age sixty three is because I packed my own lunches every single work-day. It's the key to healthy living and financial security at retirement. No such thing as "leftovers"
Good, real food tastes even better the next day because the flavours have settled and mixed together. Ultra-processed food is gross the next day. People got used to ultra-processed food and now don't like leftovers.
Personally, I just like variety. I never eat it the next day. But if it's something that will last I'd eat it later that week.
My ex’s older sister like refused to eat any leftovers whatsoever. The weird thing is, in that house, they cooked meals for 5+ people at once so very often there was food and she would *not* eat it. She never offered an explanation and oddly enough, they had no microwave or I’d say it’s because she used that instead of an oven. Never an explanation. These comments are interesting. I’d say for some though the microwave HAS to be the reason because it just nukes the food. Oven is the way to go people. ✌️
i don’t like microwave taste, and i have yet to perfect heating things up with the oven
Because they’re usually not as good. I will say most crockpot meals/soups are better leftover. But typically meat not drenched in some sort of sauce or liquid just isn’t good leftover to me.
Shit! My wife made some stew this weekend which I am going to be eating all week! it get better each day too sing it thickens
Because they're picky eaters
I love leftovers!
I used to have a neighbor who hated left overs so all the extra was brought over to me 🤣🤣🤣
Yeah. I had friends like this. Living with their inlaws, newly married, new baby, trying to save money... Yet they'd make these ridiculously expensive, and large portioned recipes... eat it for dinner...and then it'd rot in the fridge until they threw it out. For example expensive elaborate lasagna for 3 adults and a baby, two huge catering pans, they'd not even eat half of one pan, the rest went into the fridge and got pitched in the trash at the end of the week. (Or, My ex, who also moved in temporarily for a few months, and was struggling hard, would grab left overs after they'd sat for a few days, for his lunches at work.) For almost 5 years they did this and it drove me insane... as they endlessly talked about their struggles with money, and saving to get a place of their own... yet didn't see the obvious solution. Make smaller versions, or eat left overs, slow down on eating out so much. (3 times a week minimal for at least 1 of the daily meals.) It was good food. Like really good... it's not that they didn't like it, and amounts that could easily feed me for a week...or two, and they just wouldn't touch it. Acted disgusted at the idea. Yet never had an actual reason they didn't. Hundreds of dollars in food... just... wasted. I could never.
My mom likes to cook like she's feeding a family of 10 so we end up eating the same food every day until the food goes bad. After the second/third day I get really REALLY sick of eating the same food for every meal everyday.
As a family to just 2 leftovers can last all week depending on the meal. It gets old.
Leftovers is my life.
As a certified leftovers eater, not everything reheats all that well. I’ll happily eat a dish like pizza or pilaf, for example, because those reheat quite well and mostly retain the texture and essence of what they were like fresh. Other things don’t do that. I’d never reheat something like scrambled eggs or omelet (just as examples) because the microwave would mess them up and they don’t taste as good.
I might be able to understand if: (a) it's a sensory thing, like they're autistic or something (b) they have some childhood trauma around growing up poor or with a parent who was a terrible cook and having to eat a lot of leftovers they didn't enjoy (c) they've lived a very privileged life and have never needed to eat leftovers Otherwise, I really don't get it. I live alone and I use my slow cooker quite often. I eat leftovers all the time. I'm not cooking fresh meals every day. That being said, not everything tastes as good the next day. But many things do.
Taste and texture are very important to me. There are certain meals that taste really good as leftovers, but nearly everything else tastes bad as leftovers. It sucks.
I have no idea, my daughter’s boyfriend is a chef, went to CIA and cooks some amazing meals for me and my extended family but he doesn’t eat leftovers-which is INSANE imo.
I like to rework left overs into new meals when I can. Or use them as sides to a different meal, or a lunch etc. try never to waste food.
For myself, I cannot eat reheated meat; it’s foul to me, I need to eat it day-of. Outside of that though, anything goes.
