Food that is better as leftovers

[makattak]

Mike's thread got me thinking: there's a lot of food that I prefer after it's sat in the fridge for at least a day to it being served fresh.

I pretty sure my wife's chili is one. It thickens up a lot while in the fridge. I know I have several more, but they aren't coming to mind now.

What's your "Better as Leftovers" meals?

[cordex]

I've noticed a number of soups, chilis, and casseroles are better the next day.  Does something to bring the flavors together, I think. 

Not exactly the same, but my favorite lasagna recipe (which we rarely make because it is time consuming) requires being refrigerated for at least 24 hours before cooking.

[K Frame]

I think just about every complex food (casseroles, soups, stews) is better the next day. Flavors continue to meld.

Foods that have fewer ingredients (thus a narrower flavor profile) tend to not really change that much in the fridge.

[lupinus]

Ragu napoletano, tomato sauce with a bunch of meats. It varies but often meatballs, spare ribs, and sausages. Much better if you let it sit and reheat the next day.

I'll also take it and portion out the meats into a flatter shaped plastic container and freeze it. Can either leave it in there and microwave, or for deeper storage I'll pop it out of that and into a vacuum bag with the food saver. Stored even flatter and bonus I can reheat in the same pot of water I'll be using for pasta.

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[makattak]

Bruschetta! That was another one I was trying to remember. Nothing like a fresh bruschetta, with tomatoes and herbs straight from the garden... except for a day-old (refrigerated) one that tastes even better.

[just Warren]

Pineapple pizza.

[Perd Hapley]

The only thing that comes to mind would be certain baked goods, like cookies.

[p12]

Meatloaf


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[Brad Johnson]

Pretty much any casserole.

Also, spaghetti. Preferably eaten straight from the pan.

Brad

[Andiron]

Cabbage and noodles.

[Scout26]

My father's stew
Texas Chicken Stew
Chili
Lasagna

[charby]

Springerle Cookies, especially a month later if you keep them in a sealed container.

[Unisaw]

Takeout from a Thai restaurant.

[charby]

Takeout from a Thai restaurant.

depends, some of the street noodle dishes are better eaten fresh.

[Firethorn]

Kraft Macaroni & Cheese.

I'd say all M&C, but I've had a few that were nasty as leftovers.

[charby]

Ziti and other baked pasta.

It is almost like one should make and bake it a couple days before eating.

[BlueStarLizzard]

Somethings are good both ways, or rather, sometimes you'd rather have the leftover version than the fresh.

Like pizza. Sometimes I really just want it microwaved rather than fresh.

[French G.]

Peeps. New peeps are gross, stale peeps are wonderful. But are they food?

[BlueStarLizzard]

Peeps. New peeps are gross, stale peeps are wonderful. But are they food?

No... Speaking of which, I have a couple ziplocked bags of the things that are like two or three years old. I should shoot those.

[zxcvbob]

My father's stew
Texas Chicken Stew
Chili
Lasagna

I'm tryin' to figure out what "Texas chicken" is a euphemism for.  Rattlesnake?  Jackrabbit?  (probably not jackrabbit, they not much more than barbwire and rawhide strips with a little fuzz) 

[Perd Hapley]

Somethings are good both ways, or rather, sometimes you'd rather have the leftover version than the fresh.

Like pizza. Sometimes I really just want it microwaved rather than fresh.

I've heard a lot of people say this. I wonder if it's not because so many people undercook their pizza. If you leave it in the oven until most of the cheese is toasted (and if you can avoid burning the crust) then it just doesn't get any better than that.

But if the cheese is white when you take it out of the oven, maybe that next-day microwaving helps it get closer to where it should have been, had you cooked it long enough to begin with.

[charby]

I've heard a lot of people say this. I wonder if it's not because so many people undercook their pizza. If you leave it in the oven until most of the cheese is toasted (and if you can avoid burning the crust) then it just doesn't get any better than that.

But if the cheese is white when you take it out of the oven, maybe that next-day microwaving helps it get closer to where it should have been, if you'd cooked it long enough to begin with.

Some people like their pizza with white cheese in the middle and toasted brown on the edges.

[BlueStarLizzard]

... I don't cook pizza...

I get pizza from places with names like Domino's and Papa Johns...

 

[MillCreek]

^^^We are fans of Papa Murphy's.