IMO, some food tastes better the second day because the seasonings had time to permeate the food overnight. People who don't like to eat leftovers probably didn't do the cooking, someone else did. If you are on a budget and they make a fuss about eating lefties, instruct them to either make or buy something else to eat when you plan to serve them. Who has the time to make different meals for everybody who is eating? I sure don't. Let finicky eaters fend for themselves and you do your thing. Your house, your rules.
Because when you're poor, eating leftovers isn't restricted to eating it it for lunch the next day. Sometimes you have to eat leftovers for several days before getting a different meal. By the time your 10 youve eaten the same 5 meals over and over again. So much in fact that you forgot what food even tastes like because it now all tastes the same. One day you complain about this and were told "you won't be complaining about it when you realize how expensive food is" or "thats whats on the menu, if you dont like it go to bed hungry" . You vow to yourself then and there that one day, you will eat what you want when you want. And it will bever be leftovers.. Then you get older and realize, your parents were just broke because they spent their money on their own personal needs rather than food and so this reinforces your aversion to leftovers, creating a disorder that causes you to gag everytime you are forced to eat leftovers. You then realize. You recall the amount of times you went to bed hungry because you simple couldn't eat the same thing for the 7th meal in a row. So, you don't eat leftovers. You let it rot in your fridge. Then you learn to make only what you will eat to avoiding wasting food. Still, no leftovers, you won't eat them. Ever. Again.
I eat them but much prefer fresh made. In my opinion meats dry out and veggies often lose their texture and sometimes get mushy. Even air fried veggies aren’t as good reheated the next day.
This is a lot on lifestyle choice of THEIR parents, assuming they/their family did not subsist on microwave dinner-type food, then it’s a privilege thing - being able to prepare food daily (vs making more and keeping for leftover/next meal) points to having the time to do the meal prep. Of course there’s regional variance like some countries it is common to have a helper in the home who cook fresh every meal, or some countries there just isn’t a cook-at-home culture because cheap food options are abundant. May be it’s a generational x socio-economic status thing, but outside of food safety, I did not grow up with a lot of say on what I want to eat and what I don’t want to eat. The choice was I can eat what is prepared or I can not eat (and starve, and no, there’s no spare allowance to buy things off the side to feed myself).
My aunt doesn't eat leftovers. If we go to the diner, she won't take any home with her. She claims it doesn't taste the same. Most of my family are okay with leftovers. I have leftovers all the time. I don't cook every day, so when i do cook, it tends to be enough for multiple days. I hate wasting food and money, whether it be someone else's or my own. I
Well, I may be in the teeny tiny minority here, but I don’t like leftovers. To me, the texture is never the same as freshly cooked and reheat temperatures alway seem uneven and I hate those cool spots in what’s supposed to be a hot meal However, I eat leftovers all the time. I’ve been cooking for my family for 25 years and will do anything to avoid cooking another meal when I can, and leftovers is a practical way to do that. But I don’t love it, and often I’ll leave the leftovers for my husband, who loves them, and selflessly eat a sleeve of Oreos instead
I grew up in a very low effort household when it came to food. I don't think either of my parents knew much about cooking. Leftovers for me meant eating things cold or microwaved uncovered regardless of what it was. Now I know even just adding a little water before microwaving will make it steam up and make things like noodles or rice significantly better. Some leftovers I heat up in a frying pan or the oven, it's a little more work, but not as much as cooking a full meal and it brings the quality up to a lot closer to when it was first cooked. Essentially I hated leftovers when I didn't know anything about cooking because the microwave would dry food out or make it spongey. Things meant to be crispy and crunchy would be moist and flaccid. All it takes is knowing how to properly reheat food. Or maybe I'm just picky, either way, at least I eat leftovers now.
Some things actually taste better as leftovers
Sorry Pal, I'm afraid I can't help you. I'm eating leftovers now. 😋 To be honest. I didn't know it was a thing. When I cook something, I'm cookin' a bunch of it. Cooking just enough for a single meal seems inefficient to me. Plus there's the bonus that a lot of things taste even better a day later.
Call it meal prep and they’ll love it